How 10 Bornean chiefs ended up founding villages in pre-colonial Philippines

For a long time, the provenance of the Maragtas had been considered dubious until scholars gathered enough evidence to validate its authenticity.

Maragtas is an account of the early history of Panay (Aninipay) island of the Philippines, how a group of chiefs from Borneo fleeing from the tyrannical rule of Raja Makatunao re-established settlements on the island, and later, elsewhere in the archipelago.

Written by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro in Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a languages, Maragtas drew from both written and oral sources available to Monteclaro at the time. The revered anthropologist William Henry Scott considered the work as Monteclaro’s, and even cited premier ethnologist Dr. H Otley Beyer — the so-called “Dean of Philippine ethnology, archaeology, and prehistory” — praised the work as remarkable.

A story published in the pre-war Philippine Magazine in the 1930s avoided delving into its historical accuracy; instead, it was presented as is, without any injection of embelishments nor personal biases.

Percy A. Hill’s “The Settling of Panay by the Seven Datos of Borneo” was a retelling of the purchase of the island by the Bornean chiefs from Marikudo.

The Bornean chiefs (datus) were Dato Paiborong and his wife Pabulan; Dato Puti and his wife Pinagpañgan; Dato Sumakuel and Kapingañgan; Dato Bancaya and Katurong; Dato Paduginug and Ribang Sapaw; Dato Dumangsil and Kabiling; and the bachelor chiefs Dato Lubay, Dato Dumalugdug, and Dato Kalinsuela.

Hill, regrettably due to oversight, missed Dumangsol.

The chiefs fled from the tyrannical rule of Raja Makatunao on Borneo, on dugouts called “balangay” with bamboo outriggers called “batangas”.  Sailing northwards, they traced Palawan’s coastline until they reached Cuyo where they caught sight of Aninipay’s mountains.

Rowing down to Aninipay, the Bornean migrants docked near the Sirwagan River, in the town of San Joaquin where the indigenous population ruled by Marikudo had been entrenched.

Seeing a man fishing nearby, the Bornean seafarers approached him and convinced him to take them to his leader.

A guide who had been to the island before and who spoke the language served as translator as they negotiated the terms and conditions of the proposed acquisition of land, preferrably near the river and the sea. Marikudo declined to close the deal until a consultation with the elders could be made. The latter, as it turned out, had no issue with giving up their stake on the plains in exchange for the rancheria in the mountains where they could be spared from the coastal attacks.

Hill compared and contrasted the Borneans and the indigenous group. While the aborigines were clad in something “primitive,” Hill wrote that the chiefs wore vests with brightly colored sarongs “dropped to the knees.” In his words:

Each carried a decorated kris or barong belted to his waist, and a sort of satchel, made of deer or musang skin, held lime, betel, and chewing materials, flint and steel, and other small necessities. They wore their hair long, and the datos and sacops adorned their heads with a crimson cloth drawn to a high point called a potong. The women wore short-sleeved jackets upon which were sewn trinkets and bright shells, with a double sarong, the outside one falling to the ankles, strings of glass or gold beads, bracelets of brass, copper, or gold according to their rank, and rings on both hands and feet, while their hair was oiled and parted in the center, very different from the frizzy-haired and almost naked Negritos.

Philippine Magazine, p. 85

Not long after, the parties settled on a price. Fully armed and dressed for an important ceremony, the Borneans came and dazzled their hosts. Datu Paiburong gave Marikudo a “kris with a handle of burnished copper.” (Kris is a blade that originated in Southeast Asia.)

Hill noted that the story of the land purchase was riddled with exaggerated values, “even allowing for the weight in ounces, de escudo Castellano, of the various articles.”

Datu Puti, the chief among chiefs, presented their offer of gold-plated salakot (hat), hatchets, knives, beads, garments in three colors, and the basin, the most valuable of all. Even the gold beads worn by Puti’s wife became part of the deal. As an added concession to the Borneans, the aborigines had agreed to provide them fish and materials for their new settlement.

With the purchase settled, Puti left for Borneo leaving his constituents behind under Sumakwel’s leadership. Sailing northward by way of Taal, Puti was joined by Dumangsil and Kalinsuela who both elected to disembark in Batangas where they founded their own settlements there.

Back in Aninipay, the island would later be divided into three regions: Hantic, where Sumakuel was paramount chief and supported by Lubay, Dumalugdug, and Paduginug; Acklan, was ruled by Sumakuel’s brother-in-law Datu Bancaya; Irong-irong, ruled by Paiborong.

Hundreds of years later with the arrival of the Spaniards, the island became known as Oton. The fertile plains would always guarantee an abundant harvest hence the Spanish expression “pan hay en esta isla” — later shortened to “Panay.” Hantic (ferocious ants) became “Antique”.