In the island of Panay, legend has it that a grain of palay was once large enough to fill the pot [1]. Man needed not sow and raise the grain because it abounded everywhere, bearing fruit so easily. One day, a man became too tired of the palay’s abundance. Worried that his storage would fill quickly, he pounded the palay hard and tough until the solid grain turned into bits and pieces. Bathala saw what he did and the angry god decided the mere mortal deserves a punishment. “From now on,” the almighty said, “You will toil for every grain of palay! You will sow and plant and harvest and pound every rice that would make into your stomach! Every drop of sweat for every grain you eat.”
The quest for rice is often associated with man’s never ending need for sustenance and survival. Rice is the preferred staple and it was grown everywhere in the Philippines, although early Spanish settlers found this grain abundant in Panay Island. Rice comes in various names. The Visayans call it called humay, tipasi, or paray. The Panayanons planted rice following the direction of the stars, the movement of the winds, and the song of the birds. Miguel Lopez de Legaspi observed that the natives would harvest rice every October and November [2]. For the Sulud society, practicing rice rituals is necessary for the success of every phase involved, from marking (panuos) and clearing of the site where rice is to be planted (panabi-tabi, tadag), to planting (paminhi), caring (handugan) and preharvest (luy-ahan) [3]. Every step of the way, the blessings of the spirits would have to be sought to ensure bountiful yield.
The Spaniards, under Legaspi, in Cebu have had a hard time securing provisions. They were so deficient with supplies that Christmas of 1565 and New Year of 1566 were spent eating corn, while relations in Mexico enjoyed sumptuous luncheons amidst merriment. They, on the other hand, amidst their wretched situation an ocean away, would have to endure native hostilities and compete with rats for the pittance of corn and herbs that remained for consumption.
The drive to search for food led the Spaniards to explore the nearby islands and that was how they learned about the abundance of the archipelago. Legaspi’s maestre de campo (aide-de-camp), Juan de la Isla, reached Araut (later called Dumangas), in Panay Island, where he found 300 fanegas of rice (1 fanegas approximately 25.40 kilogram) [4]. It was then that the Spanish leader learned about this island of plentiful rice and honey.
With the threat of Portuguese attacks, Legaspi ordered the transfer of their camp to the island of Panay, where, in 1569, they settled by the river of the same name, an “impregnable” place and one that abounds with “everything necessary to resist enemy invasion.” [4]
“… we thought that the river Panae would be a more suitable site," wrote Legaspi to the Marquis de Falcis, "for it abounds in rice, and no one from the sea could prevent us from going up the river to the mountains.” [5] Unlike the unwelcoming natives in Cebu, the hospitality showed by the Panayanons impressed the Spaniards. When Legaspi finally arrived in Panay, he was “lovingly received”[4] by the two native leaders, Madidum and Manicabug.
“The people are populous, with a more docile nature than any of the Pintados,” Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin later wrote. Early Spanish settlers called the Visayans Pintados because of their their tattoed skin. The natives planted rice to such an extent that their “abundance is unbelievable on this island.” It is probably because of its fertile earth that the island was called the Sicily of the Philippines by Fr. de San Agustin.
The sustenance and the goodwill received by the Spaniards would place them at an advantageous position as they set out to conquer the nearby Mindoro and, eventually, Manila. Panay’s abundance of rice, on the other hand, would linger for generations. ( Image under Creative Commons attribution.)
Reference:
[1] Amorita C.Rabuco (2006). Hiligaynon Mythological Stories and Folktales: Analysis and Translation. Iloilo City: University of San Agustin Publishing House.
[2] William Henry Scott (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press.
[3] F. Landa Jocano (1958). Corn and Rice Rituals among the Sulod of Central Panay, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science, 87 (4).
[4] Gaspar de San Agustin (1998). Conquistas de las islas de Filipinas (1565-1615), translated by Luis Antonio Maneru. Manila: San Agustin Museum.
[5] Letter from Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to the Marques de Falces, in E.H. Blair and J.A. Robertson (eds). The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume 3, 1569-1576. Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Co., 1907, 1908.
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