Defending the “Maragtas” versus Scott’s Hoax Theory

Defending the “Maragtas” versus Scott’s Hoax Theory

(By DinggolAranetaDivinagracia - IlonggoNationMovement)

 Prologue: “Not only the highest Court of the land (Supreme Court) ignore this misconception propagated by Henry William Scott; but still many, many more respectable institutions, groups, and a great number of enlightened citizenry.

It is regrettable, however, to note that “Maragtas” was stricken-out in Elementary grades textbooks in the late 1960s by the Manila-based Department of Education nationwide due to Mr. Scott’s theory.” --dinggol.d~~~

SCOTT, BIASED AGAINST THE MARAGTAS
(By: Guillermo Gomez Rivera-HispanoFilipino eGroup)

William Henry Scott, we are told was a Mason as well as a sectarian Protestant neocolonizer masquerading as an anthropologist, to distort in many ways the pre-Hispanic Native history and culture.

Calling the Maragtas a "myth" is an insult to all Ylongos. But has any tried to find out why Scott called the "Maragtás" a myth?

We did. And the reason given to us is that it is NOT WRITTEN, therefore there is no document saying that the Marágtas is true. therefore it is a "myth", or a made up story.

Now this argument is atrocious and arbitrary. In the first place nobody said that the Maragtas is something that was originally written. There is such a thing, after all, as ORAL LITERATURE or ORAL TRADITION. And that is what the Marágtas really is. IT IS AN ORAL TRADITION or AN ORAL LITERATURE. Being ORAL, it is but logical to understand that it is not written.

But the Maragtás was later on written down by a Spanish Friar, Tomás Santarén, OSA, in 1853 or 1856. It was written down in its original Kinaray-a language and translated into Spanish. The moment it was written, it also became Written Literature aside from the Oral Literature that it is originally.

So what is the basis for calling it a myth? Nothing.

It is just because a Spanish Friar, a Catholic, is credited for having saved it, its importance to our people is being denied outright!.

It is a fact that the Protestants American colonizers we have do not like the Spanish Friars, their competition in the "religious market" in these Islands, and it is they since 1900 who have been maligning this Friars just to show us that they are better "servants of God" than those Spanish Friar missionaries.

This is downright sectarianism of the worst kind. Together with these Protestant bigots, we have their local converts (I know one of them from Silliman University who talks and talks but says nothing in the long run), who hate what Ylongos, Cebuanos, Tagalos, etc., have as their Spanish heritage.

Let us not believe everything that a Protestant like William Henry Scott writes of plain bigotry, like this one saying that the Maragtas is a Myth. Let us neither believe what his follower, CCP anthropologist Landa-Jocano said that we cannot accept the Maragtas as an historical evidence because it is not a written document.

All this balderdash. Tinunto ni tanan. Binuang!

We who have heard the maragtas being told to us by our grandparents as a bedtime story in our childhood can not err if we say that these U.S. WASP missionaries are wrong, and have nothing to do, with what the Maragtas is for all of us who speak Ylongo from birth.
 

Editors Note:
Don Guillermo Gómez Rivera, whose ancestors came from Dingle and Calinog in Iloilo Province is also related to some
illustrious old Sino-Hispano families of "Parian" now Molo, Iloilo City and Negros Occidental.

He is the author of HILIGAYNON HARVEST (Filipino Heritage Encyclopedia, Vol. 6). This former member of the 1971-73 Philippine Constitutional Convention-- National Language Committee was acclaimed ----Laureled Prince of Ylongo Poetry in 1977.
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In Defense of Maragtas: (By Atty. Rex S. Salvilla)
WHAT is Maragtas? It is the folk story of the exodus of ten Malay datus from Bornay (Borneo) to Panay centuries ago led by Datu Puti.

This story was handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth among the inhabitants of Panay. It was first put into print in 1907 authored by Pedro A. Monteclaro of Miagao, Iloilo, a leader of the Philippine Revolution and first president of his town during the American regime. It was published by the Kadampig sang Banwa (Defenders of the Country).

Maragtas is the historical basis of the regional festivals in Panay-Binirayan of Antique, Dinagyang of Iloilo and Halaran of Capiz. The Ati-atihan of Aklan is also based on a peace treaty between the aboriginal atis (Negritos) and the descendants of Datu Bangkaya, one of the ten datus.

Before World War II, textbooks in the elementary grades throughout the country included the Maragtas story up to some time in the late 1960s when it was stricken out of these books.

The reason of the Department of Education then was a book by an American William Henry Scott, Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History published in 1968 allegedly stating that Maragtas is a myth.

This is very glaringly misleading because this is what was actually written by Scott:

"There is no reason to doubt that this legend preserves the memory of an actual event, but it is not possible to date the event itself or to decide which of its details are historic facts and which are the embellishment of generation of oral transmission" (page 103, 1984, Second Edition).

Where does it say here that Maragtas is a myth? Instead, Scott here does not doubt (meaning, he is certain) that Maragtas is "the memory of an actual event." So, the exodus really and actually happened! We wonder how the Department of Education then could have concluded from Scott's work that Maragtas is a myth?

At any rate, let us go to some aspects of Maragtas.

First - This story mentions more than sixty names, which are very difficult to invent. These included the names of the ten datus, their wives, kins, households and subordinate leaders. If Maragtas is a myth, why did the story teller took the trouble of mentioning these so many names?

Second - The story mentions that some time after the ten datus landed in San Joaquin, they took a trip around Aninipay (the name given by the Atis to the island), later changed by the Malays to Madia-as and then by the Spaniards to Panay.

In the story of this clockwise trip around the island, the Malays dropped from place to place some families, which settled there. The names of these places appear to be correct in their geographical order around Panay from Malandog (Antique) back to Bucaya (San Joaquin). Why this accuracy if it is not true?

(Source: Sun Star-Iloilo October 11, 2002)
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Editors Note:
Rex S. Salvilla, a lawyer by profession and famed ilonggo historian is the President of West Visayas Historical Research Foundation, Inc.
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Reaction: (Benjie E. Estuche-INM-Philly, PA-USA)

The citation made by Atty. Salvilla on the W.H. Scott book simply illustrates the hysteria by which the corruptors of our people and culture react in order to put the nation and its people into a LTML, or "Long Term Memory Loss." Usually, these people come from the religious establishment who are proponents of a "national amnesia" in order to hide their sins of commissions.

And the next accusation that they are going to make is already done by "demonizing" their protagonists. Hehehe! Palaba-laba sungay na lang ini seguro...Pero si Jose Rizal wala man 'to sungay ugaling miembro sang Mason gani ginpapatay sang mga relihiyoso paagi sa pagpusil sa Bagumbayan. Ikapila gani ina nga sugo sa 10 Commandments, Agurang Dinggol, inang siling nila nga mando sang Diyos nga "Dili ka magpatay?"

Hay maan kaninyo! Nagasakit ang dughan ko...Inday Zelds, butwa ka man abi agud to nga magnayanaya ang aton adlaw....

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Reaction: (Zelda Lopez -INM: Ontario-Canada)
 

Mayad nga adlaw lang dyan sa tanan. Ti Nong Rud, Tay Amin, sa diin kita kadya managbalay, sa Capitol Hill ukon sa Roxas Blvd?

Suno sa mga pahayag nanda ngadya ni Mananabang Rex kag ni JGR ang Maragtas ta natabo gid man. Kag bisan pa gani mo. Lima ka libo ka tuig maghalin dukar-on sin-o gid abi ang magtul-id kon ano nga siglo nag abot ya mga kamal-aman naton sa baybay kang San Joaquin?

Indi bala nga gapati man gani kita nga si Noah kag ang anang Arko gin anaw man? Ti, wala man maman-an kon ano nga siglo to. Wala man gani maman-an kon may arko gid man. Ti dya nga mga sugilanon, wala man dya mabalhag kang pagkatabo na gid. Naman-an man naton tanan nga dya nga mga sugilanon history dya kang mga Hudeo.

We all know that the Old Testament bible is the history of the Jews. Nobody questions it's authenticity.

Ti ang akon lang kadya gani hay makarulouy lang kita. Indi bala Tay Amin nga ang hurobaton kang paborito mo nga santo, "Ang wala gabalikid sa anang ginhalinan, indi man makaabot sa anang padulungan?" Ti ano gani ang balikdon mo kon ginpakilo ron nanda ang aton ginhalinan. Ti daad, mahulag ron kita kadya. (Inday Zelds) 

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Miguel de Loarca: Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas-June 1582.

One could also argue from what the early Spanish explorer Miguel de Loarca wrote in his report (Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas) in June 1582. Writing in Arevalo (Panay), he says: “... since these natives are not acquainted with the art of writing, they preserve their ancient lore through songs, which they sing in a very pleasing manner -commonly while plying their oars, as they are island-dwellers. Also, during their revelries, the singers who have good voices recite the exploits of olden times."

William Henry Scott’s Revised Version-1984:

Yes! Scott himself had no doubt regarding the historicity of an event that led to the transmission of an oral tradition that came to be known as the "Maragtas". He said in the revised version of his doctoral dissertation, published in 1984: "There is no reason to doubt that this legend preserves the memory of an actual event, but it is not possible to date the event itself or to decide which of its details are historic facts and which are the embellishment of generation of oral transmission."

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Epilogue: “Myth-Busting is fun. Researching some tales from the past, I discovered that “myth” doesn’t necessarily mean “false” --it can also mean “a popular belief or a tradition” that would turn out to be true.” --dinggol.d~~

(Photo Credit: Mr. Art Geroche of Iloilo City)