The Culture of Waray-Waray community

The Island of Samar and northern Leyte are inhabited by the Waray (Waray-Waray), a
hard people who have attuned their lives to the fact that their homes lie in the paths of
Pacific typhoons. The land is rugged with narrow coastal areas and a mature karst spine.
Wet rice intensive cultivation, production of copra, and domestic fishing economy
sustain the basic population. The culture is basically Visayan.

Based on my two weeks of observations being also part of Waray-Waray community I

highlighted the way Waray people celebrates occasions. Gather two or more Waray to a
table and before you know it, there are already two glasses being passed on from one to
the next - one glass has a cola drink and the other has the red coconut wine called tuba.
Tuba is produced by mixing coconut sap with barok, a reddish bark of a mangrove tree.
Barok not only gives the reddish color, but it also prevents the coconut sap from turning
sour and allows the tuba to ferment. A tuba fermenting for up to one year is called bahal,
while aged tuba is called bahalina. To celebrate, it does not need a special occasion. It can
just be a regular family gathering, or a time listening to a friend pouring out over a
spurned love interest, or a moment of relaxation after a grueling work. Even before the
Spaniards came, tuba was already the centerpiece of any celebration. Being the primary
source of the production of copra, Governor Jericho 'Icot' Petilla proclaimed Tuba
Festival in every October of the year. Icot said that "we do not only produce the finest
tuba; we also have the most number of tuba lovers.

In addition to, big occasions like fiestas, a family reunion, or toast for a new family
member, the celebration is not complete without tuba. Tuba does not only light up the
mood; it doubles the gaiety. To us in the Leyte-Samar region, collectively known as
Waray, tuba is not just a drink; it is our culture.