Balgua, Dearborn Coleen C.

September 15, 2022

3SEDE-A Prof. Orcega

Maragtas by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro

Objective

At the end of the lesson the student will be able:

 ‌ o know more about the Legend of Maragtas

T
 ‌To understand and comprehend the importance of Local Literature
 ‌To analyza and interpret the Legend of Maragtas

Introduction

The Maragtas is a work by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro titled History of Panay from the first
inhabitants to the arrival of the Spaniards. In Iloilo, the work is written in a combination of Hiligaynon and
Kinaray-a. It is an original work based on the author's access to written and oral sources. Nonetheless, it has
been debated whether the work is entirely fictional. The Maragtas is a unique work that claims to be based on
written and oral sources of which no copy has survived. The author makes no claim that the work includes a
transcription of specific pre-Hispanic documents. The book includes a publisher's introduction by Salvador
Laguda, the author's foreword, six chapters, and an epilogue.

Reflective analysis

The first chapter describes the former customs, clothes, dialect, heredity, organization, and so on of
the Panay Aetas, with special emphasis on Marikudo, son of old Chief Polpulan; the second chapter begins a
narrative of the ten Datus flight from Borneo and the tyranny of Rajah Makatunaw there to the island of
Panay. The datus bartered for the island's plains and valleys with a local Ati chieftain named Marikudo,
offering gold in exchange. The territory of Irong-Irong, which is now the province of Iloilo in the Philippines,
was given to one datu, Paiburong; the third chapter describes the romance of Sumakwel, Kapinangan, and her
lover Gurung-garung; The fourth chapter concludes the story of the ten datus, describing their political
arrangements and circumnavigation of the island; the fifth chapter describes language, commerce, clothing,
customs, marriages, funerals, mourning habits, cockfighting, timekeeping techniques, calendars, and personal
characteristics; the sixth and final chapter provides a list of Spanish officials between 1637 and 1808; and the
epilog contains a few eighteenth-century dates.

Summary

The Maragtas Legend was unknown until Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro used it as the title of a book in
1907. He wrote the Maragtas in Panay's Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a languages. Monteclaro saw legends as an
important part of the Visayan heritage, so he gathered various stories from Panay's elderly and published them
in his Maragtas. The Maragtas Legend tells us about Iloilo in the 13th century. About ten datus, including
Datu Puti, escaped Datu Makayunaw of Borneo's tyranny. The datus sailed across the ocean at night in their
boats. They initially believed they would perish in the middle of the sea. Still, they made it to Panay Island.
The "Atis" people, who were ruled by King Marikudo and Queen Maniwangtiwang, are the ones who live
there. King Marikudo bartered away the lowlands of Panay Island in exchange for a golden hat called "saduk,"
a long gold necklace called "manangyad," and other Datus gifts. The Bornean Datus eventually took complete
control of the island, with the "Atis" retreating to the mountains. For 300 years, Panay Island was governed by
the Kalantiao Code, which ensured peace and prosperity. However, it was disrupted when the Spaniards
arrived and established the provincial government. Since the late 1950s, when it became a part of the yearly
celebration of the Santo Nio in Kalibo, Aklan, the Maragtas Legend has been celebrated yearly in the Ati-
atihan festival.

The Ten Bornean Datus

 Datu Puti
 Datu Sumakwel
 Datu Bangkaya
 Datu Paiburong
 Datu Paduhinogan
 Datu Domongsol
 Datu Lubay
 Datu Dumangsil
 Datu Domalogalog
 Datu Balensuela

Approach

The Maragtas are legends that may or may not be based on actual events from the distant past. They
are about the ten datus or chiefs who fled Datu Makatunaw's tyranny in Borneo and immigrated to the island
of Panay. Once there, they allegedly purchased the island's lowland plains from Marikudo, the leader of the
indigenous Aytas, for the price of a solid gold salakot. These ten chiefs and their families are said to be the
ancestors of the entire Visayan population. Since the late 1950s, when it became a part of the annual feast of
the Santo Nio in Kalibo, Aklan, this is the legend that has been celebrated yearly in the Ati-atihan festival.
Even though these legends might have been known for generations, the word maragtas itself was unknown
until it was used as the title of a book by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro in 1907. He wrote Maragtas in the
Panayan languages of Hiligaynon and Kinaray-á, and the word maragtas simply meant "history." To this day,
the word maragtas is only associated with his book.

Philosophy

Monteclaro saw legends as an important part of Visayan heritage, so he collected and published the
various stories of Panay's elderly in his Maragtas. Some claim that Monteclaro translated Maragtas from an
ancient prehispanic manuscript, but in the book's preface, he clearly stated that he was the author. And, while
he did mention two old written documents, he stated that he did not publish them due to their poor condition,
and he made no mention of them being transcribed in his book. Monteclaro did not assign dates to these
ostensibly ancient documents. One belonged to his grandfather, he said, and the other to the grandfather of an
82-year-old man he met in his hometown of Miag-ao. Monteclaro claimed that he was able to copy these
documents in 1901 despite the fact that they were nearly illegible. The fact that these documents were said to
have been written on paper, and that they only date back two generations before 1901 (Monteclaro claimed
one was five generations old), places them firmly within the period of Spanish occupation.
Recommendation

In terms of the topic's relevance to your appreciation of the study of Philippine prehistory and history,
the Maragtas' relevance to the study of Philippine history is that there is always a deeper understanding of the
study of History. It is what lies beyond our imaginations and what we have read. There is always a deeper
context to better understand and appreciate the study of history. I learned from the author that if you want to
share your thoughts and works about history, you must push yourself harder to work even harder. If you want
to stand up for yourself, you must first extract any hidden information you may have in order to give the truth
and information. If you are interested in history in your area, you should be aware and pleased with what you
have discovered.

Conclusion

I've realized the true value of cultures and beliefs, as well as evidence of written and oral works.
Without them, the study of history would not exist in our presence or study. Treasured information may
perish, and we must understand that we must culture it, preserve it, and pass it down to future generations.
Also, despite the fact that we have been conquered on numerous colonies and mixed races, we must remain
true to who we truly are. This type of race will come and go if we do not preserve and value our own heritage.
We should not think about other races and allow them to colonize our minds because what we have now is
just as good as what we had before. We don't want our heritage to become extinct and be taken away from us
by our generation's modernity.

References

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maragtas

https://philnews.ph/2019/11/20/summary-of-maragtas-the-legend-of-the-ten-bornean-datus/