Carmina and Patch finally get their chance to dive deep into Antique since they first encountered it in Season 1. Their discussion reveals Antique’s 13th century origin and its significance to Philippine history thereafter. Learn about some of Antique’s prominent figures and their undeniable contributions locally and nationally. Finally, discover Antique’s delicious treats and many natural wonders that makes it another “must see” destination.
Carmina and Patch finally get their chance to dive deep into Antique since they first encountered it in Season 1. Their discussion reveals Antique’s 13th century origin and its significance to Philippine history thereafter. Learn about some of Antique’s prominent figures and their undeniable contributions locally and nationally. Finally, discover Antique’s delicious treats and many natural wonders that makes it another “must see” destination.
Welcome to Filtrip, a podcast where we explore everything fun, weird, and in between about the Philippines. Today's trip is a trip to Antique. Antique is spelled like antique.
Patch:
Mm-Hmm <affirmative> .
Carmina:
A-N-T-I-Q-U-E. But it's Antique. And the reason why we're talking about it today is because it's come up in several of our research and episodes in the past. So Patch , do you remember us talking about antique and our Holy Week episode from season one,
Patch:
<laugh> ? Uh, yes. And it had something to do with your , uh,
Carmina:
Betrayal <laugh> .
Patch:
It was your betrayal. So if you guys don't know what we're talking about, please refer to that episode. Its season one
Carmina:
And we're going to link it in our show notes. The timestamp where we specifically talk about antique is 29 53 <laugh> .
Patch:
It's very,
Carmina:
I really want them to listen to it, I guess
Patch:
<laugh> . Okay.
Carmina:
So not only did we talk about it and come across it in that Holy Week episode, we've also come across it multiple times when we were researching various episodes about Philippine independence. And related to that, there was a prominent figure during the Fight for Independence from Spain that arose from that period. And his name is Heneral Leandro Fullon. He was born in Antique on March 13, either in 1874 or 1877.
Patch:
They don't have, I guess, actual record of his date.
Carmina:
There's so many records, just different ones.
Patch:
<laugh> .
Carmina:
So
Patch:
<laugh> ,
Carmina:
The sources that I found were conflicting. Right? So some of them say 1874. Others say 1877. Right?
Patch:
Well, hey , at least there's a record. I mean, we all know the struggle.
Carmina:
He was appointed by Emilio Aguinaldo as Commanding General in the whole of the Visayas region. And he continued to serve the cause during the Filipino American War until he and his troops were captured only a few days after his birthday on March 22nd, 1901. And this is so cool. There was an article in the New York Times about this on that same day.
Patch:
Oh, why? Why was there an article?
Carmina:
Well, because the Filipino American War remember was very controversial here in the United States during that time. But it earned a New York Times mention .
Patch:
It means it's very significant.
Carmina:
Yeah 'cause it's , he was one of the last, I think in the whole of the Philippines to hold out. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . We're going to link that New York Times mention in the show notes after the war. He was appointed as provincial governor of antique until he died on October 16th, 1904. So depending on which year you think he was born, he was only 27 or 30 years old.
Patch:
Either way, very young.
Carmina:
I was curious why he died so young, but I really couldn't find the cause of death. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Anyway, that's just a short homage to General Leandro Folln who was born on this month.
Patch:
So speaking about Antique, it has a very rich history. In the first half of the 13th century Carmina, there were 10 datus from Borneo .
Carmina:
We are going all the way back to the 13th century. Wow. <laugh> .
Patch:
Yes .
Carmina:
This is a testament to how strong the Visayan oral history is.
Patch:
That's right. So 10 datus from Borneo fled the harsh authority of Sultan Makatunaw of Borneo . And so they sailed to Panay. One of the datus was Datu Puti.
Carmina:
For those who don't know, there's a popular brand of vinegar in the Philippines. Datu Puti. And I never really got curious about who Datu Puti was. I thought it was just branding. So he's a real figure.
Patch:
Apparently he was the leader of the ten datus that arrived . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . They met the natives led by Marikudo. And they chose to permanently dwell on the island because they're fleeing right from , um, the harsh realities of Borneo .
Carmina:
So the indigenous tribe that they found on Panay are called the Atti .
Patch:
Yeah. The ones that greeted the datus were specifically the AtIs. Yes. So Marikudo prepared for the coming of these guests . And they even prepared a feast for them. They were talking about purchasing land from the Ati. Datu Puti requested that the gold batoc or tropical headgear and a gold batya or a wash basin be payment for the land that they were purchasing. King Marikudo was very agreeable to this, except his wife Queen Maniwantiwan refused the purchase. She wanted something out of this and instead Datu Puti persuaded, his wife Pinangpangan to give Maniwantiwan her gold necklace rather than the gold. But yeah . So apparently this necklace was really beautiful, very ostentatious. The length was from the neck down to the floor. It was even described. And this gold intricate.
Carmina:
This was portrayed by one of our fame Filipino artists , Fernando Amorsolo in his painting titled Barter of Panay.
Patch:
Yes. And I remember seeing images of that painting. So the natives agreed to this. And at the very end of the deal, the natives agreed to just leave the premises and they went higher in the highlands because they didn't want to deal with the pirates in the lowlands, et cetera, et cetera . So the tattoos , they settled on the land. But the interesting thing is they discovered huge anthills called tic . And that's where the name Hantik came from. That eventually evolved into the word Antique.
Carmina:
Patch . Two things that I find interesting. Number one, there's a slightly different story than I found about the 10 datus. Okay. I mean the premise is the same. They escaped tyranny. Right. Datu Puti was a former minister of Sultan Makatunaw, and he had already been to Panay and that's why he was the one who led the expedition.
Patch:
Well that makes sense. 'cause they were not just sailing blindly.
Carmina:
Right. They had a purpose. Right. They knew where they were going. And the story about the ants the same actually, have you seen those ants ? They're terrifying.
Patch:
No <laugh> ,
Carmina:
Because we used to have them too in my province.
Patch:
Oh,
Carmina:
The stuff of nightmares, especially when you found the anthill or if you accidentally stepped on it. That's it. Wow. Better be prepared.
Patch:
Thankfully, I've never come across them.
Carmina:
And there's black ones and red ones, and the red ones are more terrifying
Patch:
That I know. The red ones always.
Carmina:
Anyway , sorry for the side story <laugh> about these ants. They're really big. Uh, so that part is the same about the barter, though. There's also a slight difference in what I found. So Datu Puti apparently left. He went back to Borneo for whatever reason, and he brought some of the datus with him. The ones who remained one of them, Datu Sumakwel was the one that he named head datu when he left. So when Datu Sumakwel and the other datus explored the area, they discovered these ants. And eventually the remaining datus divided the territory into three Hamtik, which is now Antique to be ruled by Datu Sumakwel, which is now divided into Aklan to be ruled by Datu Bangkaya and IrongIrong, which is now Ilo Ilo to be ruled by Datu Paiburong. In the version of the story that I found, it was Datu Sumakwel who bartered with the indigenous natives to acquire Panay with gold and that long gold necklace.
Patch:
Oh .
Carmina:
So the second interesting part is the evolution from Hamtik to Antique <laugh> . So when the Spaniards arrived, the early Spanish chronicler were apparently influenced by the French and recorded the name spelled as H-A-N-T-I-Q-U-E. They pronounced it with a silent H because of the French influence
Patch:
<laugh> . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
Carmina:
But as we know now, it's pronounced as antique. So have you come across the expression Patch? No, I don't think so. The parallel is somewhat like Aloha Kruhay is from the local language, language, not dialect called kinaraya. And Kinaraya is native to the Panay island. And in central Philippines it means long lived , but it can also mean welcome or hello or goodbye like Aloha. So in our show notes, you'll see a link to a tourism video by Dante Beriong. And many people got introduced to antique through this video. It's about 17 to 80 years old. So the quality of the film is a bit grainy, but the beauty of Antica still shines in it. Dante Beriong is a singer songwriter and is now a public servant. And he helped shape the OKM landscape. You know how we call original Filipino music? OPM ? Right? Right. So there's OKM, which stands for original Kinaraya music.
Patch:
One of the things that makes antique special is its indigenous people. And the indigenous people that speak that language, they're called the Bukidnon, and they are credited to having created some amazing rice terraces.
Carmina:
Yes. Uh , outside of the famous ones.
Patch:
Yes. Right. So these terraces are divided into four fields and have been recognized by the National Commission of Culture and Arts, and are being studied extensively by our local scholars. Local meaning Filipino scholars, specifically from the University of the Philippines.
Carmina:
I hope they find the real birth year of <laugh> genital food . Anyway, sorry, I couldn't resist. Sorry. Back to Kruhay. Yes. Along those lines, there's now also a well-known song by the same title composed by Benny Castilian, which is based on that folktale that we just talked about, the ten datus. And I've listened to several interpretations of this song. It is so moving and the way it's arranged and the way it's performed has become so popular, even in the biggest global choral competitions. So the second video you'll see in our show notes is a choral interpretation by the Utah State University Corral that was conducted by Lawrence Loriano , who is a Filipino Hawaiian, and was introduced in this video as a master student in choral conducting. Finally, the last video you'll see linked is an orchestral interpretation by the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra in Vienna. And it is as moving as the choral interpretations. So you were mentioning the rice terraces. There's another interesting modern factoid about antique.
Patch:
What did you come across?
Carmina:
It is being eyed as the next premier diving site in the Philippines. Okay. As biodiverse at par with the most known spot in the Philippines, which is called the Tubatahu Reef in Palauan . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . It's still undiscovered because there aren't any diving operators there.
Patch:
Makes me nervous that they're gonna start developing the area
Carmina:
The local government wants to because it is a huge income generator in those places where diving is commonplace. Now in the Philippines, yeah. It's described as a very virginal dive location. So for divers , that's really appealing. And for those who don't know, the Philippines has been named the Asia's leading dive destination five years in a row by the World Travel Awards. And it beat Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand for that title. But I share your nervousness because with that comes damage right to the local ecosystem.
Patch:
There are already several tourist destinations in antique. There is the Malumpati cold springs, they describe it as crystal clean waters flowing in the Ang River. There's also Malalison Island, which is supposed to be very tranquil. Also, described as paradise where you can immerse yourself in local culture by staying in the village. There is the Bugtong Bato Falls, so another body of water that you can visit. And it is seven tiered , can you imagine? Seven tiers of waterfall cascading. Wow. And there's kayaking there and amazing views. And then finally there's the Kawa hot bath where you can basically, I saw pictures of it. They look like pots or huge cooking vessels. Yeah . That you basically cook yourself <laugh>. No , but I wonder, <laugh> it , they infuse it with aromatic herbs, et cetera . Uh ,
Carmina:
That's so popular now across the Philippines, apparently.
Patch:
Oh, really?
Carmina:
Okay . Yeah. And a lot of spas, you find this kawa bath that Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , you know, that's what it's called locally. It really makes me wonder what they cooked <laugh>
Patch:
Before required . Right .
Carmina:
It to be a size that would fit a person
Patch:
<laugh> . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> ,
Carmina:
They probably like cooked whole cows or pigs in , in one of these things in the past.
Patch:
We should put it in our long list of places to visit.
Carmina:
Imagine all these natural, you know, resources that if it becomes like a popular thirst spot in the Philippines, I just shudder to think what would happen to them. But I hope the local government is thinking about that. And as you were talking about this, it reminded me about the very diverse terrain of antique, which is why it's also called the place where the mountain meets the sea.
Patch:
Oh, that's so beautiful.
Carmina:
And it describes it perfectly. Yeah. So the rice terraces and all of these bodies of water, it really lives up to that name.
Patch:
Yeah. I, I really hope we can keep it pristine. And when we do visit it Carmina, I also look at what their traditional , uh, treats are. <laugh> , if you wanna know, of course they include the bukayo you remember those?
Carmina:
Oh my gosh, yes.
Patch:
Yes . So grated coconut cooked in sugar butong butong, which is twisted sugar treat. And then there is the bandi nga mani, which is their version of peanut brittle.
Carmina:
There's another wonder. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Did you come across the St . John Nepomoseno Church? So it's also one of the favorite tourist attractions in antique. It's a historic Baroque Roman Catholic church, and it's certified by the National Historical Commission. So the unique feature of this church was, it was generally constructed of coral and stones. And the coral structure is because it's only a few meters away from the shoreline. So most likely the corals were collected around the area apart from its baroque architecture. Another significant history of this church is connected with the Aglipayan, who were the ones who popularized that , uh, <laugh> tradition that we spoke about in that Holy Week episode. And we'll talk about the Aglipayan church in another episode because that is another really significant part of our history. This church was taken over by the Aglipayan in 1902 until it was returned to the Catholic church in 1908. And I kind of bring it back to that Patch about the Antiques Revolutionary spirit.
Patch:
So speaking of the Revolutionary Spirit in December of 1981, I mean December, you know, it's supposed to be the month of , uh, festivities and Christmas, but a very tragic event occurred , uh, which is the Bacong Bridge massacre. Over 400 farmers and fishermen and their families that gathered in protest against the difficult conditions during that time of Prsident Ferdinand Marcos, the farmers and fishermen, along with their children marched towards the municipal hall. Despite the presence of armed forces. As they crossed the Bacong River Bridge, they entered a barricade meant by soldiers. And when tensions escalated, shots were fired and five people were killed on the spot. While seven others were injured. The victims included Leopoldo Anos, Aquilino Castillo, Fortunato Dalisay, Remigildo Dalisay, and Joel Ballenas Plaquino, despite claims by the authorities that they were members of the New People's Army evidence showed that they did not provoke the soldiers.
Carmina:
Yeah. Everything was being blamed on the communist during that time. Right. I mean, the whole premise of Martial Law
Patch:
Correct.
Carmina:
Was to quote unquote battle communism.
Patch:
That's right. So even today, the victims are recognized as human rights violations. Victims and their names are honored in the city. And , uh, hopefully we don't forget about them and other victims of the Marital Law era, especially during these times.
Carmina:
And as another testament to Anti's spirit during that era, Evelio Bellaflor Javier is named as a hero of Antique at 29 years old. He became the youngest provincial governor in 1971 when he beat a long t ime i n convent by one of the largest margins in Philippine political history. And this was especially significant because he won during martial law and he was a vocal critic of it. And yet the Antiquenos voted him to a very decisive victory after his term. He didn't seek reelection. Instead he went to the JFK School of Government at Harvard University on a scholarship in 1981 w hen Ninoy A quino was assassinated in 1983, a value r eturn to the Philippines. And he ran for a seat in the Batasang Pambansa, which was the Martial Law parliament as a representative of antique right before the elections, seven of his supporters were killed in an ambush, probably in an attempt to intimidate him. He continued his bid, nevertheless, but he lost due to election fraud, which we know was rampant at that time because it even occurred at the presidential election level. Right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> by this time he was already receiving death threats. But he nevertheless campaigned for Cory Aquino after he lost five days after the presidential elections on February 11th, 1986. He was assassinated in broad daylight. Mm . Near where the election returns were being tallied in his province. He was only 44 years old. And his death was said to have added to the outrage that fueled the people power revolution on his funeral and burial, millions of people wearing yellow shirts and yellow wristbands followed him to the cemetery while playing his favorite song, the Impossible Dream.
Patch:
You know, it's really sad that even to this day, perpetrators of crime during those times and even recently, have yet to face punishment.
Carmina:
But, you know, I was really impressed with the Antiquenos throughout history.
Patch:
Same
Carmina:
Number one from the moment. Uh , it was born as a formal settlement of those ten datus who were said to have been fleeing tyranny through the Spanish colonial period, and even during martial law. I mean, those were all difficult points in our history. And yet they showed immense bravery in putting their faith and votes and courage behind people and causes. 'cause even the church through the Aglipayans, right? And even if we're laughing about it, that Holy Week tradition is a very strong statement.
Patch:
You know, if you are looking for a place with a really rich and fascinating history, together with beautiful scenery, together with amazing food and culture, Antique is definitely worth a visit.
Carmina:
So in the spirit of Antique Kruhay Patch , <laugh>
Patch:
Kruhay Carmina <laugh> .
Carmina:
And with that, that's our episode. We hope you join us on our next trip, O siya, siya.
Patch:
Ingat. Thanks for listening to FilTrip with Carmina and Patch. Support FilTrip through Patreon or PayPal. And follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever all podcasts are downloaded.
Carmina:
Thanks to FIltrip sponsor Soul Pack . A functional shoe accessory bag. Visit the soulpack .com for more details.