The title above is taken from my new, unpublished short story that I hope to again make a name for itself. It sort of documents, or fictionalizes, the account of Magellan’s landing on the island of Humonhon, near Samar Island. It’s a story of love, frustration, jealousy, and hatred, set against the time when our forebears were still living in backwardness in the face of colonizers.
The Language Used
This story was originally written in Waray, one of the major languages in the Philippines spoken largely in the islands of Samar, Leyte, and Biliran, which comprise the Eastern Visayan Region. Generally, Winaray belongs to the three Visayan languages called Bisaya, or Binisaya, namely: Ilonggo Bisayan, Cebuano Bisayan, and Waray Bisayan.
Although I can write proficiently in English, I intentionally use Winaray, my native language, to produce literary works because of my commitment to helping enrich Waray Literature, which is among the country’s poorest bodies of regional literature. Somehow, my resolve has been paying off, given the many contributions I have already made to it, particularly in realistic fiction.
Context of the Story
The story tells about the turbulent love story of Labita who, at an early age, was chosen by Samar’s ruling Datu as his next wife in addition to his collection of wives. She was confined alone in an exclusive house before the wedding ceremony. But Lubaw, who was gravely in love with her, abducted her at night and brought her to an island called Humumo, and stayed there as a couple until the death of the Datu.
After many years, their marriage yielded two sons, but Labita frequently complained of Lubaw’s possessiveness and excessive jealousy. She felt like he was treating her like a prisoner. Disappointed, Labita had no choice but to stay with him, although he could not satisfy her longings for a lavish living and a desire for renown as a beautiful woman.
One day, while Lubaw and his sons were crafting a wooden boat on that island, they saw the landing of Spanish Galleons that ferried the group of Ferdinand Magellan. The foreigners dropped by to scout for resources they needed for their voyage. That time, Labita and their servant also came, bringing Lubaw’s food supplies, but no one was in the workplace as Lubaw and their sons were spying on the foreigners.
Labita also saw the docked ships and descended the hill to investigate, only to find the aliens suddenly attracted to her while she, on the other hand, quickly fell for their commander. In that confrontation, Lubaw suddenly came, brandishing his long itak, ready to kill and be killed. Magellan explained that they were not enemies at all, but Lubaw quickly grabbed Labita off the scene and were soon on their way home, though Labita was mourning over that lost opportunity.
Once published and gets into the hands of Waray readers, this story could hopefully augment the existing literary productions of our Waray fiction writers. We have plenty of materials to narrate from this part of the country. All it takes is patience and diligence from our leading fictionists for our stories and voices to be heard. The challenge is before us. Go for it!
