Rational Insanity
Nursing the aswang’s wing (2)
I remember a famous philosopher once saying that the road to righteousness is always difficult and bumpy. It is funny how the conflict between the Dugo Capiznon, Inc. (DCI) the organizers of the ‘Aswang Festival’ in Capiz, and the different religious sectors is turning out to be an eerie picture of persecution.
Just recently, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) – Chairman for the Committee on Arts, Felipe de Leon came to Roxas City to conduct a plenary on Cultural Awareness along with some other NCCA resource speakers for Festival Management and Choreography. They came a day early for the seminars and incidentally, witnessed the final dialogue of the DCI with the City Council, together with representatives from the various religious sects and organizations in the city. What I remember most from that dialogue was when Com. De Leon said that dismissing the Aswang Myth would be rewriting the history of the Province of Capiz. It was pointed out during that dialogue that the ‘aswang’ is not really what we know it is. During colonial times, the ‘word’ aswang was used by the Spaniards to refer to the local healers or ‘babaylan’ and the women freedom fighters of Capiz so that their following would be diminished and the Spanish Colony would flourish without threats from those against it. Putting everything in proper perspective, the ‘aswang’ tag was really a part of local history and the NCCA people were right in saying that dismissing that tag was denying and rewriting history.
It is unfortunate that while religious people here in Roxas City keep ranting about the issue of holding the ‘aswang festival’, here are people who are not even from the City vigilantly defending the organizers because of the significance of the ‘aswang’ to local culture. Why can’t these groups see the importance of valuing ones culture? It is spooky to think that history can actually repeat itself. I am worried that, now; the defenders of culture have become the persecuted. Where are we headed? Cultural awareness is the aspect of our being that keeps our identity alive and to kill cultural awareness is to weed out our only remaining hope of actually preserving who we are.
This is not true only with the DCI, it is very evident in many things we encounter everyday. For instance, there are many young people now who consider writing in Hiligaynon as Bakya and Baduy, so most of our Hiligaynon writers are greatly marginalized. The culture of modernization and commercialization is slowly creeping into the generational system and gradually killing off the heart of culture. We are actually in a critical stage now; what will become of us when this inevitable wave of modernization has stabilized and passed us by is entirely dependent on how we value and defend our indigenous and cultural heritage. Lucky for those in the religious sectors, they claim that their role in the community is to guard the spiritual atmosphere and the moral fiber of the people, however, I believe that blanketing the entire community in religious mumbo-jumbo at the expense of the loss of ones culture and history is more immoral and spiritually oppressive.
The Panayanon Sulod is the only (cultural) community in Western Visayas. Their story is a sad story. When the Spaniards came to the Island of Panay, they refused to succumb to the practice of the Spaniards as well as their teachings, and this handful of people left the lowlands and retreated to the uplands of Tapaz, Capiz. There they continued their indigenous practices and continued with their ancestral cultural practices. The Spaniards called them the ‘mundo’ from the word ‘vagamundo’ which means savage. This is the exact same thing the Spaniards did to the local healers and freedom fighters, they called them ‘aswang’ to mean the evil counterpart of ‘Agurang’ who represents the spirit of goodness. Theirs is a story of exile in their own land. The price of defending culture is great; it could mean losing your home and being banished by your own people. Now, the Panayanon Sulod, while still existent, are very few, and may eventually die out and bring the rich culture of Capiznons with them to their graves. These people are our only link to what Capiznons really were before Spanish Colonization, and while we cannot really brag of a glorious past because our indigenous culture was seriously wounded by the Spaniards’ hypocritical propagation of Roman Catholicism, we still have sporadic remnants of the true culture and tradition that were truly identified with us.
The challenge now for the organizers of the ‘aswang festival’ is to brave the threat of cultural exile. While no material exile could actually happen nowadays like what happened to the ‘babaylans’ and the ‘suludnon’ there is the very real threat of being ostracized. This challenge I leave to the DCI, are you ready to fight for culture and tradition despite the consequences and the very real ordeal of having your allies simply shut up for fear of being ostracized as well? I have this to say to you: I may be neutral in my beliefs, but as far as culture and the arts is concerned, I believe that even with the mute battle cries of the defenders of culture and tradition, the Filipino has hopefully become more zealous in defending his/her culture, nowadays. Remember, we are the ‘baro’t saya’ people, not the ‘mestiza dress’ people; we are the bearers of the ‘sulo’ and not the ‘candle’; we are still the Filipino we were before, in blood and thought and heart, and I am looking forward to that day in the future when we can shed our pretenses and be proud of what we truly are. I am proud to be an Aswang, we should all be; now, while this pretentious and largely hypocritical society has broken my wing so that I could not fly high and proclaim who I truly am, I shall wait for my fellow aswangs to bear me up and together we shall soar towards the horizon of candor, truthfulness in identity, and vigilance in the fight to defend culture and tradition; where the true Filipino sun shines ever brightly and never sets. Onward freedom fighter of the new generation!!
Be rational; be insane …every once in a while!! TTFN! Hi DOT! Thanks for the support and welcome to the RI Barkada! Hello to my dearest readers, to Verona, James, Sheen, Hellpen, Anne, Mary Dale, Chan,Michelle, Zarthus, Jonald, Mr. Bobot, Vic, Vincent, and Rex, Alex, Arvin, Corz, Jim, Kiara, Malikh, Audrae, Franz, Hendrick, Janice, Jay, Jim, Jonathan, Mark, Marz, Mel, Pres, Nhonoy, Niel, Piper, Rheavil, Joey, Alma, Rodolfo, Ecker, Ryan, Roni, Ian, Narle, Sunny and to Anuj of CMC, I love you all! Byers! Salamat gid sa mga walang-hintong text and reactions nyo! Catch Rational Insanity in TNT’s online edition, check us out at www.thenewstoday.info, text me at (0920)9254269, or email me at prague@eudoramail.com. Byers! Mmmmmmmwah!