You know Haloy?

Haloy, as his name suggests, grew up before the coming of the Spaniards. According to accounts of old folks, many of whom are now dead, Haloy was real. However, his origin was embellished mostly with myth.

Haloy was born in the central plains of what is now known as Iloilo. His family lived along the bank of what is now known as Tigum River. Haloy helped set up the settlement which would later become the municipality of Cabatuan.

Humangin was Haloy's father. His name is Kinaray-a for wind. According to legend he ran as fast as the wind. When he threw a spear, he could outrun it as he could reach the target before the spear could. Humangin's father was Kilaton, a brave warrior who was the first to settle in central Iloilo. Kilaton's twin brother was Hotik who settled in what is now known as Antique. Many times Hotik would visit his brother by travelling over mountains and gorges. In one instant, he jumped over a gorge, lost his balance, and fell with a loud crash. The fall was forever recorded with what could be the gigantic imprint of his buttocks. The gorge (somewhere in the mountains of what is now known as the town of Maasin) where the imprint is found is, up to now, still referred to by the locals as Ginlumpatan Ni Hotik (Where Hotik Jumped). Kilaton and Hotik were among the early settlers who sailed from Borneo.

When the Spaniards came, Haloy was given the name Alonzo. His wife was christened Amas. They had seven children, all boys. They led a happy and prosperous life. There was a saying that referred to them, 'Si Alonzo pilakan, si Amas bulawanan.' Literally, this translates to, 'Alonzo is moneyed, Amas is covered with gold.'

During that time, the Spaniards were busy building their churches. So the Spanish government issued an edict called quintos which ordered all the fifth sons of couples to render free labor to the church. These sons quarried, carried, and hauled tons of stones to build the massive Christian churches. To identify the fifth sons, the Spaniards gave a different surname to every couple, with the children carrying the surname of their parents.

Alonzo loved his sons so much. He did not like them to become slaves of the church. Therefore, he gave his seven sons seven different surnames.

Sabidorio, or Bido, was one of the sons of Haloy. His surname was different from the surnames of his siblings. Bido's children and decendants carried his surname.

Bido fathered five children, 3 boys and 2 girls. His eldest son was Francisco or Kiko. Kiko fathered Pedro and 9 others. Then Pedro fathered Simeon and a host of others.

Simeon was hard working and cunning. He was said to be fair skinned inspite being an indio. He owned tracks of land. He married three times as his first two wives died. In his third marriage, he had three children. The eldest was Urbano.

I would like to cut short the story of Haloy. By now, you might be already wondering how on earth did I bump into Haloy and his story?

Well, Urbano who was Haloy's great great great grandson and who died when I was in first year high school, happened to be my father.@

Note: The Haloy clan composed of seven families holds its reunion every three years. All decendants of Haloy until the sixth generation are recorded.

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Ang Kabuhi Ni Haloy: My attempt at Kinaray-a Poetry

Ang Kabuhi Ni Haloy

Mga kasimanwa, bata kag mal-am
Mayad gid nga adlaw kaninyo nga tanan.
Sa dya nga tion, akon kamo pagasaysayan
Ang kabuhi ni Haloy nga manggaran, inyo gid pamatian.

Tama gid ragtu kabuhay
Kang mag-abot ang mga datu nga Malay
Kag kang sanda nagapanglugayawon sa Panay
Giya tanda sa pampang kang Tigum nagbuhay.

'Hotik, akon kapid nga sampaton,
Ah, sa pampang kang suba, giya takon matinir', hambal ni Kilaton
Tana isa ka maisog kag sampat nga hangaway
Daw kilat kadasig, ginapangadian ang dagway.

Gani si Kilaton naghimo kang anda puloy-anon
Kag nangabuhi kang masadya, sandig sa hurobaton.
Kang tag-baralinghoy, naga-urokad sa idalom ka kahoy.
Kang tag-arani, ga-arawas ang tabungos, kamalig gakabari harigi.
Kang tag-sarag-a, ginapamurot lang ang puyo kag dado nanda.
Kag sa sirom, bag-o gaturog nga may mala kag kapay, pangasi anda gina-inom.
Waay gid it gutom, santo sa hurobaton
Kay ang pagbakhu, marayo gid sa balay ni Kilaton.

Sa amo diya nga kabugana, natawo ang bata ni Kilaton
Si Humangin nga maambong, daw sa hangin man ang kadasigon
Kay kon ana ihaboy ang bangkaw sa marayo nga kahon
Pwede na man lagson kag dakpon bag-o magdulot kang dalom.

'Humangin! Humangin! Diin ka ma-agto?'
Sabat ni Humangin, 'Tatay Kilaton, sa akon paga-agtunan, nakaabot ron ako!'
'Abaw, ang bata ko nga madalig,
Sobra gid kadasig!
Bag-o lang mag-agi, pay kang ako nagpisok
Lima ka bukid, ana ginlukso, ginaturasok'.

Tama gid ka isganan, kag tama ka-abilidadan
Ang mag-tatay, daw guyom kapisan
Tuya sa pampang kang suba
Naga-ralapaw ang sadya kag manggad nga duna.

'Haloy! Haloy! Sa diin ron ikaw?'
Abaw, ang bata ni Humangin, sa suba nagatampisaw
Apo tana ni Kilaton, kag datu man ang hagyon
Kay ang mga nag-abot nga dumuluong, ana ginbaton.

'Haloy, ikaw ginabunyagan ko nga Alonzo,
Ngaran ka santo, mayad gid nga kristiyano'.
Ang ngaran kay Haloy kang mga Espanyol gin-tao
Tanda kang pagsulod kang kristiyanismo.

'Oremus….' kag nagraku pa ang mga kristiyano
Ginpatindog ang simbahan kag ginkasal ang mga tumuluo
Ah, ang magayon nga Amas, gin-asawa ni Alonzo nga manggaran
Kag sanda nabantog 'Si Alonso pilakan, si Amas bulawanan'.

Kag sanda nagbata, pito gid tanan, ay abaw!,
Gin-unahan ni Bido, ginsundan ni Kayaw.
Si Pongkol, Batol, Omeng, Hadog, kag Ontolan.
Abaw pito tanan, puraw isganan.

Pay naghambal ang pari, 'Pamati tinyo tanan,
Kinahanglan may tawo nga ang obra sa simbahan lang,
Mahakot bato, lupa, kahoy, kag bulawan,
Para ang simbahan, daw palasyo kon sudlan.'

Kag suno sa kasulatan,
Ang panglima ka bata nga laki, para lang sa simbahan.
Kag para maman-an ang mga bata ka ginikanan
Mga apelyido kada pamilya, sanda pagataw-an.

'Ah, indi diya mahimo,' hambal ni Alonzo nga manggaran.
'Kay ang tunay ko nga manggad, ang akon mga kabataan.
Manggad ko nga pilak, pwede itao sa simbahan,
Pay ang mga bata ko, kay Amas kag kanakon gid lang.'

'Gani, para ang panglima ko nga laki indi maman-an,
Kada isa ka bata, lain nga apelyido ang pagataw-an
Para kada isa daw sa lain ang ginhalinan
Kag sa quintos, bahala na ang simbahan.'

Busa, si Bido nahimo nga Caspe
Si Kayaw, Tormon ang swerte
Moscardon kay Pongkol, Kay Omeng Moneva
Celda kay Batol, kay Hadog Valenzuela
Kay Ontolan, indi gid masapwan
Kay hambal ka iba si Ontolan Cuarte, pay may Fuertes man.

Kag ang balay ni Alonzo nga Haloy naglinong
Kay sa ana bata waay it gintapyong
Sanda sa pangpang kang Tigum pirme nagatiriripon
Para magta-o kang sadya kag maglantaw kang saralikwon.

Bido Caspe, sa ngaran indi gid magpaurihi
Kayaw Tormon, ngaran kang manggaranon
Pungkol Moscardon, huwaran pamatian, kanami gid tamdon
Omeng Moneva, kahumot kang ngaran nga daw sampagita
Batol Celda, ah indi ikaw priso, kundi prisohan kang gugma
Hadog Valenzuela, pamilya ka mga guwapo kag guwapa
Ontolan Cuarte-Fuertes, mayad man ang Cuarte, mayad man ang Fuertes
Bisan pa pamangkuton ang mga huwes.

Mga kasimanwa, bata kag mal-am
Ti nabatian ron ninyo, ang kabuhi ni Haloy nga manggaran
Tana si Alonzo, bana ni Amas nga bulawanan
Bata ni Humangin, apo ni Kilaton, nga kapid ni Hotik
Nga puraw isganan.

Ang diya nga pagsaysay akon pagatapuson
Pero pahapyaw lang sa kay Haloy mga kinabon
Si Haloy kag inyo mga ginhalinan, indi gid pagkalimtan
Kay diya duna kang Cabatuan, bugal gid kang tanan.

** END **

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