| By Rosli
Abidin Yahya
Mr Zaldivar (left)
with Dato SPU Hj Osman bin Hj Omar, chairman of BIMP-EAGA
Business Council Brunei Chapter.
Last year's beauty queen
of Antique may come again to Brunei as part of her prize
for winning the coveted title.
Brunei has been the
favourite destination of previous winners of such contests
as special guests of the ambassador of Philippines to
Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Enrique L Zaldivar.
More so because the
Brunei Datus were the previous rulers of Antique and
therefore many from that place could claim to have blood
relations with Bruneians.
In fact whichever country
Mr. Zaldivar serves - himself, a native of Antique - as
ambassador, the beauty queens chosen during the Binirayan
Festival of Antique would come to be his and his family's
special guests.
Moreover the present
governor of Antique, Governor Sally Zaldivar-Perez is also
a Zaldivar, one of the descendents of the fleeing Brunei
Datus. Sally was the previous Senate's Presidential
Legislative Assistant in the Presidential Legislative
Liaison Office of Malacanang before her election to her
home province's top post in May last year.
"For the last few
years they (the beauty queens) have come to Brunei as my
special guests," said Zaldivar.
The Binirayan Festival of
Antique has been recognised as the most historically
symbolic fiesta of the Philippines.
Antique may not be as
prosperous or as developed as its Panay Island neighbours,
Iloilo and Capiz, but it is rich in history.
Its rich heritage is
manifested in the Binirayan Festival, which was first
celebrated in 1974 at the initiative of the late Governor
Evelio Javier, the province's beloved hero.
The Binirayan Festival's
high point is the "biray" (boat ride), a
colourful costumed beach theatre re-enacting the 13th
century landing at Malandog, Hamtic of 10 Malay chieftains
led by Datu Puti from the Kingdom of Brunei who were
fleeing from "the cruel and oppressive rule of their
king".
The saga of the their
voyage, Datu Sumakwel's settlement in Antique and the
promulgation of the
Code of Sumakwel
therefrom is recounted in the Maragtas and by oral
tradition.
From Antique, according
to art and culture writer Lorna Montilla, the other Brunei
datus eventually sailed to and settled in Cebu, Negros
Occidental, Laguna, Pampanga, Taal and Sta. Ana, Manila.
It was probably in this way that the Philippines'
civilisation of freedom and justice began before Spain
colonised our islands.
The journey to San Jose
de Buenavista, Antique's capital town, involves two hours
of motoring from the airport of Iloilo City since San Jose
Airport is non-operational.
Travellers can take the
coastal route in a minivan and on the way, you can stop at
Miagao, Iloilo province, to view the beautiful
Spanish-vintage church there.
Of Antique's total length
of road of 1,807 kilometres, 11 per cent is concrete, 4.4
per cent is asphalt, 36.6 per cent are gravel all-weather
roads and 46 per cent are earth roads.
Some lengthy portions of
the national highway in the hills were in poor condition
and are reportedly scheduled for cementing.
Air-conditioned buses
leave for San Jose from Iloilo City every 30 minutes until
4pm daily and Department of Tourism-accredited Mitsubishi
L300 vans and Toyota Tamaraw FX's operate for hire between
Iloilo and San Jose 24 hours a day.
Within San Jose and its
environs, aside from the big, extended jeepneys with
car-like frontages similar to those in Iloilo City, the
"multicab" is a means of public transportation.
The multicab is a Suzuki
MPV whose cargo box is converted to provide parallel bench
seats that can accommodate up to 10 passengers.
Aside from the annual
Binirayan Festival, Antique has a wealth of natural
wonders-white-sand beaches, coral reefs, hot springs,
lakes, waterfalls, rainforests and mountains-that should
attract eco-tourists and nature lovers.
However, its
infrastructure and tourist facilities need to be upgraded.
If you wish to visit your
ancestors in Antique, then the ambassador should be more
than willing to help you achieve your dream.
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