HISTORY

The History of Basey and its People

By: Dr. Wilmo C. Orejola, MD


Introduction

An invaluable piece of history flows with the great Kadak-an River. Its headstreams up the Sohoton Mountains down to the reefs and shoal where it abuts San Pedro Bay, bears witness to a timeless flow of events. While we can only tell what secrets the big river has revealed thus far, the wealth of information may explain why some folks call it Golden River, even more fittingly perhaps. Time seems to have left behind the barangays that scatter along the banks, so with the poblacion nestled at the mouth of the big River. But its proud people are always ready to tell its colorful history and to showcase the banig artisanship that is deeply rooted in its beautiful past. The name Basey for which the municipality came to be known comes from the waray word baysay, which means beauty.A review of local archeological discoveries, internet-searched church records, ruins and relics of antiquities and more recent activities of its people piece together a priceless testimonial that reflects the true character of its people that defines what has truly been Basaynon.

From prehistoric dwelling to modern-day spelunking

An SVD missionary Father Karl Hutterer, affiliated with the now-defunct Divine Word University, discovered in 1968 evidence of human habitation in the Sohoton and Panhulugan caves. A Stone-Age people lived in the caves, tilled the lands and traveled its waters like in any other part of the world in their time. They may not be the direct ancestors of the present people of Basey, but it certainly comes to light that different peoples come and go and leave marks throughout its course in history.The findings traced local history back to the early Stone Age and later Iron Age. Archeological diggings that include stone flake tools from various sites of the Panhulugan caves are dated 8550 BC. Some artifacts found in the 13th century marked the wave of migration of Malayan settlers in this region. Towards more modern times these caves served only as burial sites. The fear of the supernatural and the unknown kept these caves untouched for thousands of years. Entering the caves became taboo, a form of desecration. Ironically, these taboos were a blessing because they preserved these caves in their pristine form for us in later generations to enjoy. This 840-hectare showcase of geological wonders and preserved ecosystem of some rare and endangered flora and fauna was established as a national park on July 19, 1935 by virtue of Proclamation No. 831. The lure of the caves may be good for the tourism industry. The magnificent Sohoton Cave Natural Bridge, the spectacular Panhulugan caves, and the awe-inspiring karstic terrane of shafts, sinkholes, underground rivers and bizarre weather-sculpted figures from stalactites and stalagmites will always delight foreign and local tourists, naturalists and spelunkers, alike. But, the realization that the whole package was bestowed upon Basey is also a religious experience for its people. With this gift comes the awesome responsibility to preserve it well for future generations and the environment.

The Legend of Bungansakit

The legend of beautiful Bungansakit has been told for generations. The real story may be limited to the fact that Basey was named in her honor but the fanaticism made the story as compelling as it is enduring. It has inspired zarzuelas, Moro-moro or stage dance that simulate the fight between Christians and Muslims and poetry-reading contests in Spanish and vernacular. More recently, the legend is immortalized in a book entitled “A Mat Weaver’s Story: the Legend of Bungansakit” written by Wilmo C. Orejola and published by Watermark Press in the United States (2001). Invariably the story begins with Kadiko and Guilanda, a childless couple in the village of Omit (presently, barrio Magallanes) who finds an unwanted white baby, or probably an albino. They name her Bungansakit, which translates into fruit of sorrow or sacrifices. They have prayed for a child for twenty years. Distinctly foreign features of the baby evoke strong feelings that she might be an offspring of a fairy and mortal parentage, thus comes the paranoia of deceit and destructive premonitions woven into the story. Her lodestar status brings attention to the village of Omit. People of power and influence try to subdue or capitalize on her. She falls in love with a suitor named Suguihon who marries her in a Christian wedlock. The story ends tragically when a jealous Moro suitor plunders the Christian villages of Omit and Balud and abducts her to Moroland. There are no historical records to validate the story. But in the writings of Jesuit Fr. Francisco Alcina in 1668, he alluded to mass abduction of native Basaynons by Moro marauders in the present town of Basey in 1664 or thereabouts. Given the circumstances told in the story, the town did not exist yet. The story of Bungansakit’s birth and later abduction supposedly happened in the precursor villages of Omit and Balud. The story may have happened between 1565 and 1600. Bungansakit could have been born not earlier than 1565. Her abduction may have coincided with the early Moro raids in the Visayas by Buisan, Raja Mura and Siroman, which were frequent in the early 1600’s.

Building a Town from Jesuits to Franciscans

In 1591, the first Spanish mission recorded the flourishing settlement of Basey under the bishopric of Cebu. In 1595 according to the Relacion writings of Fr. Pedro Chirino, procurator of the Jesuits in the Philippines, the evangelization of Samar (Ibabao) came through the Carigara mission in Leyte. Jesuit Frs. Francisco Otazo, Bartolome and Bro. Alonso founded the Tinagon mission 20 miles north of Catbalogan. In 1597, from Tinago the Jesuits established a residence in Palapag. The Jesuits were already active in Basey even before 1603 but the parish was not formally established until 1650. The Jesuit mission which established residence in Dagami (Leyte) in 1656 also included the southern Samar settlements of Basey, Balangiga and Guiuan and other settlements in Leyte, which included Malaguicay (Tanauan), Tambuco, Dulag, Beto, Abuyog and Palo. Later, the residence was transferred to Palo. Fr. Cristobal Miralles of the Jesuit mission in Basey built a church made of wood only to be burned and looted of its treasures by Moro raiders on Corpus Christi Day in1663. A Jesuit missionary, Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina wrote in 1668 about the miraculous image of Basey and the Moro plunderings: “The second observation concerns the image of Our Lady, whose face and hands are made of ivory and which is found in the hermitage of this Basey town. Somehow the Camuron pirates have spared this image on two occasions when they raided, plundered and devastated this town. Constantly, these terrible predators, the Moros, have carried off even the very confessional curtains (so rapacious are they) and whatever nails they could manage to pull out. Notwithstanding that ivory is greatly valued and appreciated by them even more by our natives, yet in no occasion had they dared to lay hands on this holy image. Perhaps, the image (of our Lady) protected itself from such sacrilegious and predatory enemy.

“The last time this enemy attacked Basey, the minister, by some special inspiration from this image, was urged to leave the said town during the night and not wait till morning as it would be most proper. At daybreak, the enemy (Moros) fell upon the town without anyone knowing that he was so near, for no warning has been given. They plundered not only what belonged to the church, but also some other previous items of silver like lunette, monstrance, censer, etc. “They also captured some of the people in Basey and nearby who were unable to escape from the town. This took place sometime before 1664 or thereabouts. Further in his writings, Fr. Alcina described Basey as a town infested with crocodiles and many perished from them. They were so daring that at night they would creep under the kitchen of the Jesuits and carry off pigs and other domestic animals. A missionary sought some supernatural means of eliminating the crocodile menace. The local residents drew lots and chose St. Matthew the Apostle as their protector saint and this act was supposed to have ensured their tranquility for years. Basey was under the ministration of the Jesuits from 1591 to 1768. The religious order was abolished in 1773. One hundred fifty four Jesuit priests assigned to different parishes around the country were expelled from the Philippines by 1772. The records indicate that the last Jesuit priest of Basey was Fr. Jose Paver, who was ordained to the order of San Ignacio on October 9, 1739 and arrived in Manila in 1752. He was assigned to the mission Residence of Dagami as parish priest of Basey from 1757 to 1769. He left for Spain on January 23, 1770 aboard the frigate Santa Rosa. In 1768, Basey was ceded to the Agustinians but three decades later, in 1795, it was ceded to the Franciscans. The Franciscans took a decade to assume their post for lack of personnel. Finally in 1804, they ministered the town and Fray Juan Navarro was appointed first Franciscan parish priest. The coral church built on a hilltop started as the present convent inside a fort, which overlooks San Pedro bay. When the fort was constructed is not exactly known. The Franciscans named the church St. Michael the Archangel, in deference to the patron saint of the founding Jesuit missionaries. In 1845, Fray Domingo de Madrid repaired the church. He also built the bell tower, which was finished in 1856. About the same time a cemetery in barangay Buscada was built with a coral stone chapel inside it. Basaynons of stature in the community were entombed into shelves of its 10-foot thick, coral and limestone walls. In 1880, the church was damaged by a storm and in 1894 Fray Vicente Gutierrez replaced the roofing with galvanized iron.

How Basey Got its Name

The word Basey comes from the vernacular Baysay (means beauty). This is in deference to its most beautiful erstwhile inhabitant named Bungansakit. When the new town adopted the name, a competition in her honor caused Bungansakit’s original home village of Balud to be renamed Guibaysayi (means most beautiful). It is easy to presuppose that the Americans named Basay Basey, with emphasis on the last syllable. The idiosyncrasy of the English language tends to have difficulty pronouncing ah, when followed with consonant y. The locals probably unwittingly popularized the word by imitating or ridiculing the American pronunciation. But to claim that the Americans originally adopted the word is not supported by facts. Basaynons themselves contracted Baysay to Basay for convenience in ordinary talk. In turn the Spanish corrupted Basay to Basey to suit in their formal writings. Basey is always found in Spanish records relating to the town. This includes early Spanish maps of the Philippines, which puts Basey in its right location. In addition, the church bells, which date back as early as 1858 in the St. Michael’s church belfry are engraved with Basey in reference to the town. These bells predate the arrival of the Americans in 1898.

The Present and the Future

By every measure, Basey had a glorious past. It was the political, educational, religious and cultural center in this part of Samar and Leyte during the Spanish times. It can historically claim mother town to the municipalities of Santa Rita and Marabut and the city of Tacloban. But while Tacloban progressed exponentially and became a city, Basey seemed to freeze in time. The great Kadak-an River continues to reveal its secrets. In Rawis and Yuni caves, a honeycomb of caverns and underground rivers still needs to be explored. In time new discoveries will push validated history farther back to the beginning of time. More artifacts around the barangays of Magallanes (Omit) and Balud (Binungtoan) will be unearthed and studied and will further enrich the cultural heritage of the Basaynon. In recent years infrastructure brought progress to the region. In 1973 the 2.16-km San Juanico Bridge linked the island of Samar to Leyte. In 2000 a bridge connected the barrios of Magallanes and Balud over the mighty Kadak-an River completing a loop of commerce via the Basey-Balangiga Road from around the southern tip of Samar. This entire infrastructure brought Basey at the crossroads of prosperity. Now all it takes is the will of the Basaynon to take the road of progress. He may not lay back and gloat over its glorious past. For now whatever the Basaynon does he owes it all from the future. He must invigorate this sleepy town for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.