SOMETHING ABOUT MY PLACE: ANTIQUE

PROUD TO BE AN ANTIQUEÑO!!!!

"Antique is just a place to be.... We have beatiful places where you can relax and enjoy."

Let's us know first Antique.....

History

Historians believe that the earliest people who settled on the island of Panay were tribal Negritos or Atis. Oral history, related as the legend of Maragtas, states that in 1212, ten Malay datus escaped persecution from Majapahit, a Hindu-Malay empire that existed at that time in Borneo and Sumatra. These datus, led by Datu Puti, sailed with their families and communities from Borneo northward and landed on Panay.There, they met the Negrito chieftain, Marikudo. They bought the island from the chieftain for a golden saduk (headpiece or helmet), and a golden necklace, among other gifts. The Negritos then retreated to the mountains, while the Borneans settled in the lowlands. Today, the landing is commemorated every year in Antique in the Binirayan festival.The island of Panay was then divided into three sakups (districts). These are Hantik, Aklan, and Irong-Irong. Aklan became the present-day Aklan and Capiz, Irong-Irong became Iloilo, and Hantik (also called Hamtik or Hamtic) became Antique. Hantik was named for the large red ants found on the island called lantik-lantik.The sakup of Hantik was given to Datu Sumakwel, one of the ten datus, and who, according to tradition, was the oldest and wisest of them. The three sakups were later governed as a political unit called the Confederation of Madia-as, also under Datu Sumakwel.Datu Sumakwel founded the town of Malandog, considered to be the first Malay settlement in the country. Malandog is now a barangay in the present-day municipality of Hamtic, which was named after the historic sakup.

The 10 DATUS are:

Datu Puti with wife Pinagpangan
Datu Sumakwel with wife Kapinangan
Datu Dumangsil with wife Kabiling
Datu Bangkaya with wife Katurong

Datu Paiburong with wife Pabilaan
Datu Balkasusa
Datu Lubay
Datu Dumalugdog
Datu Balinsusa
Datu Padohinog with wife Tibongsapay

About Us

This seahorse-shaped province forms the west coast of the Panay Island located in Region VI. Antique is a 2nd class province composed of 18 municipalities stretched along the coast of the South China Sea. It is surrounded by the provinces of Iloilo in the south, Aklan in the north, Capiz and Guimaras. The 18 municipalities that make up the province include the following: coastal towns – Anini-y, Tobias Fornier, Hamtic, San Jose de Buenavista, Belison, Patnongon, Bugasong, Laua-an, Barbaza, Tibiao, Culasi, Sebaste , Pandan and Libertad and inland towns – Sibalom, San Remigio and Valderrama.It’s people are called Antiqueños – known as hospitable, industrious, sweet and hardworking people with a vast multicultural background.The province is dubbed as the “Cradle of Philippine Civilization”. In Barangay Malandog in the municipality of Hamtic first flourished a culture that was set forth with the settlement of the ten Bornean Datus. This is re-enacted annually in the celebration of the Binirayan Festival.Endowed with nature’s scenic exquisiteness, worth-exploring tourist destinations and attractions, sumptuous delicacies, world-class products, remarkable cultural heritage and warm Antiqueño hospitality. One can experience nature’s beauty and adventure at its best in this place. Home of lush green forests, verdant mountains and pristine waters, the province is a temptation to explorers and nature lovers. Antique offers a wide array of adventure ranging from mountain climbing, hiking and biking, snorkeling, spelunking, fishing, diving, kayaking, aqua-sporting, sailing, jet-skiing and island hopping.Fascinate your eyes with the enticing beauties of wild flora and fauna endemic only in Antique’s mountain ranges, sightings of precious gemstones and endangered species of wild animals such as spotted mountain deer, wild boar, cloud rat, Panay monitor lizard (Varanus Mabitang), Dulungan (Visayan Hornbill), serpent eagle and various genus of butterflies and birds. Precious to behold and the highlight of nature enthusiasts’ curiosity are the world’s largest and tallest flowers, the Rafflesia and Amorphophallus. Worth witnessing for nature lovers is the picturesque rising and setting of the sun accompanied with the serene and rustic scenario along Antique’s beaches of crystal blue waters.So come to Antique and experience a province rich in culture and full of nature’s wonders!

Language

"Kinaray-a" or hinaraya is derived from "iraya" meaning "upstream," "ka" meaning "companion," with infixation "in" meaning "to have undergone something." It refers to the language of Antique (from "Hamtik," or large, red ant or wasp) and the upland parts of Iloilo and Capiz. Kinaray-a, says the writer Leoncio Deriada, is the "mother of mellifluous West Visayan lingua franca, Hiligaynon (Ilongo), and the less well-known child, Aklanon." He adds that Kinaray-a "is the Ilongo contribution to the mixed languages of Romblon, Palawan, and Cuyo Islands, some parts of Mindoro and Masbate and the southern towns of Negros Occidental and Oriental." Kinaray-a speakers outnumber Ilongo speakers in Antique, most of Capiz, all of the central Iloilo towns, and the coastal towns south of Iloilo City; Ilongo is mainly limited to Iloilo City and all the coastal towns to the north as well as in Bacolod and most of Negros Occidental (Ani 19:11).
Ilongo has long enjoyed primacy in the region because it is the language spoken by the ruling classes in the region, namely the hacenderos on both shores of the guimaras Strait and the Chinese compradores from the Molo Parian, while Kinaray-a has long been identified as "the language og the sacada and the muchacho" (Ani 19:12). The Spanish priests added to the development of Ilongo by publishing grammars and catechisms in that language, while producing none in Kinaray-a.
Despite having a disparate vocabulary, with usage differing slightly from town to town (for example, the English "here" could be rigya, rugya, digya, di-a, depending on the location), Kinaray-a speakers understand one another whether they come from Antique, Capiz, or Iloilo. Apart from the population of Antique, which was 419,000 in 1990, the populations of Iloilo towns west, north, and northeast of the towns of Tigbauan, Santa Barbara, Pototan, anilao, and Dingle inclusive, and the towns of Tapaz and Jamindan in Capiz, all speak Kinaray-a. All in all, there may be around 1,000,000 Kinaray-a speakers.

Places to remember.