They say that being a Filipino is the pride of the Malay race. But what the world do not know that there is a race in the Philippines who takes more pride. When the Portuguese conquestador by the name of Ferdinan Magallanes stepped ashore the sea of Central Philippines, he saw men, women and children with tattooed skins. To them these people are criminals, "Pintados", the art on our skins where the Spaniards interpreted it as a sign of our savagery, but to the other Philippine races we are the Pintados, the bravest of all kind. Our Gods and Goddesses, which we call "Laon" have created us to guard the central and southern seas of the archipelago. For a Sugbuanon, being a Pintado is of the ranks with the highest honor and the burden of the greatest of all responsibilities: To guard our shores from invasion and to resist any form of conquest from people who sailed from unknown lands. To protect the people that we love, to stand wise and bold midst the cruel passage of time. To step behind one's personal dreams for the benefit of the people around him.
When the conquestador claimed the island of Cebu as under the territory of Spain, the leader of our forefathers by the name of Lapu-lapu, a descendant of the brave Tausug stood up and resisted.
For a Sugbuanon, bravery is not only a principle but a daily attribute, to us being in a battle, be it fighting an enemy, the time or oneself, bravery is the action of moving forward even when the chances of success are murky, as long as it is a battle worth fighting. The Spaniards have underestimated us, the Sugbuanons, the Pride of the Filipino race, so the leader of our forefather Datu Lapu-lapu, stood on our shore and waited for the enemy. The conquestadors sees us as savage and primitive, they look past upon the wisdom that we learn from the passage of time. They have under estimated the strengths that we have acquired under the scourge of the shining sun, and the seasonal drought of time. For a Sugbuanon, violence is not a solution but when provoked, we are the fiercest of all warriors, ready to die in war for the sake of our people.
The Spaniards came in with arrogance and pride, with guns and cannons, of gun powdered filled warships full of men ready to steal our treasure, full of men who have raped out women and children. But we the Sugbuanons came in with our Kampilan and Kalasags, with warriors of bolos and arrows. We may be disadvantage in this war, but for us in our tribe dancing with death is but a common play, war for us is a simple graceful dance and blood shed is merely part of the concert. For a Sugbuanon, to endure any challenges is the measure of courage, to stand amid the frailty and fear is the measure of bravery, for a Sugbuanon the heart that loves and protect is greater than a mind that thinks. And at the end of the battle, the Spaniards have failed, Ferdinan Magallanes was slain and the battle ships were burned and swallowed by our seas, all except for the Battle ship by the name of Victoria who sailed back to the western shore to tell the feat of our tribe and the failure of their Spanish men.
So from then on Lapu Lapu's statue stand guard on our shores assuring us that when a new conquestador , be it in the form of person, challenges or time, will come his children will stood up again to face the fight. Because for a Sugbuanon under the ranks of a Pintado: "The greatest honor is to protect and to die for the people whom we dearly love." I take pride to come from this race, the Pride of the Filipino race, the first heroes of land, the real Pride of the Malay race....for me, like my forefather who have died in battle....war is but a graceful dance with death....."NEVER RETREAT! NEVER SURRENDER!"
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