WESTERN VISAYAS

(REGION VI)

 G E OG R AP HY
G E OG R A P H Y
E O R
G GEO GRA PP
G A H
HY Y
G E O G R A PH Y
The region 6 is the “Western Visayas”. It is one of the regions
in the Philippines consisting of 6 provinces namely:

Aklan
Antique
Negros Occidental
Capiz
Guimaras
Iloilo
Aside from rice, the region also produces
sugar, coconut, banana, fruits, root crops, and
vegetables.
Iloilo City and Bacolod City are highly
urbanized cities while the rest are rural.
 LA N G U AG E
L ALN G U
L A NG U A GE
A
AN GU AG EG E
L AN G U AG E
Hiligaynon – lingua franca of the Ilonggos in the Western
Visayas
Kinaray-a or Hiraya– mother language of the Western Visayas
and is spoken by the Ilonggos in the central and southern
towns of Iloilo, all provinces of Antique, most of Capiz, and
even South Cotabato, where many Western Visayans have
migrated
Cebuano or Sugbuanon – Though it is the lingua franca of
Central Visayas, it is spoken in the northern towns of Negros
Occidental which face Tañon Strait towards Cebu
Aklanon – language spoken in Aklan, which was also derived
from Kinaray-a just like Hiligaynon
 WESTERN VISAYAS
LITERATURE FROM THE
PAST AND THE PRESENT
During the pre-Spanish era, the Western
Visayan literature was transmitted
through oral tradition and in Kinaray-a.
Kinaray-a was said to have been the
language in folklore of the ten Bornean
datus.
Region VI is known to be rich in folklore
that truly mirrors the culture, tradition,
and dreams of its people.
The folk literature of Western Visayas
consists of brief riddles, proverbs, ditties,
ritual chants, elaborate love songs, tales,
and extensive epics.
Binalaybay – a term that refers to Western
Visayan poem
Asoy or Sugilanon – a term that refers to
Western Visayan tales
In the present time, the Western Visayan literature is
still known and orally passed on by old folks. These
are categorized into the following categories:

1. Bulong, hurubaton, huding, likayo, hakol,

hangkat, and other old and shorter verses
2. Ambahanon, Daigon, komposo (folk songs)
3. Dayaw/ dalit, pasyon (verses/ songs of praise)
4. Paktakon (riddles), lowa, folk tales
The themes of Western Visayan literature
are mostly about success and failure in love,
expression of love, longing for maternal
love, occupation and culture, behavior,
adventure, and courtship, challenges and
hardships, calamities, care for nature,
heroism, crimes and criminality.
Tungkung Langit
And Alunsina
Story

F. Landa Jocano (1930-2013)

was a Filipino anthropologist, educator, and

author known for his significant body of work
within the field of Philippine Anthropology, and in
particular for documenting native folklore.

AUTHOR
Rene O. Villanueva (1954–2007) was a Filipino
playwright and author. He is famed for his
deep involvement in theater and television
and in children's literature, whether it be on
television, in books or on stage.
He graduated with a history degree in 1975
from the Lyceum of the Philippines University.
His choice of subjects in his writing made
young Filipinos aware of their history and
heritage.

Characters

 Tungkung Langit
- he is a God, and the husband
of Alunsina, who took the
responsibility of writing
everything in the world. He
did not let his wife to use his
power and instead, he leave
his wife alone in their home.

 Alunsina
she is the wife of
Tungkung Langit. She
is always begging to
her husband to use her
power. She decided to
leave and
disappeared.

 Setting:
The story takes place
in the heaven where
the home of the two
Gods is located.

 “Tungkung Langit and

Alunsina” is ultimately a story
about love and loss. At the
heart of this classic, it aims to
reconcile how there can be a
benevolent god when there is so
much suffering in the world.
Tungkung Langit
And Alunsina
Story
In the beginning,
everything was shapeless
and formless.

The earth, the sky, the sea,

and the air were almost
mixed up. In a word, there
was only confusion.

Then from the depth of

this formless void, there
appeared the God
Tungkung Langit...

... and the Goddess

Alunsina.

It was not known just

where these two deities
came from but it is related
by old Bisayan filk that
Tungkung Langit fell in
love with Alunsina.
After he had courted her
for many years, they
married and made their
home in the highest part of
heaven.
There the water was always
warm and the breeze was
forever cool. In this place,
order and regularity
began.
Tungkung Langit was a
loving and hard-working
God. He wanted to impose
order over the confused
world.
He decided to arrange the
world so that heavenly
bodies would move
regularly.

On the other hand,

Alunsina was a lazy,
jealous, and selfish
goddess.

She sat at the window all

day doing nothing.
Sometimes she would leave
her home, sit down by a
pool near the door, and
comb her long, jet-black
hair all day long.
One day, Tungkung Langit
told his wife that he would
be away for some time.

He said he must make time

go on smoothly and
arrange everything in the
world.

When he was gone,

Alunsina set the breeze to
spy on Tungkung Langit.

Tungkung Langit found

this out and became very
angry.

After he returned home, he

told her that ir was
ungodly of her to be
jealous since there were no
other gods in the world
except the two of them.
Alunsina resented this
reproach, and they
quarreled. In his anger,
Tungkung Langit drove his
wife away.
No one knew where she
went. Several days later,
Tungkung Langit felt very
lonely.

He realized that he should

not lost his temper. But it
was too late.

Once vibrant with

Alunsina's sweet voice, his
home became cold and
desolate.

In the morning when he

wake up, he would find
himself alone.

In the afternoon when he

came home, he would feel
the same loneliness
creeping deep in his heart

because there was no one to

meet him at the doorstep or
soothe the aching muscles
of his arms.

For months, Tungkung

Langit was in utter
desolation. He could not
find Alunsina, try hard as
he would.

In desperation, he decided
to do something in order to
forget his sorrows. For
months and months he
thought,

but his mind seemed

pointless; his heart weary
and sick. He needed
something to ease his
lonely world.

but his mind seemed

pointless; his heart weary
and sick. He needed
something to ease his
lonely world.

One day, while he was

sailing accross the regions
of clouds a thought came to
him.

He would make the sea and

the earth, and the earth
and the sea suddenly
appeared.

However, the sambre sight

of lonely sea an the barren
land irritated him. So he
came down to earth and
planted the ground with
tree and flowers.
Then he took his wife's
treassured jewels and
scattered them in the sky,
hoping that when Alunsina
would see them she might
be induced to return home.
The goddess's necklace
became the stars, her comb
became the moon and her
crown became sun.

However, despite Tungkung

Langit's effort, Alunsina
did not come back.

Until now, some elders of

Panay say Tungkung Langit
lives alone in his palace in the
skies. Sometimes, he would cry
out his pen-up emotion and his
tears would fall down upon the
earth.
When it thunders hard, it is
Tungkung Langit sobbing,
calling for his beloved
Alunsina to come back,
entreating her so hard that his
voice reverberates across the
fields and the countryside.
The end.

THANK YOU!