1|BADAK FESTIVAL 2022

TRIBUTE TO THE PIONEERS

Written by: Marvin T. Abao

In the vast expanse

Of the wilderness of time and space
The heart mutters, the soul whispers
Its cry for a living, and call for survival
As such looking back all those years
Moving back the hands of time
Back to the days of old
And how it all began
A simple cry, a simple dream
Food at the table
To look for a family’s living
Empty plate
Had pushed the weary hearts
To the edge of the new horizon
As circumstances called for a new dawn
To the brave and bold, young and old
To come to the unknown
To labour, to toil and to till
Strange, unfamiliar, unimaginable
Blanketed by fog and eccentric identity
Covered by clouds and anonymity
Ready to risk it all
In those days as we reminisce
Back in the early 20’s
When trade and trading flourish
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In a place called sugbu

Along its streets of colon
The bold and the brave thereafter dreamt
Of a place to sustain for a living
But beyond the borders of their birth and growing
No one knows, only God, only time
As the moon and stars stood witness of all.

At sa mga panahong ang taoy binabaon sa dahop at gipit

sikmuray kumakalam, sa gutom namimilipit
pusoy wari inipit sa kanyang sinapit
para bang piangsakloban ng lupa at langit
hanggang pangangailangay umabot sa sukdolan
at ang hamon ng sitwasyon
nasilbing mitsa at ang naging layag
sa pakikipagsapalaran ng buhay
sakay ng dos billas kung tawagin
patungo sa di matukoy na lupain
kalaparan naway abotin
sa dakong silay dalhin ng hangin
tangan ng mga bangka ng pag-asa
nilayag ang gahiganteng alon ng pangamba
masilayan lamang ang katuparan ng mga pangako
sa lupaing binubulong ng puso.

Waly sukdanan, walay pulong igong ilarawan

Sa Dili matukib nga kasakit sa ilang pagbiya
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Na makitang manaligdig sa ilang mga aping

ang mga dagkong lusok sa kabalaka ug mga luha
Unsa kahay anaa sa unahan?
Unsa kaha ang among maabtan?
Mga pangutanang gihambin sa ilang dughan
Sa ilang paglakat sa walay kasigurohan
Katumanan ba sa mga damgo
O katapusan na niining tanan.
Kalamposan ba pagpaminpalad
O ang pangandoy paliron lang daw abo

Sugal, usa ka dakong sugal ang tanan

Kay diha sa maong paminpalad
Basin alig-igon pa sa kapalaran
Ug hukman sa kahigayonan
Nga ang tanang damgo diha na lang taman
Pero ang kaisog mipatigbabaw
Ang gugma sa banay nangaliya
Ug ang iwag sa paglaum kanunayng nagdilaab
kay ang Dios wala matulog
Milaum buligan sa kahigayon
Ug kadagaya matagamtaman

We have traveled far and we ventured the unknown

Yet our hearts has a reason for its own
Our bodies may be weary of the journey
But our hearts had a dream and a vision to carry
Across the winding rivers it enters
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Witnessing the palms dances

with the rhythm the breeze offers
paddling the waters, swaying every corners
A deafening silence surrounds
As we row our boats and dreams around
Moving against the current
Praying this will not end in torment.
But fate was kind to us
Time was on our side since then
and from our labour and toil
hymns of victory starts to roll
little by little, inch by inch,
we are moving from darkness to light
from uncertainty
where fear, despair and doubt prevails
to the light that reveals at the end of the tunnel

as time moves its hand forward

dripping sweat turns to golden grains at hand
now our family abounds
food, plenty for those who labour
victory to the hands that toil

wala magdumili ang panahon

ni gihikaw sa kahigayonan and tanan
ang yanong pagpangita sa yutang gisaad
gibubuan pa sa dili masukod nga kadungganan
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apan dili lalim ang giagian

sa atong mga katigulangan
aron kitang ilang kaliwatan
sa ugma damlag mabulahan.

Sa bawat yapak ng ating mga pay madaramdaman sana

Ang bawat patak ng pawis at dugong inalay
Dahil sa mga eskinita ng ating ala-ala
Makahimlay ang mga kwento ng buhay at pag-asa

We bring into light the efforts of those who came before us

Despite the raging storms and challenges
They stood firm and hopeful for the next kin
So that it will not all be forgotten
As we sing the hymn of our existence
Swaying in the melody of our history
Let their hopes and dreams be a reminder
A vision of promise from the antiquity
And that no matter how the wind howls
Nor waves of despair growls
We, auroranians sing our creed
To continue the toil and the labour
So that in our succeeding kin,
This place is a God’s country in deed.