Once Upon A Time.

CEBU, Philippines - Now that I have a precocious 2-and-a-half year old granddaughter, my story-telling skills are being honed again…after so many years. One thing that has sensitized me to the fairy tales are the violent aspects of most of the stories. Little Red Riding Hood, for instance, has the wolf eating the grandma whole just before the girl arrived at the grandma’s house to deliver food for the ailing old woman. Now, that is a very gruesome aspect of the story, for me.

Although the ferocious nature of the wolf is a reality, that doesn’t have to be put to the attention of little children in that way…and that goes for Snow White’s tale. The witch stepmother Queen is terrifying to a very young child, even if the danger of taking food from strangers is a lesson to be learned here. 

We have our own tales to retell, if we only care to cull them from our archives – living or otherwise. Do you know of the legend of Maria Cacao, which originates from Argao town? I learned about this lovely legend from the thesis of Dr. Erlinda Alburo, current director of the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos.

The golden boat of Enkantada Maria is said to set sail from the Usmad River on Mt. Lantoy, the second highest peak of Cebu province. When the bridge broke in ancient times, old folks would surmise that Maria’s boat was overloaded with wonderful cargoes from far away lands. That the Balay sa Agta (House of the Black Giant) -- one of the biggest cave systems in the Philippines -- where Maria dwells, would be filled with things the townsfolk could borrow for the annual fiesta. One could go to the mouth of the cave and entreat Maria for some utensils to be used for the town fiesta. The fairy Maria would oblige but with the condition that these borrowed things be returned on the appointed day. If some folks would fail, then a catastrophe would befall the whole town. That is the lesson of this tale. Everything is woven in magical colors; no frightening aspects spiced it. 

Let us travel into the eras passed where we relearn the richness of our heritage and we strengthen the sense of pride we must have for our race, for our people. How was it in the kingdom of Hari Humabon and Hara Humamai, way before Magellan set foot on our shores? We must have bolts of silk and celadon potteries from China and Siam. Certainly, our forebears adorned themselves not only with exquisite tattoos, but also with finely crafted accessories in gold and precious stones.

What prowess as warriors did our men display, what wisdom our royalty showed to have the power to guide their subjects? Our forebears must have enjoyed an idyllic existence amidst the fecundity of Nature’s gifts. What legends can still be gleaned from the stories told by old folks in the light of bonfires?

Here is an adventure challenge for anyone out there to take on…the voyage can be as long as Odysseus, as circuitous, as perplexing, as exhausting, yet as inexplicably satisfying. Any takers?

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For the wanderlust, now is the best time to travel by air. Various airlines are dangling special rates too tantalizing to ignore, either to domestic destinations or to those of nearby countries like Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. Low, low prices are even offered for Australia!

Call your travel agent now! Or book your ticket online.