I AM
I am American. I am also Filipino. I am both. I cannot be one and not the other. I am Filipino and American by blood and by choice.
I am Filipino.The blood of Spanish Conquestadores course through my veins from my maternal grandmother's ancestors infused with the Indo-Malayan ancestors of my grandfather. I am from the proud race of sea-faring fisher folks who rode the ancient sea waters of the South China Sea in Malay boats called Balangay who landed and thrived along the sea coast of the city, San Fernando, and the province of La Union in the north -western side of the isle of Luzon. Among them were the people who settled in the mountain range of the Cordillera mountains toward the east, builders of the ancient Rice Terraces of Banawe
I am the industrious Ilocano of Luzon; a child of "babae" and "lalake" created by the mighty giants, Aran and Angalo.
I am Austronesia, a proud people of Oceania and Southeast Asia.
I am a proud daughter of the daughters of the elusive and tantalizing Deboxah, known as Princess Urduja, a warrior princess, a 14th century woman ruler of the dynastic Kingdom of Tawalisi in the province of Pangasinan and its outlaying areas of the Ilokos region, whose sovereignty is equal that of the king of China.
I am Filipino. I am the East and the West with the fair Caucasian blood from my paternal's ancestors in America. I am the final product of the mixture of centuries of the bloods of Malaysia, Indonesia, Polynesia, Spain, India, Arab, China and America.
My skin is of burnished, pearly sheen of light coppery brown. My brown eyes hint of the mystery of the orient but are quick to smile and laugh with my lips. My hair is dark, straight and soft with a hint of copper just so when the sun shines. Indeed, I carry the visages of Aran's and Angalo's babae and lalake ; a gift from Kabunian's creation of the brown race and a hint of a Caucasian looks from my father's father.
I speak the Austronesian/ Malayo-Polynesian language called Ilokano with the lilting sound of the song of the bird, bannatiran. I am gifted with the ability to speak 3 languages fluently. Kabunian must have been very generous to grant me the gift of tongues. I sing the songs of the dallots (an improvised, versified and at times impromptu long poem delivered in a sing-song manner) and lament with the dung-aw (mourner).
I am Ilokano, industrious and frugal. I am hospitable and respectful to all. I say apo at the end of my sentences to show respect and I place the back of the hands of elders on my forehead at dusk and say Mano po` to ask for their gentle blessing.
I glorify and worship the Almighty called the One God of Abraham but I am also respectful of my ancestors' spiritual beliefs. I relished the epic stories of Lam-ang. I have reservations about the mythical Code of Kalantiaw a legal code written in 1433 by Datu Kalantiaw but accept it as a part of the mystery of my people.
I am from the stock of legendary heroes like Diego Silang and his wife Gabriela, who led the first revolution against the occupying Spaniards in the Ilokos region. I marveled and honor the memory of Dr. Jose Rizal, a martyr for his writings of freedom. My blood runs red,white and blue of the American spirit of freedom and democracy from my father and his father.
This is who I am. I was given the stewardship of keeping and educating others of the identity of who I am as an individual, as a group and as a race. I possess the rich, sometimes mythical and distant past histories whether written or orally handed down from ancient past to the present. I belong.