PEDRO BUKANEG

Father of the Iloko Literature

edro Bukaneg is one of the colorful figures in the history of the Philippines, particularly in the annals of Samtoy (ancient name of Ilocos). From meager written sources and abundant oral traditions, biographers are able to weave the elusive strands of his life and remarkable achievements. They rhapsodize him as the first Ilokano man-of-letters. They compare him to Moses because as a newly-born baby, he was found floating down the river by a woman; to Homer, for he was born blind and grew up to be a popular bard; and to Socrates, because of he was ugly but wise. As the first Ilokano poet, orator, musician, lexicographer, and linguist to appear in the limelight of history, whose name and deeds enhance the glory of Ilokandia’s literary heritage, he deserves to be called the “ Father of Yloko Literature.”

Many aspects the Bukaneg’s life are obscured by legendary mists, so that it is quite difficult to dissociate the historical Bukaneg from the legendary Bukaneg.

Bukaneg might have been born about 1592. it is said that one day in March, 1592, a laundry woman found a little baby crying inside a floating tampipi (big basket for keeping clothes) along the bank of stream (now called Banaoang River), a tributary of the big Abra River, which flows between the town of  Bantay and Vigan, Ilocos Sur. She took the baby and saw it was a boy, ugly and blind. This story parallels the tale of biblical Moses, who, was an infant, was found by an Egyptian princess (daughter of the pharaoh) inside a basket floating down the Nile River. The only difference is that Moses was neither ugly nor blind. Evidently, Bukaneg was a victim of the brutal custom of destroying infants born with physical defects, practiced not only in Samtoy, but also in Sparta, Persia, and other nations of anquity.

After saving the poor infant from a watery grave, the kind-hearted woman brought it to the parish priest of Bantay, who baptized him as Pedro Bukaneg. The name Bukaneg is said to be a contraction of the Iloko Phrase “nabukaan nga itneg,” meaning “Christianized heaten.” Nobody knows until the present time who were the real parents of Bukaneg.

God had invariably given Bukaneg certain wondrous qualities overcome the handicap of blindness, such as intellectual brilliance, retentive memory, sensitive musical sense, magnetic eloquence, and gift for languages. He was brought up and educated by the kind Augustinian padres in the convent of Bantay, a priory (motherhouse) for new missionaries assigned to the missions of Ilokandia.

As Bukaneg reached manhood, he proved to be a remarkable Ilokano who was well liked and appreciated by the Augustinian friars. A born linguist, he mastered Latin, Spanish, Iloko and Itneg (Tinggian) languages. He possessed an extraordinary talent for assimilating all things pertaining to theology the Bible, and Spanish literature which his Augustinian tutors taught him, and also the Iloko folk songs and traditions he heard from the old folks. Being a romanticist, he composed poems and songs which were so tenderly sweet that he gained renown among the Iloko masses as a gifted troubadour.

This authorship of Biag ni Lam-ang, the famous Iloko epic, was attributed to him by some authors. This was, however a disputed issue, for this epic poem, containing “294 stanzas, about 1,500 lines, and the syllables of each line range form six to 12,” was chanted by the Iloko folks since pre-Spanish times. It is possible that Bukaneg, being blind, might have dictated it from memory to an amanuensis; consequently, it was put into writing and was preserved for posterity. We owe it thus Bukaneg that this greatest Ilokkano popular epic was saved from oblivion.

Bukaneg was good not only in poetry but also in oratory. He preached the Christian religion in the streets of Vigan, Aringay, and other towns, and persuaded many of his people to discard their beliefs. Large crowds of people always listened to him when and forgetting his ugly face and blindness. Because of the numerous conversions that he made, he came to be called the “Apostle of the Ilokanos.”

The Augustinians friars recognized Bukaneg’s talent as a linguist. During the early days, Augustinian missionaries who nearly arrived from Mexico and Spain studied the Iloko language in the Augustinian convent of Bantay by way of preparing them for their apostolic labors in the mission fields of Ilokandia. Bukaneg was their teacher in the Iloko language. Aside form his teaching, he wrote Christian sermons in Iloko, translated the novenas and prayers from Latin and Spanish into Iloko, and helped in the preparation of the first Iloko catechism and grammar.

The first Iloko catechism was the Iloko translation of Cardinal Bellarmine’s Doctrina Cristiana which was printed in the Augustinian Convent of Manila in 1621 by Antonio Damba and Miguel Seixo, until the title Libro a naisurat amin ti batas ti Doctrina Cristiana nga naisurat iti libro ti Cardenal a angnagan Belarmino (Book Containing the Substance of the Christian Doctrine written by Cardinal Bellarmine). Bukaneg was a great help to Fray Francisco Lopez, famous Augustinian missionary- linguist, in the preparation of this book.

The first Iloko grammar, also authored by Father Lopez, was entitled Arte de la Lengua Iloca; it was printed at the University of Santo Tomas Pinpin and Tomas de Aquino in 1927. In the prologue of this book, Father Lopez admitted the considerable assistance given by Bukaneg, as follows:

And because this work of mine (though it is just a humble offering for your reverence) may not deserve some common reward, I request all of you to remember me to God in your Holy Masses, both in his life and in my death; neither forgetting Mr. Pedro Bukaneg who may now be in Glory; since (I honestly confess) the greater and the best in this work as well as that of the Doctrina of Bellarmine is due to him.

It is said that the first published Iloko grammar by father Lopez ( with bukaneg collaboration) is extremely very rare. At least one copy of it preserved in the world famed British Museum in London. Later editions of this valuable book were printed, with certain revisions, such as by Fr. Fernando Rey (1792), Fr. Andres Carro (1793), and by Fr. Cipriano Marcilla (1895).

Unfortunately, the poems, sermons prayers, and other works written by Bukaneg have all been lost. It is believed that a large number of linguistic works, poems, novenas, and prayers which were attributed to the Spanish friars were really composed by Bukaneg.

The Ilokanos also recognized Bumkaneg as seer. They came to consult him whenever they were in trouble for they had implicit faith in his wisdom. Even the Spaniards in the Ilokos look him for the guidance in their hour of need. An anecdote was told that one day the Servant Don Nicolas de Figueroa, Spanish encomendero of Narvacan and Bantay. He was shot to death by arrows and the arquebus which he was carrying was stolen. Shortly afterwards, a band of Itnegs (Tinggians) were captured near the scene of the crime and were taken to Bantay. One of these Itnegs was believed to be the murderer, but the authorities could not determine the guilty party inasmuch as all of the accused refused to talk. In the midst of their judicial perplexities, the Spanish authorities called Bukaneg to help them in the trial. Bukaneg arrived the scene. First, he has that all the Itnegs be freed from their bonds, explaining that “it was not right that all should suffer from the deed of the guilty man.” He walked around the circle of Itnegs who stood silently, betraying no emotions on their stolid faces. He placed his right and over the breast of each one, feeling their heart-throbs. After this strange ritual, he pointed one Itneg, declaring him the guilty murderer. Taken aghast by bukaneg’s clever deduction, the Itneg broke down and confessed. He was accordingly punished. His companions, who were set free, returned to their village in the hills and related the tale of Bukaneg’s strange power of second sight.

Beloved by his people, Bukaneg died about 1630. His death was mourned by his people who had come to revere him as a man of remarkable talents. To his everlasting glory, the Filipinos of the Ilokos, in recognition of his literary legacy, call the popular literary joust Bukanegan, after his name, just as the Filipino of Tagalandia name their literary joust Balagtasan, in honor of Balagtas, the laureated “Prince of Tagalog Poets.”