Batan town of Aklan had “twin artists” who composed “panghuning-huningons” (ballads) inspired by the AKLANON REVOLUTION. They were Ramon L. Concepcion Sr. and Miguel Lauz. Concepcion wrote the poems/verses while Lauz set them to music. These songs of freedom were composed before the Second World War, in the 1930s (Concepcion, Interview, 1996). Like the early Aklanon writers Peping Tansingko Manyas and Manuel Laserna, their message is love of country. The songs deal with the beauty of the land and the indigenous culture.
The Aklanon panghuning-huningon has a melody similar to that of a “composo” but has an original melody and lyrics (a composo has an original lyrics but a copied melody). Below are the first stanzas and choruses of the two out of seven surviving ballads of Concepcion and Lauz. “Simoy sa Kabukiran” (Breeze on the Fields) was sung by Crisalida and Raquel Concepcion on Nov. 3, 1996 while “Sa Ungto it Bukid” (At the Top of the Mountain) was sung by Almyra Cortes on Oct. 27, 1996.
SIMOY SA KABUKIRAN [Excerpts]
Simoy sa kabukiran sa banwa kong natawohan,
Ro a kaeamig ginhawa it kaeag nga nahidlaw;
Banaag it kapawa kung masinadyahong adlaw,
Nagadueot it kalipay sa kabuhing tugub mingaw.
Mamatay man ay matam-is kon tungod sa banwang ginaeupig,
Pagkabuhi ay eunsay mapait kon rong banwa mo nagatiis;
Buot ko pa nga pumabukid ag humimunong sa mga eungib,
Siin nga owa it maeueuib ag tawo nga mababangis.
(Breeze in the fields, in the land of my birth,
The sorrowful soul breaths its warm air;
It is the symbol of peace and the cheerful sun,
It brings joy to the lonely man.
To die is sweet for an oppressed land,
To live is bitter for a suffering land;
I would choose to dwell in the mountains and caves
Free from greed and oppression.)
SA UNGTO IT BUKID [Excerpts]
Sa ungto it bukid ro akong hilimongnan,
Igto rong adlaw, dagway it Filipinhon;
Sa ana nga kasilaw nasusueat ro ang baeatyagon,
Ag sa anang kaeakaea igto napipinta ro akong handum.
Sa mabugnaw nga eandong it mga kakahuyan,
Ag sa silong it eangit ro akong hilimongnan;
Nagahimunong rong kaeag it mga katawohan,
Kaeag nga ginauhaw kung katibawasan….
(At the top of the mountain lies my dwelling,
Closer to the sun, the image of a Filipino;
My feelings are shown in its brightness,
My dreams are painted in its light.
Under the shade of trees
And under the heavens lies my dwelling;
There rest the souls of humanity,
Souls who thirst for freedom….)
~ Excerpts from De Juan, Alexander C. “The Tongue and the Pen versus the Spanish Rule in Aklan”. In Palayag: Selected Papers from the Proceedings of the 7th Conference on West Visayan History and Culture. Iloilo City: Center for West Visayan Studies, University of the Philippines in the Visayas, 1999, pp. 80-95.