Legend of the Hundred Island

In this Pangansinense myth, the remains of a war turn into what today is a popular tourist attraction.

Centuries ago before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines, there was a brave rajah who ruled over the people og Alaminos - Rajah Masubeg. He had several hundred warriors to guard his kingdom, led by his son Datu Mabiskeg. The little kingdom enjoyed peace and prosperity, Unmolested by its neighbors.

But one day a report came that an invading force was coming from across the sea. The rajah called a council of war among his chieftains. They decided to meet the enemy at sea. The enemy must not be allowed to land. One hundred of the bravest warriors were summoned. They were placed in the large namcas, armed to the teeth. Datu Mabiskeg, in the lead banca, commanded the task force.

The two forces were soon locked in mortal combat. Furious hand –to-hand fighting broke out on the boats and ranged until the sin sank in the west and darkness covered the sea.

When morning came none of the hundred warriors returned alive. The enemy was nowhere to be seen; they had been annihilated, and so were the one hundred led by the intrepid son. While the kingdom celebrated the victory, the old rajah mourned his son.

A week later, when the townspeople woke up in the morning and looked toward the sea, a wonderful sight met their eyes. Where before there had been an empty expanse of water as far as the eye could see, now there were many tiny island dotting the sea line. There were about a hundred of the islets. Some were shaped like overturned bancas; other looked like bodies of dead men floating in the sea. These, the people of Alaminos believed, were the one hundred warriors who had given up their lives in defense of their homes. The gods has immortalized them in the form of island so that they might watch over their native land forever