Abucay - "The King of Birds"

During my childhood time,  I already heard the root name of Abucay was derived from legend two Tagalog words Abu and kinaykay. Abu means ash, and kinaykay means “digging” or “raking.” Put together, abu-kinaykay means “gathering ash using a rake.”

But here's the another legend has that Abucay was named after the herons and egresses birds that were abundant in the locality from the ancient period and up to the present time.

The legend dates back from the 13th century when ten datus left Borneo in search for freedom. After days of sailing north, they reached and settled in Panay.  It was here where they heard tales of progressive trading centers in Luzon. This motivated Datu Puti, Datu Balensusa, and Datu Dumangsil and their families to sail northward to be part of such progress. They disembarked in Lemery, Batangas and found other Muslims already inhabiting the area. The three datus spread out to neighboring regions (Laguna, Bicol peninsula and Manila). They were most surprised to see Manila (then called Malilu) already a busy barter center. They also learned that as early as 1225 A.D., Chinese and Japanese traders were already making trips by junks to Mindoro and Manila to barter their products (porcelain wares, silk, umbrellas, jewelry and musk) in exchange for honey, shells, cotton, mats, pearls, fruits and other native products.
     
Datu Dumalugdog, Lubay, Paduhinog and Dumangsol also sailed from Panay to Luzon after learning from Datu Puti, who returned to Panay for a visit, that Luzon was indeed a progressive island and big enough to accommodate more settlers.

The four remaining datus left Panay and sailed northward. Upon reaching the mouth of Manila Bay, Dumalugdog and Paduhinog simply followed the sea map prepared by Datu Puti. They reached Manila without a hitch. They reunited with Datu Balensusa and Datu Dumangsil in a trading post in old Intramuros.

Datu Dumangsol and Datu Lubay, meanwhile, were fascinated by the beauty of the Corregidor Island and took the west route. Sailing northward, the two families simply followed the plight of the thousand migratory birds that were on their way back to China and Japan after spending winter in the tropics.

The datus and their families finally disembarked in an area where thousands of white herons and egresses were feeding and wading along the shore.    
     
Datu Dumangsol and Lubay immediately named the place where they landed as “Abu Bukay,” in honor of the herons and egresses which were abundant in that place. Abu and Bukay are Muslim words which mean “king of birds.” They considered the herons, not the eagles, as the real “king of birds” due to their size, white feathers and capability to fly long distances. . “Abu Bukay” later on became Abukay for easy pronunciation.
   
In a short time, Abucay settlers began trading with Manila and neighboring provinces. When the Spanish missionaries set foot in Abucay, they renamed the place as Santo Domingo. In 1646, it was called by its original name, Abukay. The place was finally recognized as a town in 1588.
   
With this new information, putting up an image of a heron or an egress atop a concrete monument in every entry gate in Abucay will make more sense than installing an image of a man gathering ash with a rake.




Last update: 2/14/2013