Message from Cecilia Brainard: I am happy to feature a retelling by my maternal grandmother Filomena Alesna Cuenco, of a popular folk tale from the Philippines, called Los Siete Pecados, which translates into the Seven Sins. It is an origin story of seven small islands near Iloilo in the Visayas area of the Philippines.
I came across this folk retelling by my maternal grandmother when I did research about the families of my mother and father and found a wealth of old newsclippings now archived in some libraries. The retelling by my grandmother was originally published in Bag-ong Kusog, January 22, 1932. This periodical was ran by my great-grandmother Remedios Lopez Cuenco, the widow of Mariano Albao Cuenco. They were the parents of Senator Mariano Jesus Cuenco (my maternal grandfather), Archbishop of Jaro Jose Maria Cuenco, Representative Miguel Cuenco, Remedios Cuenco Borromeo, and other children many of whom died at infancy.
Mariano Albao had founded the Imprenta Rosario (the printing/publishing press), but when he died, leaving Remedios widowed at the age of 39, she took over the publishing business. Her children helped her run the business.
From my mother's stories, I had been under the impression that Filomena Alesna Cuenco was quiet and spent most of her time in the kitchen, away from the more bombastic and loud Cuenco clan. When I came across this folk tale retelling by Filomena, I had to mentally adjust my image of her: she too helped run the Imprenta Rosario.
Filomena's retelling was in deep Visayan; Alfredo Zanoria translated my grandmother's work into English. Alfredo is a retired Geologist, formerly with the California EPA.
LOS SIETE PECADOS
A Memorable Tale of Seven Maidens in the Story about the Isles of the Seven Sins
by FILOMENA ALESNA CUENCO
First published in Cebuano in Bag-ong Kusog
IF WE STUDY THE MAP of the Philippines, we will notice that not far from Guimaras Island and just across Iloilo harbor are seven little islands protruding out of the sea. These are known as LOS SIETE PECADOS or SEVEN SINS based on a story from the ancient past.
It is told from very long ago but which remains fresh in the memory of Hilongos because the tale continues to be handed down by grandparents to parents, and by parents to the rest of kin, about a widow who once lived in the island of Guimaras. Everyone looked up to her, not for her wealth but for her golden qualities, foremost being that she lived a life of virtue, integrity and kindness. A role model for other women during her time even though she was uneducated, this woman had seven children, all maidens.
My children – she would advise them – your most precious treasure as a woman is your kindness, your integrity, and your purity of spirit. Even if you marry a wealthy man, people would have no regard for you unless your spirit is pure and your reputation is unblemished. It doesn’t matter whether you get married or not; it doesn’t matter if your husband is poor and uneducated, all I ask is that you remain virtuous and kind.
One morning the seven maidens left their home. By the time their mother woke up, they were all gone.
They all went to church, said the old helper. This made their mother happy.
Sometime later, the seven maidens finally came home. Oh, what a tragedy! The maidens, whom she had always taught about the pricelessness of virtue and good character, were dressed in skimpy clothes with necklines showing too much of their bosoms, and faces grotesquely painted with makeup.
Get away from my sight, you creatures of hell! – screamed the old woman.
Refusing to admit their mistake, the girls defied their mother. Determined to do as they pleased, they decided to run away from home and took off on a wooden boat. Just as the boat was picking up speed, powerful winds blew in, accompanied by fierce lightning. Monstrous waves soon tore apart the wooden boat, taking the maidens down into the sea. When the storm finally passed and calm returned, seven islands appeared on the very spot where the maidens had disappeared. The islands were later called Seven Sins to remind women that Heaven punishes those who defy their parents and do not understand that good virtue and humility are a woman’s most precious qualities.
tags: Philippine folk lore, Filipino folklore, Filipino folktale
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