Laygay Samarnon Series, No. 7 - "AN LAB-ASIRO"

From the Ivatans of Batanes to the Samals of Tawi-tawi, the Philippines is replete with songs which revolves around the occupation or livelihood of the people. Damiana L. Eugenio, considered as “Ina ng Folklore sa Pilipinas” classified these kinds of songs in her monumental anthology “Philippine Literature Series VIII: The Folk Songs” into “occupational songs.”

The Ivatans sing the kalusan while their seamen row boats.  The Ilocanos of the north have songs about salt-making, the Ibaloy of Benguet have hunting songs.  Who could ever forget the short and choppy Ifugao rice pounding song “Chua-ay”?

The Visayans, living in an archipelago surrounded with seas teeming with marine resources are expectedly sea-oriented, in terms of culture, life ways and livelihood. The Eastern Visayas is no exception. Jaime B. Polo wrote in 1983 about a colorful fishing “ritual-drama” in the village of Binalayan in Leyte. Much is also written about the buhat ritual to attract schools of dorado fish to Ando island in Borongan, Eastern Samar.

Needless to say, many of Samar’s folk songs are about the matters of the sea. In the olden time in Eastern Samar, for example, folks who happen to row boats in the open seas at around 12 noon to 3 p.m. sing the paghambiyan so that the spirits will not harm or annoy their trip.  In Llorente town, fisherfolk sing the paghiya to ease their burdens while rowing their boats. Sadly, the introduction of motorized boats and the modern ways of living had made the singing of the paghambiyan and paghiya irrelevant.  Interestingly, one of the fishing-related songs which filtered down to the present generation of Samarnons is the song “An Lab-asiro.”  The song is about a happy “fresh fish” (i.e. lab-as) vendor who enjoys his lot.  The song also portrays the Samarnon’s communal effort to make living easy and a wife’s duty of balancing his husband’s family life and work. Versions of the song abound in Samar with song texts ranging from didactic, to funny or to naughty.  The funny version of Borongan is found in P.V. Magdamo’s “Folk Songs of the Visayas, Vol. VI, (1958),” that of Basey is in D.L. Eugenio’s work described above, that of Catbalogan is in Miel’s “Samar Folk Dances, (1973)” and Laoang’s naughty version is in Wolff’s “Beginning Waray-waray.” The version given below is from Wright (Paranas), Samar which was collected by Bureau of Public Schools Division of Adult and Community Education, and later (1966) published in “Philippine Folk Dances and Songs.”  So far, the Paranas version is the simplest of all the versions with just a one-part music.

Ako an lab-asiro nga malipayon, 

Bitbit han budyong huyop-huyupon. 

Budyong ko nga budyong kay basi ako daupon, 

Kay basi ak' katimuran han isda nga linab-asan.

Dida han timod na an akon isda, 

Malipay ako matawa-tawa. 

Bugsay ko nga bugsay, arabay han magsarakay, 

Mauli ako ha balay, dayon ako mapahuway. 

I am a happy fish peddler

A conch shell I carry which I

     blow and blow the whole day long

Blowing and blowing, so buyers will come around

So the fish I am peddling will be sold out.

When all the fish I have is bought

I am happy and smiling

Paddling and paddling along with other boatmen

To my home I shall be going,

To take an immediate rest.

-English Translation by Maximo Davantes