SILOT BAY: A MYTH OF LILOAN, CEBU, PHILIPPINES
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As I explore the vibrant history of Liloan, one of the progressive municipalities in Cebu Province, I realize that the municipality has a lot of notable stories worthy to share and learn from the creation of its name which was deeply rooted in the whirlpool ("lilo" in Cebuano) found in the area down to various historical myths about how the natives come up with the name "Silot Bay" of Liloan's famous lagoon.
Silot Bay is a total of one hundred hectares (100ha) located in Barangay Poblacion. It is a serene shallow water area surrounded by a huge body of water commonly known as the ocean. The lagoon comprises mangrove forest- a group of both tropical and subtropical trees thrive in the foreshore.
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Moreover, according to locals a variety of marine creatures can be found in the area during low tide such as sea urchin and sea shells which gives them a living. On the other hand, in my perspective, the physical features of "Silot Bay" is not the only thing that distinguishes it from the other lagoon but also its historical myths as to how locals derive its name which makes the area alive and interesting up to present.
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According to the locals there were several versions of mythical stories on how the natives in Liloan particularly in Pobalcion named the lagoon as "silot bay". To begin with, as I heard from the locals, a long time ago there was a girl who came from a rich family who lived in the lowland near the bay (prior the natives call it "silot bay"). Then a typical love story happens, when a boy who came from a not-so-wealthy family falls in love with a rich girl and both become lovers.
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As usual, the family of the girl did not like the boy primarily because of his social strata, however, despite the girl's parents disagreement about their relationship, the lovers continued their relationship until they decided to leave the place without the girls' parents permission. Using a small boat they venture the bay heading to the Camotes Sea (the bay was linked in the Camotes Sea through the narrow channel named Liloan river). However, before the couple escapes the scope of the bay their boat was sucked by a huge whirlpool, thus, both the couple and their boat sink and are nowhere to be found.
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According to the natives, the couple was cursed to death by the parents of the girl due to their defiance and the death of the couple serves as a punishment for their disobedience. Thus, the word "Silot" was born- a Cebuano term for punishment. The natives also added that the sandbar formed at the center of the bay during low tide and appears to be a small island (due to its thriving mangrove trees) is the couples' tomb. From there, the natives start calling the place "Silot Bay".
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On the contrary, other natives have a different version of the story as to where the name "Silot Bay" was rooted. Some would say that the place was called "Silot Bay" because several native fishermen who tried to catch fish around the area were punished. Thus, the bay called "Silot Bay" came from the root word "Silot" which means punishment.
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Indeed, the history of "Silot Bay" is a testament to how rich and vibrant the history of Liloan is. I realize whether it is folktale or not it does not conceal the fact that it has a huge contribution as to how we perceive the place today. It would not be called "Silot Bay" for nothing. I believe that every renowned place such as "Silot Bay" is not only their physical attributes makes them special but also their story as to where they came from, it is something that makes the place meaningful and worthy to visit, explore, and learn.
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That`s all for today Hive Fam, I hope you enjoy our content of the day. Have a nice day ahead!🥳