History. Tribu Kahilwayan is a fledgling tribe composed of students from Santa Barbara National Comprehensive High School and Cadagmayan National High School.  The tribe itself springs from the groups that competed in the Kahilwayan Festival of the Cry of Santa Barbara celebration, the debut presentation of which was last November 17, 2001. 

During the Dinagayang 2002 Festival, Tribu Kahilwayan participated for the first time in the Kasadyahan competition and to the surprise of almost everyone, it was declared the grand champion. It also earn three special awards -- best in choreography, performance and costumes.

The Cry of Santa Barbara, The Cry of Kahilwayan

Synopsis of Performance. After 300 hundred years of injustice, exploitation and slavery, the Filipino was finally raving mad to be free in the land of his birth.  The Trece Martires of Cavite, the gruesome execution by garrote of the Gomburza priests, Rizal’s martyrdom at Bagumbayan finally led to the shout, Tama Na, Sobra Na.  The whole archipelago was shaking with the cry Vive Independencia!  Spain already lost Luzon and the seat of its power was transferred from Manila to the Visayas.

One night in the month of October 1898, in a remote barrio of Jilicuon, the silence of three centuries was finally broken by the defiant and defeaning cry of Viva Independencia.  That night Captain Martin Delgado, with his pro-Spain voluntaries, declared themselves revolucionarios by tearing to pieces their cedulas. The raging fire of the revolution has engulfed the Visayas.  The revolucionarios occupied Santa Barbara and the neighboring towns.

The news that the Philippine flag has finally taken shape and raised in Cavite stormed the islands and Iloilo reeled in its wake.  Martin Delgado, now the Jefe General of the Ejercito Libertador, needed this symbol of freedom and independence for the struggle in the Visayas.  He had to have a Philippine Flag, even if he had to outsmart the guardia civil.

One ordinary day, so we are told, an elderly couple was bringing farm products to the town in their carrosa.  The guardia civil at the checkpoint halted them but was annoyed by the scandalous verbal assault on each other while riding their carrosa.  The guardia civil thought it wise to watch for revolucionarios instead of being bothered by uncivilized elderly indios.  He let them pass.  Unknown to the guardia civil, the Philippine flag was tucked in the patadyong of the old woman.

In November 17, 1898, after the Te Deum Mass at the Santa Barbara Church, the Philippine flag was hoisted by General Martin Delgado on a bamboo pole at the town plaza in the presence of the officials of the revolutionary government, the revolucionarios, a big crowd, and the elderly couple who outwitted the guardia civil.  The flag gloriously flew to the tune of the Marcha Libertador composed by his brother Posidio.  When the flag reached the top of the pole, the town shook with the shout, Viva Filipinas!  Fuera España!  Viva Independencia!  Nationalism, Liberty, Brotherhood, Equality, Independence finally found their faces in the ecstatic crowd.

A fierce independent spirit… a distinct cultural heritage of Santa Barbara and the Ilonggos, for the Cry in Santa Barbara was the Cry of Kahilwayan.

The awards that Tribu Kahilwayan garnered during the Dinagyang 2002 include:

We call on every Santa Barbaranhon anywhere in the world to help Tribu Kahilwayan

win the championship crown in the Aliwan Fiesta 2005 of the Department of Tourism

by sending your financial contributions to the municipal government of Santa Barbara

to help fund the rehearsals of the group and to purchase materials for their costumes.

Thank you very much!