In the joy of the festivities this Chinese New Year, as we taste our sumptuous tikoys it is best to remember how the Chinese and Filipinos are so closely knit. The history of these two peoples would span centuries. A particular part of our history concerning Sulu proves that. Based on the Ming Annals, it was in the year 1417, more than a century before the Philippines was subjugated by Spain, when Paduka Batara (Pa-tu-ko-ha-la) the “eastern king of Sulu” together with the “western king” named as (Ma-Ha-La-Chiq-Ko-La-Ma-Ting) or Maharajah and Paduka Prabu (Ba-To-Ko-Pa-La-Pok) of Kinabatagan, North Borneo, arrived at the court of the Ming Emperor Zhu Di (Yong Le) to offer tribute and earn recognition as a state deserving of trade from China. As to how they came to China, the records are silent on the matter, except that maybe they have heard of the exploits of the great Chinese admiral Zheng He, who launched the largest pre-modern armada in human history sailing from China, to Southeast Asia, reaching India, Middle East, and Africa. It may also be possible that the leaders came with the armada together with its exotic gifts to the emperor. The entourage of the Filipino dignitaries were stunning. They presented the emperor with pearls, jewels, tortoise shells, and capping it off with a letter inscribed in gold, all of which show the wealth of the islands where they come from. The emperor greatly astounded gave the kingdoms they represented an imperial recognition by giving each of the chieftains a seal, a commission, a complete Chinese court regalia, a girdle, a cap, a horse with trappings, insignias of their rank and title and other perks. As if these were not enough, they were given a privilege to stay inside the Imperial Palace, with large rooms. They were also given attendants to do their bidding. According to the records, the three leaders of state stayed for 27 days but they told the emperor of the immediacy of their return to their kingdoms. As such the emperor Zhu Di, being generous, gave them another wave of gifts: a girdle adorned with precious stones, 100 teals of gold, 2,000 teals of silver, 10,000 teals in paper money, 200 pieces of plain silk, 2,000 strings of cash, a robe embroidered with golden snakes, another embroidered with dragons, and a third embroidered with qilins, a giraffe-like creature that brings good fortune. On their way back to the coast, Paduka Batara suddenly fell ill, and was given lodging at the imperial palace in Dezhou, Shandong, China where he eventually died. When the emperor learned of the news, he immediately commissioned his attendants to build a monument in his honor and to arrange the funeral rites. Batara’s widow, family and entourage stayed in the province to observe the three-year mourning, as the eldest son, Tumahan, went back to Sulu to ascend the throne of his father. After the mourning period have passed, many of the relatives went back to Sulu, while the two younger sons, Antulu and Wenhala stayed on to care for their father’s tomb. Three hundred years later, during the Spanish colonization of Luzon, Visayas and a part of Mindanao, the sultan of the free sultanate of Sulu, Mahmud Badr-ud Din sent an ambassador to the Qing emperor of China in 1733 to offer his gratitude for the great respect that was given to his ancestor. Upon knowing this the emperor commissioned his ministers to research all the monuments and sites of the said leader to confirm if this was true. When it was confirmed, restoration work was immediately commanded. Come 2005, and the descendants of the houses of An (from Antulu) and Wen (from Wenhala) with the help of the Philippine government, came to the Philippines from Shandong, China for the first time, and met their long lost relatives in Sulu. Xin Nian Kuai Le! May we treasure our memories and never forget our history.
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In the joy of the festivities this Chinese New Year, as we taste our sumptuous tikoys it is best to remember how the Chinese and Filipinos are so closely knit. The history of these two peoples would span centuries. A particular part of our history concerning Sulu proves that.

Based on the Ming Annals, it was in the year 1417, more than a century before the Philippines was subjugated by Spain, when Paduka Batara (Pa-tu-ko-ha-la) the “eastern king of Sulu” together with the “western king” named as (Ma-Ha-La-Chiq-Ko-La-Ma-Ting) or Maharajah and Paduka Prabu (Ba-To-Ko-Pa-La-Pok) of Kinabatagan, North Borneo, arrived at the court of the Ming Emperor Zhu Di (Yong Le) to offer tribute and earn recognition as a state deserving of trade from China. As to how they came to China, the records are silent on the matter, except that maybe they have heard of the exploits of the great Chinese admiral Zheng He, who launched the largest pre-modern armada in human history sailing from China, to Southeast Asia, reaching India, Middle East, and Africa. It may also be possible that the leaders came with the armada together with its exotic gifts to the emperor.

The entourage of the Filipino dignitaries were stunning. They presented the emperor with pearls, jewels, tortoise shells, and capping it off with a letter inscribed in gold, all of which show the wealth of the islands where they come from.

The emperor greatly astounded gave the kingdoms they represented an imperial recognition by giving each of the chieftains a seal, a commission, a complete Chinese court regalia, a girdle, a cap, a horse with trappings, insignias of their rank and title and other perks. As if these were not enough, they were given a privilege to stay inside the Imperial Palace, with large rooms. They were also given attendants to do their bidding. According to the records, the three leaders of state stayed for 27 days but they told the emperor of the immediacy of their return to their kingdoms. As such the emperor Zhu Di, being generous, gave them another wave of gifts: a girdle adorned with precious stones, 100 teals of gold, 2,000 teals of silver, 10,000 teals in paper money, 200 pieces of plain silk, 2,000 strings of cash, a robe embroidered with golden snakes, another embroidered with dragons, and a third embroidered with qilins, a giraffe-like creature that brings good fortune.

On their way back to the coast, Paduka Batara suddenly fell ill, and was given lodging at the imperial palace in Dezhou, Shandong, China where he eventually died. When the emperor learned of the news, he immediately commissioned his attendants to build a monument in his honor and to arrange the funeral rites.

Batara’s widow, family and entourage stayed in the province to observe the three-year mourning, as the eldest son, Tumahan, went back to Sulu to ascend the throne of his father. After the mourning period have passed, many of the relatives went back to Sulu, while the two younger sons, Antulu and Wenhala stayed on to care for their father’s tomb.

Three hundred years later, during the Spanish colonization of Luzon, Visayas and a part of Mindanao, the sultan of the free sultanate of Sulu, Mahmud Badr-ud Din sent an ambassador to the Qing emperor of China in 1733 to offer his gratitude for the great respect that was given to his ancestor. Upon knowing this the emperor commissioned his ministers to research all the monuments and sites of the said leader to confirm if this was true. When it was confirmed, restoration work was immediately commanded.

Come 2005, and the descendants of the houses of An (from Antulu) and Wen (from Wenhala) with the help of the Philippine government, came to the Philippines from Shandong, China for the first time, and met their long lost relatives in Sulu.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! May we treasure our memories and never forget our history.

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