Hello,
In regards to your question, migueldiaz, it is a matter of perspective. The list that you have provided is a list in the Ilonggo dialect. Only one of the examples above (the first one posted by Spunjer) is an Ilonggo example. The rest are either from Akean (Aklan) or Capiz where they both speak different dialects. If you show a certain sword from Panay to 4 different people of the island from the 4 major ethnolinguistic groups living there (one from Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo) you will get 4 different answers...and they would all be correct.
In some regions of Panay, certain words are shared between the ethnolinguistic groups, but can mean different things to certain people. For example and one that particularly pertains to this group is the term SANDUKO. In Capiz the sanduko is their particular sword they are mostly associated with. However, in Aklan, the sanduko is a short-broad utility knife mostly used in the kitchen similar to what the Ilonggos call a plamenko. According to your list, what the Ilonggos would call a sanduko is a long bolo with a curved point. If you showed an Akeanon a sanduko from Capiz, he would say it was just a talibung with a shorter, broader bakatong blade. It's all semantics. Another example would be the ginunting. To the Ilonggos the ginunting is a particular fighting binangon. But in Aklan, the ginunting is just one particular blade style of a talibung. However, both groups would recognize their swords as ginuntings. Furthermore, the word binangon is not recognized in Aklan, but it is I believe either in Antique or Capiz.
So in general, one should not be too hung up on particular nomenclature for these swords. They all fall under the general bisayan term of sundang. It is even safer to just call them bolos since it would be recognized as such throughout the Philippines. But if you wish to be more specific, it is safe to call any sword from Antique or Aklan a talibung, a sword from Capiz a sanduko, and a sword from Iloilo either a binangon or talibong.
Only when we can identify a particular sword to a specific region or ethnolinguistic group should we call the sword by its proper name in the respective dialect. However, it's the identifying part that will prove most challenging. For example, the highland Akeanon talibung is often mistaken for a sanduko from Capiz. They are almost identical and some would argue that they are just the same sword only separated by ethnolinguistic groups or physical boundaries such as a river or mountain range. And this holds true in the central highlands where the various bukidnon tribes don't recognize any geopolitical boundaries and can inhabit areas in Capiz, Aklan, and Iloilo. Only an experienced eye can spot the minuscule esoteric differences amongst the swords of Panay. Most of them look the same, but it's these small stylistic differences that define the sword and the people who carry them.
But that is another subject entirely....
Best regards,
Bangkaya
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