Madja-as

Madja-as is a legendary confederation of datus on Panay. It comes from the Maragtas, which Pedro Monteclaro wrote in 1901 and which was published in 1907. The book says Datu Sumakwel started it, to hold authority over the other datus of the island.

In the story, ten datus under Datu Puti left Borneo to escape a cruel ruler, Makatunaw. They landed at the Siwaragan River, in San Joaquin, Iloilo. They gave gold, pearls and other goods to the Ati chief Marikudo for coastal land. Sumakwel then called a council that adopted six articles, called the Maragtas Code. These set up three districts and a system of rule and justice. People say the settlements grew into the later provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Antique.

The historical basis is disputed, as it is for the Code of Kalantiaw. The Maragtas gives no date. Another text gives 1212, but historians Paul Morrow and William Henry Scott doubt it. A 2019 thesis argues that the Maragtas is a secondary source. Madja-as is also the name of a volcano on Panay.