The great calamity took place on October 21, 1942 to the people of the Municipality of Banga, a town next to Kalibo, Aklan. This event is known as the Banga Crossing Massacre. Banganhons were invited by the local town officials through the order of Lorenzo Songcuya Duran, the town Mayor, to welcome the arrival of the Japanese forces at the junction of Rizal and Mabini Street known today as Banga crossing in the Poblacion. Male crowds were told to bring long benches from the church in the nearby vicinity where they could sit. Banganhons described the occasion as a very happy event. Flaglets were waved as the Japanese forces arrived.  As a return gesture and without any provocation, the Banganhons were fired upon from the machine guns, while others had their hands tied together with abaca ropes and held captives. The Banganhon’s were subjected to many physical torture and indignities. While they were bound helplessly together, as prisoners were dozing off nursing their bruised and broken bodies, as they leaned against each other in painful position, muzzles of Mausers rifles were furtively struck through the wall from the outside and a valley of shots rent the silent air, waking them from their troubled sleep into instant death.  And to immortality.  Many atrocities and rampaged occurred in nearby places and several towns and hundreds and thousands of people died in this siege.

            Today, influenced by the philosophical viewpoint of Levinasian face as trace of God and human’s relationship with the other, the women local governance of Banga headed by its Mayor opted to value the “Aeaw-aeaw” or welcome Event or the Banga Crossing Massacre and as a solution to the tragedy imprinted on the minds of Banganhons celebrates the Saguibin Festival meaning “to help one another”.

            Every year, the above mentioned event is being reenacted and the town celebrates Saguibin. This is the equivalent of the word Bayanihan.  Banganhons has a long standing tradition of its unique way of surviving and accepting the challenges that beset the municipality known for its rich customs and traditions. It is within this context of reviving the true spirit of cooperation and understanding among Banganhons in order to move forward without losing its identity as a people along with the idea of launching a festival that will add color and dramatic spectacle, this event is geared to promote the tourism potential of Banga and consequentially, sustaining environment concerns and economic gains in the future. This festival envisions integrating its rich cultural heritage and its present statue as center for educational excellence, trade, commerce, and industry.

KEYWORDS: banganhons, saguibin, bayanihan, massacre, crossing