walang bathala
no god

Some syllables are implied by context, but the text literally reads:

wala bahala
nothing whatever

The native written language of the Filipinos, the Baybayin, is a syllabary that the majority of men, women and children were proficient in. It was used to write receipts, records, and is still used in the writing of poetry by some small tribes to this day. The Spanish Conquistadors were impressed by the literacy rate, and made short work of latinizing the script, and printing prayer sheets for the natives. Magellan, who'd tried to divide and conquer by exploiting existing tribal conflicts, met his end on the archipelago. Legend has it, he was mortally wounded by the spear of Datu Lapu Lapu; and that he retreated to his ship where he bled to death. After three hundred years of Spanish occupation, the Filipinos were able to organize a revolution. While largely successful, the Spanish managed to cede their interest in the islands to the waiting Americans, who at that point had imperial pretensions. The Philippines are predominately Catholic to this day, and many Filipino Americans struggle to find pride in their cultural identity.

History and circumstance has rendered its verdict on what cultures should have had the chance to develop properly, and even dominate the world. But I remember their accomplishments, and I think about what might have been.