Gabà ( Cebuano: ) or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

particularly among

Visayans Visayans ( Cebuano: ''mga Bisayà'' ) are a Philippine ethnolinguistic family group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, to the southernmost islands south of Luzon, and to a significant portion of Mindanao. They are composed of numerous d ...

, is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent

retribution Retribution may refer to: * Punishment * Retributive justice, a theory of justice ** Divine retribution, retributive justice in a religious context * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film and televis ...

. A sort of negative

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions. The word has later been recycled for translating "divine retribution" or "divine fury" in the translations of the Bible to many local languages in the Philippines. It is also translated as

nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

. The opposite of ''gaba'' is ''grasya'', literally ''grace'' and from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

''gracia'', which pertains to ''blessings from Heaven''. The English word which is closest to or best describes the word ''gabà'' is ''comeuppance''.

Background

Gabà can be characterized through various Cebuano proverbs: * It is not necessarily immediate in its effect. (''Ang gabà dili sama sa sili nga mohalang dayon.'') * It may come unexpectedly. (''Ang gabà dili magsaba.'') * It is not limited to transgressions against fellow human beings: objects considered holy can also cause ''gabà'', such as dropping on the ground a sacred root crop of taro or ''ubi''. (The concept was later extended to religious icons such as bibles or rosaries). Even the least-valued object may cause it. (''Bisan ang ubi makagabâ.'') * It could happen to persons who are important to the transgressor. For example, people would say "''gigabáàn''" of a womanizing father whose daughter has a child out of wedlock.

Sources

The source of gabà is not a god or God or an absolute karmic principle, but in the spirits of nature. It must have arisen out of the

animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

of pre-Spanish Cebuanos. With the coming of Christianity into the Islands, gabà became "absorbed" in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In-depth examination, however, would show that it is incompatible with

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

Applications

Gabà and ''panghimaráòt''

Gabà is distinct from '' panghimaráòt'' or ''túnglo'' (curse) whereby a transgressed person pronounces a ''maldisyon'' against the transgressor. In ''panghimaráòt'', evil is asked to befall on the sinner; with gabà,

evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

is sure to befall on the sinner, even if it is not asked. Sometimes Cebuanos blurt out threats of gabà, "''Gabáàn ka gyod!''", but it is not taken to mean that gabà is being asked; it is only a reminder to the transgressor that no one is excluded from it. Sometimes sinners also ask for exclusion in pidgin Spanish: ''Puyra gabà!'' or ''Pwira gabà'' (Fuera gabà)

Gabà and karma

Gabà is not synonymous with the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

law of

: gabà is only in the negative (a punishment), unlike karma which may be good or bad. Both concepts are known to the Visayan peoples, although gabà is considered purely indigenous, while karma was historically imported. ; Gabà and divine retribution Gabà is not, strictly speaking, the same as punishment from a godhead, such as the monotheisms' God or the Greek goddess

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

: gabà does not presuppose an Ultimate Being. Ill-doings to one's fellowmen does not alone cause gabà but actions like wasting food, disrespecting elders, abusing animals, desecrating holy places or objects, cursing God, and destroying ''

Nuno sa Punso A nuno sa punso ("old man of the mound"), or simply nuno ("old man" or "grandparent" "ancestor"), is a dwarf-like nature spirit in Philippine mythology. It is believed to live in an anthill or termite mound, hence its name, literally 'Ancesto ...

'' cause gabà as well. An expression also common among the Bisaya and Hiligaynon is ''purya gabà'' which is believed to ward off evil when one walks in an eerie place.

Social effects

Some sociologists believe that gabà is one of the causes of the complacency of Cebuanos: because of their belief in it, they prefer to be silent on abuses. It gives hope to the oppressed that someday the abuses will be paid for.

In popular culture

The concept of gabà features prominently in the 2022 Irish-Filipino horror film ''

Nocebo A nocebo effect is said to occur when a patient's expectations for a treatment cause the treatment to have a worse effect than it otherwise would have. For example, when a patient anticipates a side effect of a medication, they can experience that ...

'', which revolves around a Cebuana '' Ongo'' hexing an exploitive European fashion designer in revenge for her daughter's death in a

sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a cramped workplace with very poor and/or illegal working conditions, including little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting and ventilation, or uncomfortably or dangerously high or low temperat ...

fire.

References

* Fernandez, Guiraldo C., "The Understanding of Gabà and its Relation to the Doctrine of Karma", USC Graduate Journal, University of San Carlos (Cebu City), 2004. Vol XXI, No. 1, pp. 33–45. Online: http://research.usc.edu.ph/research_journals/tools/process_specific_request.jsp?table=theses&search=4 * Garcia, Lilian, "Some Observations of the Gabà Phenomena",

Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, 1976. Vol. XV, No. 1, pp. 309–410. * Lomoljo, Luz, "Gabà in the Christian Perspective: Suggested Themes for Religious Education", unpublished master's thesis,

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos (USC or colloquially San Carlos) is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word missionarie ...

, 1994. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaba Cebuano culture Visayan mythology Religion in the Philippines Austronesian spirituality