Binabayani is a living Masinloc tradition performed in connection with the feast of San Andres. The Department of Tourism recognizes it as Masinloc's conflict portrayal during the feast.
The community framing is more precise: the represented sides are Kristiyano and Aeta. The Kristiyano side includes Christian Masinloqueños. Masinloqueños are not a third side standing apart from the Kristiyano.
Why Kristiyano is not Spanish-only
The Kristiyano role should not be reduced to Spaniards. It represents the Christian side of Masinloc's local tradition, including Masinloqueño performers and the Christian community associated with the feast. Changing that side into a purely Spanish force changes the meaning of the performance.
The Aeta role must likewise be described as part of a living people's representation, not as a costume category detached from Aeta history and descendants. Accurate naming protects both sides from a simplified colonial reading.
In Binabayani, Masinloqueños are represented within the Kristiyano side. The two sides are Kristiyano and Aeta.
What the record can and cannot date
Binabayani is publicly documented as a continuing festival performance held with the feast of San Andres on 30 November. Its current existence, public setting, performers, and choreography can be observed and photographed.
Its exact first performance is another question. The frequently repeated year 1621, the Elicano attribution, and stories about an image or bell from the sea have not been tied to a located seventeenth-century primary source. They should be presented as community tradition while the documentary trail remains open.
Binabayani is not the 1649 pirate battle
Masinloc also has a separate, documented battle in 1649, when local defenders repelled raiders who arrived in six caracoas and later captured the vessels at Pulo San Salvador. That event involved coastal raiders, not the Kristiyano and Aeta sides represented in Binabayani.
Keeping the two accounts separate makes both stronger. The 1649 defense can be taught from a traceable historical source. Binabayani can be honored as a living ritual whose deeper origin still depends on oral history and further research.
For labels, captions, and classroom material, the clearest wording is: Binabayani depicts Kristiyano and Aeta; Christian Masinloqueños are included in the Kristiyano side.
See also: how documented history and community memory are kept apart here.