Bantayan Festival is an annual re-enactment of the battle between the natives of Guimbal and the Muslim pirates. The theatrical dance format of the presentation incorporates the prop guimba, an ancient instrument of the Spanish Panayanons that resembled a drum and is beaten by hand to send messages from tower to tower to warn the community of an incoming raid. The bantayan and guimba were instrumental in securing their area for defense and to protect their peaceful community from Muslim marauders who were responsible for the looting of many communities and capturing the natives. The town was believed to have derived its name from Guimbal.
