[MacCathain]

Here's a piece I've had for some time. The overall length is 22 inches/55.8 cm, and the spine of the blade is about .5 inch/13 mm at the brass bolster. The hilt is carved horn, and I assume the figure is a deity of some sort, though its ears appear to have been knocked off. There are two holes drilled into the cheeks of the figure and I suspect these once held the ends of a brass ring that might have served as a connecting point for a retention strap of some kind.

The cross-section of the blade is a wedge shape (not chisel ground), and the tang extends completely through the hilt and is peened over a small decorative brass disk that is positioned between where the ears would have been. The blade is unmarked, though covered with surface corrosion.

It came in a rough leather sheath that has some kanji-like characters inked on it (I've drawn it as best as I can, but the script is faint and the leather is stained).

Some have suggested it is from the Visayas, perhaps Panay Island, while one person suggested it may be from Batangas.

What do the experts here think?