*Note this story is in Tagalog
“Hindi pa ako pagod!”
“Shh, oras na para matulog at kailangan mo nang magpahinga.”
“Pero hindi ako pagod! Nanay, maari ba kayong magsabi ng kwento? Pakiiiiusaaap….”
“Sige, sige, pero isa lang at pagkatapos ay matulog ka agad. Ayos ba?
“Opo, ipinapangako ko. Anong kwento ang sasabihin ninyo ngayon? Pwedeng tungkol sa mga dragon at mga pagong, at kosmonawt?!”
“Masyadong aktibo ang iyong imahinasyon, pero ang aking sasabihin ay ang kwentong mula sa aking ina.”
“OOOOoooohhhh.”
“Tahimik na. Simulan natin ang kwento. Ito’y tinatawag na si Juana at ang Banwaanon.”
“Noong unang panahon, may isang babae na ang pangalan ay Juana. Hindi siya ang pinakamaganda sa kanilang bayan, at madalas niyang pinipilit na ito ay kalimutan. Sa kasamaang palad, ayaw ng mga tao sa paligid niya na kalimutan niya iyon. Karamihan sa kanilang mga biro ay katuwaan lamang, pero para sa isang babae, si Luisa, ang mga biro ay may kalupitan.
Isang araw, si Juana ay nagplantsa ng isa sa mga baro ni Luisa at aksidenteng nasunog ito. Si Luisa ay nagalit. Sinampal niya sa mukha si Juana at sinabihan na ilunod ang sarili sa dagat. Hindi basta tatanggap ng payo mula sa taong nanakit sa kanya si Juana. Umalis siya ng bahay para puntahan ang tirahan ng kanyang magulang sa probinsya.
Bago siya nakarating sa kanyang destinasyon, naisipan niyang huminto para uminom ng malamig na tubig sa bukal na malapit sa kweba. Nang tumingin siya pataas, nagulat siya sa nakitang magandang babae na kulay ginto ang buhok at may dalang mga plato. “Masyadong madumi ang mga platong ito,” sabi ng babae. “Maaari mo bang basagin ito at itapon na lamang sa ilog para sa akin?”
Sinunod ni Juana ang hiling ng babae at dinala ang mga plato sa may ilog, pero napaisip siya na sayang kung sisirain niya lang ang mga magandang porselana kaya naisipan niyang hugasan na lamang para maibalik niya iyon sa babae.
Nagpasalamat ang babae sa kanya at nagsabi, “Dahil sa iyong karunugan, ikaw ay may gantimpala. Hindi ka na magiging pangit. Ipakita mo ang sarili mo sa taong-bayan.”
Nang bumalik si Juana sa kanila, kinailangan pa niyang magpakilala sa taong-bayan dahil iba na ang itsura niya. Si Luisa ay biglang naging mabait sa kanya at pilit na tinanong kung ano ang nangyari. Ikinuwento ni Juana ang naganap noong makita niya ang babaeng nagsabi na basagin niya ang mga porselanang plato.
Nagpunta si Luisa sa sapa na malapit sa kweba. Nakita niya ang babae at parehas din ang sinabi tungkol sa mga plato. Sa kanyang pagmamadali, sinunod niya ang lahat ng bilin ng babae at binasag ang mga plato sa may ilog. “Salamat, maaari ka nang umalis,” ang tanging sinabi ng babae kay Luisa noong siya ay natapos.
Bumalik si Luisa sa bayan na hindi alam na siya ay naging mas pangit sa dating itsura ni Juana.
“Mukhang napaka-mahiwaga ng kwento, Nanay. Ano ang ibig sabihin nito?”
“Mas babala siya kaysa isang kwento, mahal ko. Kapag kausap mo ang Banwaanon, hindi mo malalaman kung ano ang makukuha mo, pero hanggat nagpakita ka ng karunungan at pinag-isipan ang mga bagay, maaari kang bumalik na mas mabuti kaysa sa noon.”
“Oras na para matulog. Hayaan mong patulugin na kita.”
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English Version
“I’m not tired yet!”
“Shhh, it’s bedtime already and you need your rest.”
“But I’m not tired! Mama, can you tell me a story? Pleeeeassse…..”
“All right, all right, but just one and you go right to bed after okay?”
“Yes, I promise! Now what story are you going to tell me? Can it have dragons and turtles and spacemen?!”
“You have such an active imagination, but I’m going to tell you a story that my mother used to tell me.”
“OOOOoooohhhh.”
“Hush now, let’s start the story. It’s called Juana and the Banwaanon.”
“Once upon a time there was a girl named Juana, she was not the prettiest girl in the town, and she always tried to forget the fact. Unfortunately, the people around her would not let her forget. Most of their jokes would be good natured, though, but one girl, Luisa, was nothing but cruel.
One day, Juana was ironing one of Luisa’s gowns and accidentally burned it. Luisa was furious, she slapped Juana right across the face and even told her to go drown herself in the sea. Juana, who wasn’t about to take advice from someone that just beat her, left the house and went back to her parent’s home in the province.
Before she reached her destination, she decided to stop by a spring near a cave to have a drink of cool water. As she looked up, she was surprised to see a beautiful, fair haired woman, carrying some plates. ‘These dishes are all very dirty,’ the woman said ‘would you be so kind as to break them and throw them in the river for me?’
Juana did the favor for the woman and brought the plates by the river, but then she thought how wasteful it would be to just destroy the lovely porcelain and decided to wash them and return them to the woman instead.
The woman thanked her and said ‘For your wisdom you will be rewarded, you shall be ugly no more. Show yourself to the townspeople.’
When Juana went back to own she had to identify herself to the townspeople because of how different she looked. Luisa, who was suddenly nice to her, desperately asked her how this happened. Juana related her experience with the woman who had told her to break the porcelain plates.
Luisa went to the stream by the cave, met the woman and was told the same thing about the plates. In her hurry, she obeyed the woman to the letter, breaking the plates in the river. ‘Thank you, you may go now’ was the only thing the woman said to Luisa after.
Luisa went back to the town, not knowing she had been transformed into something uglier than Juana had ever been.”
“That seems like a very strange story mommy. What does it mean?”
“It’s less of a story and more of a warning, sweetie. When you deal with the Banwaanon, you never know what you’re going to get, but as long as you show wisdom and think about things, you may manage to come out better than before.
Now it’s bedtime, let me tuck you in.”
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Story inspired by the Dalaketnon entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos.
Banwaanon Illustration by Marc Magpantay