*Note this story is in Bahasa Sug
Hi Gregorio ini hambuuk tau patibaba’. Hambuuk siya barbiru himihinang sin hinang ha wayruun puhun. Naguusa siya tuput para ha asawa iban anak niya, iban masūb siya magdā magbissara ha mga tau magpapagunting kaniya, paranan siya makaingat sin hal hiwal nila. Marayaw da kuman ha parasahan niya sakahaba’ biya’ ha yadtu.
Hambuuk adlaw, simabi kaniya magpagunting in nakura sin dāira. Biyantug siya sin mga bagay niya pasal ha yadtu—na in mahinang barbiru sin hambuuk tau mahalga’ malaggu’ tabang ha usaha niya.
Wayruun nagtali’ hi Gregorio sin pagbabantugan in nahinang niya. Bang kaw dumā magbissara kansiyu kansiyu na ha dāira yan, karungugan mu tuud in mga bissara sin mga tau bang biya’ diin in nakura’ yaun.
Wayruun nakabayad hi Erlinda Cuntapay sin hangka bulan buwis niya hangkan da kiyadtu siya sin nakura’ sin tunga’ dūm ampa piyagkawa’ in kaibanan panyap niya, “tungud kunu’ ha hikarayaw sin dāira” laung sin nakura’.
Paghundung sin hambuuk ha mga kura’ ha gi’tung sin dān pasal sin laul, miyandulan sin mayul in mga bata’ niya hipatimbak in kura’ ampa hipara ha dugaing.
Pagdatung sin waktu iliksiyun, misan hi Gregorio wayruun da nakapaklus ha pagbisita sin nakura’. Masi ra in alum ha buktun niya iban bagbag pasu, amu na in panumtuman sin bang biya’ diin in kakahinang sin nakura’.
Nimapas hi Gregorio iban pagtali’ niya na maray’ amu na in tubtuban niya, ampa siya sīmud pa bāy sin nakura’.
Kiyublaan siya sin kita’ niya.
Awn duwa tanduk malaggu’ ha ū sin nakura’, sapantun tanduk sin kābaw. Limingkud in nakura’ ha lingkuran niya ampa timagad kan Gregorio maggunting sin buhuk niya.
Mabuga’ hi Gregorio mamissarahan misan unu. Kiyaguntingan niya isab marayaw misan ha tanduk supaya dumayaw dagbus niya.
Timindug in nakura’ ampa timangu’ sin tangu’ kiyarayawan siya. Nabistu niya in aymuka hi Gregorio ha samin ampa imiyan:
“Hipagantung ta kaw bang awn makaingat sin unu man in kita’ in ha adlaw ini.”
Landu’ in buga’ hi Gregorio. Namaid siya ampa gimuwa’ dayn ha bāy sin nakura’.
Bukun masimud hi Gregorio—di’ siya mabaya’ magbissara tungud ha dugaing tau. Sa’ mabu’gat tuud ha parasahan niya in kīta’ niya, paranan siya nagtali’ bang biya’ diin in kaagi niya supaya hikaguwa’ in hiyuhuna’ huna’.
Awn kiyakitaan kūmu hi Gregorio ha kapatungan sin miyadtu siya pa gimba. Kimawa’ siya pāla ampa kimali’ lubang ha sawm sin kapatungan, ampa sīmud pa lawm. Dayn didtu, ha lawm lubang ampa siya imulak, “taga tanduk in nakura’! taga tanduk in nakura’!”
Sarang sarang kiyaguwa’ niya in bu’gat ha daghal niya, tiyabunan na hi Gregorio in lubang ampa minuwi’.
In di’ niya kaingatan, mataud tau bakas limabay iban nakarungug sin tingug niya ha kūmu. Hi Pedro Alejandre in nakarungug muna. Sakali biyaytaan niya in bagay niya hi Sonny Biazon, pag-ubus nanūysūy isab kan Sofia Antonio, ampa isab namayta’ kan Leona Hilario amun di’ isab makatahan bang di’ mamayta’ kan Carlo Idelfonso, na namayta’ isab ha mga taymanghud niya babai amu hinda Conchita iban Ces.
Di’ mugay kiyaingatan na sin katan tau in tungud ha patung magbissara. Sambil in mga kunsiyal miyadtu na pa kūmu supaya dumungug sin ulak “awn tanduk sin nakura’!”
Diyungug hi Gregorio na sin nagpūn in mga tau ha bāy sin nakura’ sa’ di’ na siya mabaya’ lumamud pa. Nagbalik siya pa tagna’ paghula’ hula’ niya mahuntup.
Sapantun liyaul na in mga tau ha nakura’ sabab sin nagpaawn sila iliksiyun misan siya way duun.
Nagkūg-kuyag in mga tau ha dāira sabab wayruun na in mangi’ kaawnan nakura’, salta’ in hi Gregorio nakanapas na marayaw.
In way kiyaingatan hi Gregorio na ha waktu kiyabatukan sin mga tau in nakura’ magtūy nila piyuhinga’ sabab natali’ nila na gimuwa’ na in kangīan niya ha lupa ragbus niya.
Mahuli, naghula’ hula’ na masannang in manggugunting, ha wala niya kaingati in malaggu’ tabang niya paranan nakaīg in saytan ha dāira.
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English Version
Gregorio was a humble man. He did his work as a barber without any complaints. He made enough to provide for his wife and children and he liked talking to his customers, getting to know their lives. It was therapeutic for him.
One day, the presidente of the town asked him to cut his hair. Gregorio’s friends congratulated him on this job, being the barber of such an important man would do wonders for his business.
Gregorio didn’t think that it was any sort of accomplishment. If you talked to any person in the town you would hear hushed tones of the kind of man the presidente was.
Erlinda Cuntapay failed to pay her taxes one month and the presidente showed up to her house in the middle of the night and ‘repossessed’ some of her belongings ‘for the benefit of the town’ as he said.
When one of his horses stopped in the middle of the street due to exhaustion, the mayor ordered his men to shoot it and to have the other horse pick up the slack.
When it came to election time, even Gregorio wasn’t safe from one of the presidente’s visits. There was still a bruise on his arm and a broken vase that served as reminders to the methods that the presidente would stoop to.
Gregorio took a breath he thought might be his last and entered the presidente’s house.
What he saw shocked him.
On the presidente’s head were two very large horns, very much like that of a carabao’s. The presidente sat down on his chair and waited for Gregorio to cut his hair.
Gregorio was too afraid to say anything. He managed to cut around the horns to have a presentable appearance.
The presidente stood up and gave an approving nod. He noticed Gregorio’s face in the mirror and simply stated:
“I will give the order for you to be hanged if anyone finds out about what you saw today.”
Fear enveloped Gregorio. He said his goodbyes and walked out from the presidente’s house.
Gregorio wasn’t a gossip, he didn’t like to talk about other people. But this secret weighed on the poor man’s shoulders so much that he had to find some sort of release.
He went to the field and saw a bamboo thicket. Gregorio took a shovel and made a hole under the bamboo and he went inside. There, in that hole he shouted at the top of his lungs “The presidente has horns! The presidente has horns!”
Satisfied that he unloaded his burden to the world, Gregorio filled up the hole and made his way home.
What he didn’t know was that there were people that passed by the bamboo and heard a voice through the thicket. Pedro Alejandre was the first to hear it and of course told his friend Sonny Biazon, who told Sofia Antonio, who told Leona Hilario who couldn’t keep it from Carlo Idelfonso who told his sisters Conchita and Ces.
Soon enough the whole town knew about the talking bamboo. Even the councilmen went to the thicket to hear the shouts of “The presidente has horns!”
Gregorio heard that people were gathering at the house of the presidente, but he wanted nothing to do with that. He retreated to his quiet barber’s life.
The people must have had enough of the presidente for new elections were being done without sight of the previous presidente.
The town rejoiced that the cruel presidente was no more and Gregorio breathed a sigh of relief.
He did not know that when the townspeople discovered the horned presidente they killed him on sight, as they thought his wickedness had finally spread to his appearance.
The barber lived out his days in peace, never knowing his role in ridding the town of an evil man.
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*Bahasa Sug or Tausug is an Austronesian language spoken in the province of Sulu in the Philippines and in the eastern area of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, by the Tausūg people. It is widely spoken in the Sulu Archipelago (Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan), the Zamboanga Peninsula (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga City), southern Palawan, and Malaysia (eastern Sabah).
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bahasa Sug translation by Nurtimhar Shahaji
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Nurtimhar Shahaji
Adapted from ‘The Presidente Who Had Horns’ in Philippine Folklore Stories. Cole. 1916. full text can be seen at http://
The Horned Presidente Illustration by Armie Loraine Corpuz
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