*Note this story is in Surigaonon

Waya gajud mawaya sa ako hunahuna adtong panahona.

Sugod pa sa upat katuig nako, pirme na ko sa dagat. Naa na sako dugo an tubig .

Nakakadto nako sa Pantabangan ug Lumot para mamingwit nan Apahap, sa Sugbo

para manguha nan Tikos , sa Mactan para manguha nan Maming. Jauy sab ako

nakuha na 120 cm na Maja – Maja pero lain gajud katong ako nakitan sa una.

Pirmero sa Anilao nako sija nakitan, waya ako kabantay kun uno na klase adto na

isda. Murag dagko sija na Lizard fish, mas dagko pa sa ako nakitan sa una. Kasagaran

sa Lizard fish kay 30cm ra man, inin ako nakitan kay murag 400 cm o mas dako dako

pa.

Pila ka semana nako gihimo ug tiboon an panalubon sa isda na ako kinahanglan,

murag tag ganahan adto sa mga dagkong isda parehas sa Mahi-mahi ug Lapu-lapu.

Kay sa ako pamingwit kada adlaw, pirme nija gajud bangaon an panalubon kun jauy

mabilin gamay rakan. Makitan man gajud nimo na grabe ka talom an ija ngipon.

Murag manginahanglan gajud ko nan mas ligon na pisi.

Buntag sajo nan alas tres kay nimata na ko, ako na tag preparar an panalubon para

sa ija. Bisan bugnaw pa kay sajo pa man sab, naghuyat ako.

Amo gajud ini an ako tagka ganahan sa pamingwit, an pagka hapsay ug pag kalinaw

sa paligid. Murag gikan pagkahuman sa bagjo. Pirme sa ako iistorya ni papa na 90%

kuno sa pamingwit kay ang pag preparar. Dugay pa bago nako adto hinumdumi.

Bago mag paniudto kay nakitan na nako an ija kapay. Nahibayo na ko na amo na

ini,na human na an ako pag preparar. Tag itsa na nako an ija tagkaganahan na

panalubon, tag plastar nako an ako sarili kay hibayo gajud ako na arang ka kusog an

ija pwersa, basin madaya ako. Daan ko pa, nabugto an pisi. Amo na adto an pinaka

ligon sa tanan na pisi na pwede gamiton, tuyo sab kabuyan ako nag preparar pero

tanan hago nako na waya ra.

Usahay ako balikan sa Anilao an mingwitan basin ako na sab adto makitan, pero

waya ako tag pasuyod kay dili kuno pwede, ila ako tag bawalan. Kay jauy kuno

nalumos na mga mangisdaay dapit sa ila pambot.

Grabe gajud adto ka sayang waya nako nakuha, pirme nako isipon adto. Kagana tana

kun ako adto na dakpan kay ako isabak dajun, di gajud ako muhunong.

Bisan kanusa pa, basta dili gajud ako muundang.

Waya ako maka sabot sa ako nakitan pero hibayo gajud ako na delikado adto. Karon

na tuig,sukad sa ako pag balik diri sa Anilao pirme jauy ma lumos.

Jauy mag uyab na turista tag anod murag gikan nag picture picture kay ginunitan pa

nila an ila mga celpon pag kakita sa ila sa baybay. Laong sa mga lokal kay lain an

banga sa ila lawas makalaong ra kaw na aksidente an nahitabo.

Waya pa nagdugay kay nag sunod-sunod na an pagkawaya sa mga surfers.

Karon na simana lima na kabatanon ang nawaya. Laong nan mga lokal kay basta tag

uyan kay magkadako ang bayud jaun man pirme an pag bantajan nan mga surfers.

Kasagaran di na sila makabalik, waya na sab mahibagtan an ila mga lawas. Tanan

resorts nag pahibalo sa tanan tawo na ajaw anay pag kadto sa dagat.

Kada jauy mawaya pirme ako naa didto, didto dapit sa baybay ba. Waya ako

manlimbong pero ako gajud pirme makitan an ila kapay didto dapit kun asa malumos

an mga bata.

Nabuang na siguro ko kay makalaong man ako na an isda ang hinungdan sa

pagkalumos nila. Pero makalaong gajud ako na konektado ini sila.

Murag di na anay ako muuli sa amo, kada adto nako sa dagat kay nagkahamok an

ako makitan na kapay.

Nihunong anay ako sa pag mingwit basin mawaya sab ako parehas sa ila tas way

mutuo sa ako. Pirme nako sila pahinumdoman na delikado na gajud kaliguan an

dagat pero waya na sila mamati sa ako. Tag abrihan na pud nan mga resort an ila

area para sa mga mangaligoay, mamingwitay ug mansisiday kay nanginabuhi man

sab daw sila.

Di gajud ako muhunong, kinahanglan mag bantay gajud an mga tawo.

Kay dili raman gud isa an kapay na ako nakitan, hamok man.

=———————–=

English Version

I still think about the one that got away.

I’ve been fishing since I was four years old. The water’s in my blood. I’ve been to Pantabangan and Lumot to catch Bass, Cebu to catch Tikos, Mactan Island to catch Wrasse and I’ve even managed to catch a 120 cm long Maya-Maya. But none of them compare to this.

I first spotted it off the coast of Anilao. I didn’t know what to make of it. It looked like a large lizardfish, larger than any I had ever seen before. Typically a lizardfish only reaches a maximum of 30 cm but this looked more like a shark that was well over 400 cm, maybe more.

It took me weeks to come up with the amount of bait I needed. It only seemed to like large fish, Mahi-Mahi and Grouper most especially, though I couldn’t be surprised. Every time I fished the bait out of the water there was a giant bite taken out of it. The fish were ripped apart with incredibly sharp jaws. I knew I was going to need a stronger line.

I got up at 3 am and I waited. I strung the bait on my line and I sat in the cold early morning air. This is why I loved fishing. It was about the nice quiet moments, the calm before the storm when you can think about every eventuality that might come your way. My dad always told me that 90% of fishing is preparation. I took too long to learn that lesson.

I saw a glimpse of its fin right after sunrise. I knew the time for preparation was over. I threw some chum near the line. The fish had a taste for blood, I remembered. I braced myself for the inevitable bite and nothing could have prepared me for what happened.

The line was cut. I don’t know how that could be, it was the strongest one I could find on the market, but there it was. 3 months of preparation all for nothing.

I never saw that fish again, though I sometimes take trips to Anilao to see if I could spot it. I wanted to go again this year but the fishing grounds were off limits. A couple of amateur fishermen were found drowned by their boats.

I still dream about that catch. How it would have been amazing to carry it on my shoulders, but I won’t give up.

Tomorrow is another day and maybe someday I will find it.

I don’t understand what I stumbled upon, but I know for a fact it’s more dangerous than people let on. Ever since I returned to Anilao this year to find that fish again more people have been found drowned.

There was the tourist couple who was found by the dock. They looked like they were taking pictures, they were still holding on to their phones when their bodies washed on shore. The bites that appeared on their bodies weren’t like anything the locals had seen before. We were all prepared to say it was a terrible accident.

That was until the surfers started disappearing.

5 young people in total had been reported missing since the start of this week. The rainy season had made the waves enticing to them, and they thought it would be a good chance to try them. For some, it would be the last decision they ever made. The bodies still haven’t been found and the resorts have all issued a warning for people to stay out of the water.

I was there for each of the disappearances. I mean I was by the sea, and I could swear upon my mother’s grave that I saw a glimpse of the fins in the areas where those people disappeared.

I may be crazy to think that some kind of fish has something to do with missing people, but my instinct is shouting in my head. There has to be some connection between them.

I don’t think I’ll make the trip back home, because I keep seeing more and more of the fins around the waters.

I’ve even stopped fishing, I don’t want to end up like those people, and no one will listen to me. I keep trying to warn them, trying to say that the waters are too dangerous for anyone to go in. The resorts wouldn’t listen, they were losing too much money and they reopened the waters for divers and fishermen.

I won’t stop though. These people need to be warned.

There are more than one set of fins.

=———————————————=

Surigaonon is a Philippine regional language spoken by Surigaonon people in the province of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, and some portions of Agusan del Norte especially the towns near the Mainit Lake, Agusan del Sur and Davao Oriental.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Surigaonon Translation provided by Ara Conza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ara Conza

Story inspired by the Siyokoy entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

Watercolor by Mykie Concepcion
Tumblr: http://mykieconcepcion.tumblr.com/

*Note this story is in Surigaonon

Si Gregorio, simpli ra na pagkatawo. Way ija reklamo, trabaho ra lamang sija isip iska yano na manupihay. Kuntento na sija sa ija pangita para mabuhi nija an ija asawa sanan mga bata. Hilig nija na makig-isturyahay sa ija mga parokyano ilabina kabahin sa ila mga tagsa-tagsa na mga kinabuhi kay ini an ija naandan para sab makagan-ay gamay sa ija mga kakapoy.

Iska adlaw, an Mayor sa ila lungsod nagpatupi sa ija. Nalipay an mga higaya ni Gregorio para sa ija kay daku kuno jaun na tabang sa paglambo nan ija negosyo kun an Mayor mismo ad-un sa ija magpatupi.

Pero para kan Gregorio, nagduha-duha sija kun daku ba gajud na garbo ini na butang para sa ija. Basi man gud sa istu-isturya nan mga lungsuranon, lahi an batasan nan inin ila Mayor.

Iska beses man gud, waya makabayad nan ija binuyan na buluhisan si Erlinda Cuntapay amu na tagkadto gajud sija mismo nan Mayor sa ija bayay bisan kun tungay-duyom na para kumpiskahon an pipila nija ka mga kabtangan kay kuno para sa karajawan nan mga lungsuranon laong pa nan Mayor.

May iska beses sab na an tagsakjan na kabayo nan Mayor nukalit ra paghunong sa tunga nan dayan kay kinapoy na gajud baja karajaw intawon pero uja nuan sugo-a nan Mayor an ija mga tawo na patjon rakan ini kay di na kapuslan hampan kuhaan rakan sija nan lain na kabayo para amoy na ija sakjan.

Pag-abot na nan panahon nan eleksyon, biskan si Gregorio waya maluwas sa mga pangulata nan Mayor. Kagum na braso sanan nabuak na plorera an natagamtaman nija isip pagpadumdom kun uno na mga butang an kaya buhaton nan ila Mayor.

Si Gregorio nuginhawa nan halayum karajaw kay sija nagtuo na amo na adto an katapusan nija na gininhawa praber sija nusuyod sa bahay nan Mayor.

Waya sija makatuo sa ija nasaksihan.

Nakit-an nija na jaoy duha ka sungay na arang gajud kadagku sa uyo nan Mayor, amora nan sa karabaw. Nu-ingkud an Mayor sa ija ingkuran, tagtawag si Gregorio na sugdan na nija an pagtupi.

Sa kahadlok ni Gregorio, na amang sija, waya makatingug. Igmat karajaw sija sa pagtupi sa palibot nan mga sungay para dili kun sawaing tan-awon an ija tinupihan.

Pagkahuman, nutindog an Mayor, nujango, pasabot nakaangay sija sa ija tupi. Pagtan-aw nija sa espiho, ija nakita an kinuyba na kamasdakan ni Gregorio na ija dajon tagbaharan:

“Kun jaoy gani makahibayo sa imo nakit-an kuman na adlaw kun uno ako, magsugo ako nan tawo para ipatiklo ko kaw.”

Nalisang si Gregorio sa ija nabati. Nanamilit dajon si Gregorio hampan nagdali na makagawas sa bayay nan Mayor.

Dili kun tabian an pagktawo ni Gregorio kay dili sija ganahan manlibak nan lain tawo. Pero sobra kabug-at para sa ija kaugalingon an ija nahibaw-an o nasaksihan ugsa naghanap gajud sija nan paagi para mahipagawas nija an ija tagsagubang na kamatuoran.

Nukadto sija sa may basakan sa atubangan nan kakawajanan. Nagkuha si Gregorio nan pala hampan nagkabot sija nan lungag sa ilayum nan mga kajawan kun diin didto sija nusuyod. Didto sa ija kinabot na lungag, ija tagsyagit sa ija pinakakusog na singgit, “An Mayor sungajan! An Mayor sungajan!”

Pagkahuman nan ini, tagtabunan pagbalik ni Gregorio an ija kinabot na lungag kay nahipagawas naman nija an ija tagsagubang na kamatuoran hampan nu-uli na sija sa ila bayay.

Waya baja sija mahibayo na samtang tagbuhat nija adto, may baja nakalabay na tawo na nakabati sa ija pagsansyagit sa lungag na ija kinabot. Si Pedro Alejandre an pinakauna na nakabati sa ija na waya na padugaja, tagtabi na dajon kan Sonny Biazon, na amoy sab nagtabi kan Sofia Antonio, na amoy nagsulti kan Leona Hilario na waya sab magduha-duha tag-istorya dajon kan Carlo Ildefonso na amoy nagbalita sa ija duha ka mga igsoon na babaje na sila Conchita sanan Ces.

Waya na magdugay, an intiro lungsod nakabalita na sa kakawajanan na tabian. Bisan an mga Konsehal nan lungsod tagkadto dajon an kakawajanan para mahibatian nila mismo an syagit na “An Mayor sungajan!”

Nakaabot kan Gregorio an balita na an mga katawhan mangadto para magtigum sa bayay na Mayor pero wayay ija plano na muintra sa ila himuon na panagtigum. Patay-malisya ra lamang sija sa ija pagka-manupihay.

Paspas ra an mga panghitabo sa eleksyon kay an mga katawhan waya na nila ibotar an Mayor na kun diin waya na sab ini sija magpakita pa sa ila.

Naghimaya an mga lungsuranon tungod kay waya naman an Mayor na amoy sab daku na alibyo sa tagbati ni Gregorio.

An waya nija hibay-i na tagpatay baja nan mga katawhan an Mayor paghisakop nila sa ija kay sila nagtuo na an ija pagkadautan na nukuyanap na sa ija pagkatawo an amoy hinungdan ugsa sija tagtubuan nan mga sungay.

An yano na manupihay nagpadajon sa ija panginabuhi na malinawon, wayay lamang ija panghimangkaagan sa ija nahimo na papel sa pagkawagtang nan demonyo na Mayor sa ila lugar.

=—————————————=

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.

————————–————————–————————–——-

Surigaonon is a Philippine regional language spoken by Surigaonon people in the province of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, and some portions of Agusan del Norte especially the towns near the Mainit Lake, Agusan del Sur and Davao Oriental.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Surigaonon Translation provided by Hex Dagooc
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Hex Dagooc

Adapted from ‘The Presidente Who Had Horns’ in Philippine Folklore Stories. Cole. 1916. full text can be seen at http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pft/pft52.htm

The Horned Presidente Illustration by Armie Loraine Corpuz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armieraine/

There was once a child named Edgardo. He was small and quiet and preferred to read books instead of playing with the other children. Books were hard to get in his small mountain community and he treasured the moments when he would go to the city, watch his father exchange the gold they mined for money and buy the books he wanted.

One day he was approached by Faustino, a boy who would usually avoid him. It was one thing to be different, but to be different in a community of a few hundred people made Edgardo feel like he was under a microscope.

“Can I sit here?” Faustino asked him.

“Sure, no one’s stopping you,” Edgardo replied.

“Did you hear about what happened?” Faustino tried to look him in the eye but only succeeded at putting his head down and staring at his shuffling feet.

“Didn’t everyone?” Edgardo said without moving his eyes away from the page he was reading.

“With Veronica that makes 3 since February.” Faustino sat beside him.

It wasn’t uncommon for children to go missing up in the mountains. Danger was everywhere. One moment of absentmindedness could cost you dearly.

The mines were also an issue. Too often their fathers or brothers would just not come home and the mining companies would send their condolences – for whatever that was worth.

“They say someone is taking the children away.” Faustino, again, tried and failed to look him in the eye.

Edgardo put down his book and replied, “Who would possibly want to take the children? If it was for money then wouldn’t they have sent a note? It’s rainy season, people walk around the mountain and don’t come back. Just leave it be.”

“No.” Faustino put his hands on Edgardo’s shoulders. “This is different from that, I can feel it. We have to stick together. I asked Melinda, Pepito and Belen. The five of us can watch what happens with each other.”

“You’ll be safe with us,” Faustino says with a smile.

Edgardo frowns. “If you say so.”

This wasn’t the first time someone made that promise. He thought back to his elder brother. Those nights when they went to the caves together to find gold for themselves. That one time he wasn’t careful. Things would happen and you just had to let them be.

One night Edgardo was awakened by the whispers of another child.

“Edgardo —- psssst —— wake up, it’s important,” the voice said.

It took a few minutes for Edgardo to snap back into reality. The dream that he had was so vivid: a house filled with books all to himself. He was lucid in his dream and he swore that one day it would come true.

“Belen?!”

“Sshhhhhh—don’t let anyone hear you.” She put her hand over his mouth.

“What are you doing here?” he managed to say through her fingers.

“It’s Faustino.” Her face was grim. “He’s missing.”

“Are you sure?” Edgardo was quieter this time, “maybe he just went out for a walk?”

“It’s the middle of the night! He’s not in his house. Come with me. Pepito and Melinda are by the big tree near Faustino’s house. We need to find him.”

Edgardo rubbed his eyes and yawned again. “Fine, might as well.”

Melinda and Pepito were where Belen said they would be, the fireflies giving the tree an eerie aura.

“I think I found a trail,” Pepito said. “There are footprints leading to the caves over by the hills.”

The children all grimaced. Those caves were near the mines and they were dangerous enough for adults, much less a group of four children.

“We have to go,” Belen said, “he’d do the same for us.”

“What are we going to do when we find him? There must be something responsible for the disappearances. How do we fight it?” Melinda was close to tears.

“We don’t need to fight it, we just have to find Faustino and bring him back here, where it’s safe,” Pepito said.

They all looked at each other and put their hands together.

Each had a resolve to find their friend, Edgardo less so. He was still enraptured by his dream.

They followed the trail as best as they could, scraping their skins against the rocks and the roots. And as soon as they were about to fall from exhaustion, they reached their destination, a nondescript cave that they knew was an entrance to a network of tunnels they might not return from.

Belen lead the group. She had taken a lamp from her parents and her siblings had taken her to the caves once. Leadership was not her strength, but she had to make sure the others had a guide. She had to do it, for Faustino.

Melinda was the first.

She didn’t even scream. One moment Belen was shining the lamp on the entrance to another tunnel and the next, when she called out for the names of her companions. She had never feared silence until that moment, it was one she would remember for the rest of her life.

Pepito tried to stay the course. They all held hands and Belen could feel his shaking. She tried to console him.

“It will be alright. We’ll find both of them, I promise.”

Pepito tried to hold back tears as he nodded, yet fear had overtaken him.

“No!” He shouted. “We have to go back home!”

Edgardo tried his best to hold him down.

“Pepito, we have to stay together, it’s the only way we can make it out of here!”

He didn’t listen, he pushed Edgardo off him and ran into the darkness.

The silence weighed heavy on the remaining two.

“I was so stupid to think this would work.” Belen’s breath started to become rapid and she put the lantern down. “We should have stayed together. Now it’s not just Faustino. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry Melinda, Pepito! We have to go back, maybe if we tell our families they can go here and we can all search for them. We’ll find them. We have to find them.”

Edgardo took the lantern and said, “come with me”.

Belen had no other choice but to follow her new friend.

The light from the lantern was slowly fading and the path was getting more slippery as they went along. She tried to grab the wall to balance, but she found that it was damp as well.

She finally saw what it was when Edgardo handed her the lantern.

It was red everywhere. It stained her hands and clothes and drops fell from the ceiling.

“I don’t understand—-” Belen tried to say.

But another light glowed by Edgardo, illuminating a creature carrying a hefty bag of gold.

“You should have listened to them. If you did maybe it would have just been Faustino.”

“I—-I—-” Belen was paralyzed, she tried to scream as the creature carried her deeper into the tunnel.

And as the daylight shined on Edgardo as he cleaned himself in the river, he thought:

“I wonder how many books I can get with this.”

Written by Karl Gaverza

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Sagay description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Sagay Illustration by Christian Bitao

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anegs.gg/

*Note this story is in Surigaonon

Mamatbatay nan bisan uno an ako uya. Nuuli sija sa amo lugar sa Surigao human nan ija pagretiro hampan nasin`atiman sa mga karaan na libro sa municipyo. Taghimu nija ini hangtud namatay sija nan nuagi na buyan.

Yay ako mahinumduman na mahamok kabahin sa ako uya. Halaju an amo taghuyaan na amoy hinungdan na igkita ko ra sija kada bakasyon, hanua may ija marajaw gajud karajaw na mga istorya. An isa sa ako gajud kahinumduman an kabahin sa bagtinganan nan busay.

“Jaon na an mga pirata.” Bagan mabati ko an ija paglaung. Amo jadto an kinaganahi kabahin sa istorya. Mahibayu si uya maglainlain nan tunada kun hai muangay dija ugsa amo ini an hinongdan na nahimu na magana an ija pagkaisturya. “Igmat sa mga pirata.” An ulahi na mga hanay sa ija mga higajon nan pagistorya. Di gajud ako ganahan na an mga mayaot amoy makadaug sa ija istorya pero paniid ko an kahumanan dili singud kaimportante sa tunga`tunga na bahin.

May ako pipila ka adlaw na bakasyon ugsa nuuli ako sa Dinagat sanan singod ra kun unoy naandan, hilom sanan hapsay, kinarajawi na lugar dakan maghuna`huna. Suroy libot sa lugar, mabati mo an nangagi na panhitabu na naglibot dimo. Bagan amo ra nan makatakuray na sakit.

Nudisider ako na mukadtu sa busay dakan igkita an bito gikan sa istorya ni uya. Mas gamay kaysa ako taghunahuna, pero amo gajuy mahitabu kun magtagbu na an imahinasyon sanan tinuod. Nagkuha ako nan kodak hampan tagdumdom ko si uya. Kabahin sa ija mga mata na musiga kun sija magsugod na kabahin sa pagkawat nan mga pirata sa bagtinganan nan kapilya hampan taghuyog sa bito, sanan kun taguno nila pagpatay nan way kaluoy an mga Dinagatnon pagkahuman. Ya nako mahunahuna`i kun uno kapait an istorya hangtud sa ini na higajon.

Nag`ampu ako dapit sa bito adiser ako nuhawa, pipila para kan uya sanan pipila para sa mga tawo sa ija istorya. Mahamok na panahon na nagprotektar an bagtinganan sa mga tawo. Tana ra, sa kinailadman nan adto na bito, makapahuway na adto sa dajon.

English Version

My lola is a historian of sorts. After her retirement she went back to our small town in Surigao and spent her days going through the old books in the town hall. She did this until she passed away a month ago.

I don’t remember much about my lola. We lived so far away that I would only see her on the holidays, but she would always have the best stories. The one I would always remember was about the bell of Busay.

“The pirates are coming.” I could almost hear her say. That was the best part about the story. Lola had the talent of being able to change her voice when it suited her and this made her storytelling much more vibrant. “Be careful of pirates.” Was the last line from her story sessions. I never liked that the bad guys won in her story but I guess the ending wasn’t as important as the middle.

I had a few days off work so I took the trip back to Dinagat island and it was the same as it always was, quiet and tranquil, the perfect place to think. Walking around the area, you could feel the sense of history around you. It was almost infectious.
I decided to go to Busay and see the bito from my lola’s story. It was smaller than I imagined, but that’s always what happens when imagination meets reality. I take a picture and I think about my lola. About how her eyes would light up when she started on the part where the pirates stole the bell of the chapel and tossed it down this bito, and how they mercilessly slaughtered the Dinagatnons after. I never realized how dark that story was until now.

I say a little prayer by the bito before I leave, partly for my lola and partly for the people in her story. The bell spent so many years protecting people. Hopefully, at the bottom of that Bito, it can finally rest in peace.

*A bito is a natural well

• Surigaonon is a Philippine regional language spoken by Surigaonon people in the province of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, and some portions of Agusan del Norte especially the towns near the Mainit Lake, Agusan del Sur and Davao Oriental.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Surigaonon Translation provided by Francis Tom A. Paredes
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Francis Tom A. Paredes

Story inspired by “The Bell of Busay” in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Magbalantay sa Linggaya sa Busay Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/

“The life of a midwife isn’t so hard,” Carina reflects. She’s seeing her 4th patient this week. The woman is only 19 years old and preparing for the birth of her first child. Carina speaks calmly and reassures the woman. It’s always difficult for first timers, so many fears going through their heads, but Carina knows what she’s doing. She’s been a midwife for more than a decade and she speaks with a voice sharpened by experience, “It’s going to be okay, I’m here.”

She grabs the warm towels and puts them underneath the woman’s back. “This should keep you comfortable while we wait for the baby,” Carina reassures her patient. “Should I push now?” the woman is calmer now, Carina smiles, “Not yet, we still have to wait. Why don’t you tell me about you husband?”

Talking always helps the mothers calm down and Carina is a good listener. The young woman and her husband eloped to this part of the country, their parents didn’t approve of their marriage. The husband had been trying to find work for months and went to the city to see if there was anything there. He was expected back next week and the woman is disappointed he won’t be here for the birth of their child. “Oh you can always expect that from husbands,” Carina laughs. The woman laughs as well, humor wins over fear most of the time.

Carina knows this is going to be a hard labor, and it will take a few hours before the actual work will happen. “It’s a good thing I prepared everything,” she thinks to herself. It always pays to be prepared.

Something wet suddenly falls on Carina’s shoulder and her breath stops for a moment. She smiles. Carina can’t let the woman see any hint of fear, childbirth is already hard enough without worrying about something like this.

Carina silently curses under her breath for forgetting about the suba*. She must have left it in the tricycle on her way here. “No use worrying about that now,” she thinks. There’s still the sharpened piece of bamboo in her bag. It always paid to be prepared.

“Okay, we’re going to try something, so just close your eyes okay? And don’t open them until I say so,” Carina’s voice is sterner now, but the edge of experience still shines through. “Is something wrong?” The woman’s voice had a hint of fear.

“Oh no, nothing wrong. I just need to take care of a pest.” Carina closes the woman’s eyelids, thankfully she was looking at Carina the whole night. “Now just keep telling me about that husband of yours. We have a long night ahead of us.”

————————–————————–————————––

*Pomelo fruit

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Wak-wak entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Wak-wak (Surigao) Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/