*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.
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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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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://
The Horned Presidente Illustration by Armie Loraine Corpuz
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