Gay Filipino In History: Ponciano Elofre Of Negros Oriental

Ponciano Elofre (c. 1800s ? - 1887)

Public Servant, Shaman and Revolt Leader

Birth Name: Ponciano Elofre / Ponciano Elopre

Birth: circa mid 1800s in Negros Oriental

Death: August 22, 1887 in Siaton, Negros Oriental

The skirt-wearing Ponciano Elofre (sometimes spelled as Ponciano Elopre) was a Cabeza de Barangay or the head of a barangay (now called barangay captain) in the town of Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental and also the leader of a politico-religious revolt in Negros in the late 19th century against the Spaniards.

He began his revolt when as a Cabeza de Barangay failed to collect all the taxes from his constituents. As a result, the Spanish soldiers beat his father, Cris Elofre to death to teach him a lesson. He took the name Dios Buhawi (Hiligaynon word for "Tornado or Whirlwind God" and thereafter, rallied the people against the forced payment of taxes.  

Soon later, he included religious freedom as part of his agenda and presided over the celebration of the ancient rites of the babaylan (ancient Visayan shaman priest), a revival of the pre-Spanish period religious leader. He and his followers numbering about 2,000 were later called the babaylanes. Elofre was reputedly dressed in female garments and was said to be effeminate in the same manner as ancient asog shamans. 

The activities of Elofre so alarmed the Spanish colonial government that governor-general Valeriano Weyler sent 500 Guardia Civil (civil guards) and a battleship to Negros to deal with the threat. On the fateful day of August 22, 1887, Elofre raided Siaton, the town adjoining Zamboanguita, and was killed in the encounter with the colonial forces. His wife, Flaviana Tubigan, continued the revolt but lacked her husband's charm and charisma. She was succeeded by Ka Martin de la Cruz, Elofre's lieutenant of the town of Tolong (now the Municipality of Santa Catalina) located in the southern part of Negros Oriental but his command of the babaylanes degenerated into banditry. When the Spanish authorities failed in their attempt to capture him on September 11, 1893, de la Cruz was killed in a trap laid by his own mistress, Alfonsa Alaidan. 

The remaining Buhawi followers according to historian Modesto P. Sa-onoy were later recruited by Papa Isio when he began to organize his own group of babaylanes in another revolt against Spain.