In the noisy and chaotic alleys of Tondo, Mang Dolfo is known not for his courage, but for his “cowardice.” He is a market porter who is always targeted by thieves and extortionists. Every day, people see him being kicked, shoved, and taken a percentage of his earnings by the “Black Snake Gang.”

And every time, Mang Dolfo just bows, hands shaking, and begs for forgiveness as he hands over his hard-earned goods.

His daughter Karen, now a brave and famous human rights lawyer, has given in to her father’s behavior. Whenever she goes home to their old house to visit it, her mouth is always full of sermons.

“Father!” Karen shouted as she treated the bruise on her father’s cheek. “I’m a lawyer! I can defend you! Why are you so cowardly? Why are you letting them trample on you? It’s shameful! I’m so brave in court, while my father is subservient to criminals!”

Mang Dolfo just smiled bitterly, his eyes always looking tired.

“Let it go, son. What’s important is that we’re safe. What’s important is that you’ve been educated. Trouble, when you’re punished, becomes even more trouble. True courage lies in self-control.”

“That’s not self-control, Dad! That’s stupidity!” Karen stood up abruptly and left her father.

That was the last conversation they had.

A week later, Mang Dolfo was found dead in an alley. He wasn’t killed by the syndicate. He had a heart attack while carrying a very heavy load. He died clutching a bag of Karen’s favorite hopia.

On the hill, no one showed much sympathy. Only a few fellow porters. Karen felt anger and sadness. Anger because her father died without even fighting for his life, that he died oppressed.

That same night, a convoy of expensive cars suddenly arrived. The leader of the Black Snake Gang, “Boss Rado,” got out with ten armed men. Karen stood up, ready to call the police and bring out the courage she was looking for in her father.

“What are you doing here? You are the ones who tortured my father! Get out!” Karen shouted, blocking the coffin.

But to everyone’s surprise, Boss Rado did not get angry. Instead, he took off his hat, bowed, and paid homage to Mang Dolfo’s coffin. His men knelt down in unison.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

“We are not here to cause trouble, Attorney,” Boss Rado said seriously. “We are here to pay homage to the King of Tondo.”

“King? What are you talking about? You guys beat him up every day!” Karen replied angrily.

Boss Rado pulled out an old photo. A black and white picture from the 80s. Karen saw a man covered in tattoos, holding a balisong, and standing on top of a pile of enemies. His eyes were sharp and merciless. She knew the face. This was her father when she was a child.

“Your father was ‘Adolfong Berdugo’,” Boss Rado said. “He founded the organization we are part of today. He was the cruelest, fastest, and most feared hitman in all of Manila back then. No one could beat him. But when you were born… everything changed.”

Karen’s eyes widened as she listened.

“He learned that he had many enemies who wanted revenge. They wanted to kill you to hurt him. So he made a deal with us and the other syndicates,” Boss Rado continued. “He stepped down. He gave up all his territory. And in exchange for your safety, he promised never to raise his hand to fight again. He accepted being a ‘coward’. He agreed to be beaten, cursed at, and asked for money by newbies who didn’t know him, just to make everyone believe that he was old, that he was weak, and so that no one would be interested in taking revenge on you.”

Boss Rado looked at Mang Dolfo’s hands inside the coffin. His fingers seemed crooked and covered in scars.

“The ‘extortions’ you see? That’s not extortion. That’s the monthly ‘tax’ he pays us to make sure that no one else touches you while you grow up. His bruises? That’s the payment for your peace of mind while you study law.”

Boss Rado approached Karen and handed her a small notebook. This is the list of all the people who tried to harm Karen that Mang Dolfo secretly had the group pick up—not by force, but by using his influence and money.

“Attorney,” the gangster said softly, “Your father is the bravest man I have ever known. Because it is easier to kill and fight than to swallow pride every day and look foolish for the person you love. He killed the ‘Executor’ in himself, so that the ‘Father’ could live for you.”

Karen fell to the floor. The tears from earlier were filled with

The anger was replaced by deep remorse. He hugged his father’s coffin. The “coward” he was ashamed of was actually his strongest protection in this world. Every bow by Mang Dolfo was not a surrender, but a silent fight for his son’s future.

On the last night of the funeral, Karen was no longer ashamed. She boasted to everyone who came, even the judges and fellow lawyers, that her father was not just a porter. He was a father who could lower the world and his own honor, just to raise his son. See less