As Filipinos, we have our own folklore and myths that were passed onto us by our parents or grandparents when we were young. One of the...
As Filipinos, we have our own folklore and myths that were passed onto us by our parents or grandparents when we were young.
One of them were the story of the renowned 'Aswang'. You are not a Filipino if you never heard of them as its myth is famous in the Philippines. Especially in places in the Visayan provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Cebu, Bohol, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar, as well as Romblon, Marinduque, Quezon, and Batangas in Luzon.
'Aswangs' if we are to define them aside from horrific creatures from the stories of our 'lola' and 'lolo', they are shape shifting monsters usually possessing a combination of the traits of either a vampire, a ghoul, a warlock/witch, or different species of were-beast.
Here are some stories we gathered from confessions and experiences claimed of various Filipinos:
1. Si Manang Itok by Ephraim
"Hi! I’m ephraim, 16 yrs old from markina city. I saw the announcement of DF on posting article about sperntural beings nd i think i like to share a story to you .. well, not my stories but from my mom.
She’s from bohol (my fave hometown by the way!) she lives in the town of candijay which is literally a rural area.. 10 hours ang biyahe from the seaport .. anlayo!! .. she then shared a story about manang Itok (manang in boholano means “ate or aling” ).. manang itok is odd, she says.
She’s an old aged woman, thin, silent and mysterious. She rarely speaks to people whom she doesn’t know but the whole community knows her .. why?? because eventhough she’s not friendly enough, she is known as an “aswang”.. Whenever there is a sick person, she would be around the house .. she says she just wanted to help .. but
after some months, or even weeks, the patient will die … I just thought that maybe it is just a coincidence … then i asked my mom, ” ehh panu niya nalaman na maysakit ung tao??” She replied “aba malay ko! kaya nga ung mga tao nagtataka kasi bakit daw siya umeepal”, then i burst into laughter.
Pag may buntis din daw, madalas siyang makita na umaalialigid sa house nito. But this is the hairraising part, one time she became sick and her neighbors came to help her to bring her to the albularyo or to the doctor. When they examined her, they saw a pair of little wings under her armpit.. parang pakpak ng manok pero maliit na
version. Kulay itim daw .. tapos puro buhok daw ung paligid.. normal lang ba sa tao yun?? geeezzz..
Pero umalis na si mommy for college kasi dito na siya sa manila mag aaral .. nalaman na lang niya ung balita na she died because of her old age. Nung namatay dawsiya, it was noticeable that her womb was swollen enough like a pregnant woman .. then some nights, makikita na may mga lumalabas na langgam sa tenga niya, at
inuuod yung kamay niya ..
Aswang ?? Binarang ?? I don’t know .. hahah .. last words: just be cautious enough when you meet someone myterious… we never know what secrets she/he possesses …"
CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 2
2. Feast in a cemetery (contributed by Wigberto N. Corpuz, 19, from Agno, Pangasinan, who had it from Eleanor Narvaiz Corpuz, 24, an elementary school teacher from Tidog, Agno who in turn had it from Josefa Nitafan Corpuz, 60, of the same community)
My grandfather said that one day at sunset while he was going home to our barrio, he passed through the cemetery. Halfway through, he saw four individuals quarrelling at their meal. A head was on the tomb but he did not give it any significance. They invited him to join them but he ran away. When he got home his face was very pale because he remembered that his cousin had been buried recently. (Translated from Iloko text)
3. A house full of vampires (contributed by Immaculada B. Blancaflor, 32, from Santa, Ilocos Sur, who collected it from Teofista Bumagat, 19, a housemaid from Dueñas, Iloilo)
There was a soldier who got lost in Dueñas, a barrio in Iloilo. Because he knew someone there named Sario, he decided to go to Sario’s house. “Sario, Sario, this is your soldier friend Ruben. May I sleep here for the night?” He was let in and led into the only room in Sario’s house. He noticed that there were many people in the house. “I did not know you had many visitors, it is very embarrassing,” said the soldier. “They are friends of my mother, and by and by they will leave,” answered Sario. When Ruben was asleep, he was suddenly awakened by a peculiar smell. He heard movements in the room and then he felt something touching him. He saw that it was a big bat. He pulled out his bolo and shouted, “You devil, I will kill you.” Then he called Sario. When Sario came into the room, the bat and the smell disappeared. Sario left the room. After a while, Ruben again felt something touching his body. It felt like the tip of sharp needle. He shouted and brought out his bolo. Sario came to the room again and said, “Mother, don’t fool around here.” Ruben got scared and decided to leave the house. The moon was full and bright as he came out of his room. Bu its light he saw bodies in the sala, cut through the waist with no heads. He hurriedly took salt and sprinkled it on the cut bodies. Then Ruben left the house. He decided to spend the rest of the night in another house and there he learned that the mother of Sario was the head of the aswang in Barrio Dueñas, and it was in Sario’s house that the aswang periodically met. (Translated from Tagalog text)
4. TIKTIK ASWANG (A SHORT TRUE TO LIFE STORY)
ni madey22
"Ito namang karanasan na ito sa aswang ay naexperienced ng brother ko.,,,,,
Mga alauna ng madaling araw hindi makatulog ang brother ko dahil maalinsangan, naisip nyang bumaba sa
1st floor ng bahay at lumabas, ang pwesto ay sa labahan ng nanay ko ,,, prentengprente syang naninigarilyo
ng may makita syang anino sa sementadong kinauupuan nya,, tingin nya ay isang malaking ibon daw dahil
malaki ang anino ng pakpak nito,,,,,,
Tumingala sya para tignan kung ano iyon,, kitangkita nya sa itaas ng bubong ng kapitbahay namen ay isang
napakalaking ibon na kulay itim ,, habang titig na titig sya biglang lumipad at nakita nya ay taong mabalahibo
na may malaking pakpak....at hindi pala malaking ibon kundi taong aswang,,,sa takot ng brother ko ay tumakbo
sya papasok ng bahay at hindi na nya inulit ang paglabas ng ganung oras...
At hindi lamang ang brother ko ang may ganitong karanasan sa aswang pati ang kapitbahay namen ay
nakaranas din........
Isang gabi mga 11pm daw kwento ng kapitbahay namen,, isa syang ina syempre sa dami ng gawaing
bahay sa maghapon ay sa gabi na lang sya nakakapaglaba......
Habang nagbabanlaw ng mga damit ay may bigla daw lumipad sa pwesto nya kung saan sya naglalaba,,,ang
lakas daw ng hangin at tumingala sya sa bubong ng katabing bahay at nakita daw ng kapitbahay namin ang
anyo ng isang tao na may malaking pakpak na itim,, tinitigan nya ng husto ito at napagtanto nyang ito ay
aswang,,, sa takot nya hindi na nya tinapos ang paglalaba ng mga damit at sya ay patakbong pumasok sa
bahay nya,, at hindi na sya naglalaba sa gabi...."
CONTINUE READING ON PAGE 3
5. By Pupa
The day came when Belen have to deliver her baby. Usually the person inside the room is the “Hilot” and an assistant. But in this case, it was only the “Hilot”, because that was the “Hilot” wanted.
A healthy baby boy came out to life safely after some hours of Belen’s labor. But something is unusual happened. When Ben came into the room to get the used bedsheets and clothes, to his surprise, he never seen lots of blood in it which is supposedly be there? He’s wondering and asked the “Hilot” what had happened? The “Hilot” just shrugged and never say anything. Ben never suspected anything from her since he trusted her as the "Hilot"
Ben was reluctant however told this thing to his family. But then later, they’ve forgotten it when all was well with his wife and his baby. Eventually, his wife was not really well it seems like she even looked paler and paler each day. The “Hilot”, would still come to visit the mother and the baby every day.
Belen never spoke anything and she’s very weak after giving birth. The “Hilot would then say, it’s normal for a new mother. He believed her. Until one day, Belen died. Just simply like that. And later after some days, the baby was dead, too. They found out that, the baby had lost his blood.
By then, they’ve searched for the “Hilot” but she disappeared and nowhere to be found. They believe that the “Hilot” sipped the mother’s blood and the baby. It is then everyone says, the “Hilot was the “Aswang” (is an evil- vampire-like or a blood sucking devil in the form of a person) People believed, the “Hilot” was the "Aswang" who disguises herself without the family's knowing.
It's up to you if you want to believe these stories or not.
But growing up as a Filipino, who doesn't love a good scare?
