Chronicles of Aswang

Aswang!

Aswang ! 

The word which exists only in the  Philippines.

You might try to take a research of the word Aswang on google and it will show you the word "GHOST"
which is by a great distance it really doesn't match the real existence of Aswang. Although in some occasion ghost can be of its part since Aswang can transform into different shapes.

Okay, let me start to tell you some story which I myself experience. In Aklan where we live, stories of Aswang is pretty wide and of different versions. You may hear from the other places in Aklan how Aswang attacked such people, or on the other hand someone would tell you there is an Aswang wandering at night to another. Would this be a truth to some or a myth to the other. Stories of Aswang has made a great contribution to our western visayan culture.

There are types of Aswang in Aklan.

1. The Ti-tik ( or sometimes called wak-wak)- This is a humanoid crow who belongs to the witches. To stop this one must remove the crow which is inside the stomach of a person. When one has  crow inside his stomach he will becomes a tik-tik by night.
2.  Mananaggal- woman\Man who is normal by day and by night detaches her torso and  sprouts bat wings and eats unborn fetuses or any of its victims along the way. 

3.Kuto-Kuto - aswang with bloodshot eyes that makes the sound of a laying hen at night.

Aswang has the ability to change shapes and he can also imitiate the shape of the other person.

The stories that I may tell here are the stories gathered from different people who in one or another experience the real Aswang.

Here is my own story

A hunchback old man

Once there was an old man named Dacko ( not real name ).
He was old and hunchback. Since he was old we called him Lolo, or grandfather, or simply called lolo, referring to an old man. This is how we call an old man in respect to him.
Lolo Dacko lived in nearby sitio with his wife Lola Yapaz ( not real name )
Lolo Dacko used to buy Tuba from the Tuba maker in our place. And no one refuses to give him his Tuba. Because lolo Dacko knows if that person was telling him the truth or not, He could not deny him therefore he gave tuba to lolo Dacko for free if lolo Dacko asks for it. Otherwise Lolo Dacko will make a scary experience when the darkness has taken over.

Lolo Dacko is a well-known person in our place. Not only as human but as a supernatural abilities. According to some who had an encounter. 

One time, when I was at the age of 4-5 my grand mother said I was colic. I cried excessively despite I that I am healthy. My grandparents however have a beliefs that if someone would buy a colic child the child will stop from being a colic. So when Lolo Dacko passed by our house my Grand parents sold me to him. Then what next happen was, I no longer a colic. That was the incredible beliefs where my parents hold.

The peculiarities of Lolo Dacko begun.

Once there was a man who happened to stroll to the seashore. He saw this creature stood with its stance of four legs. The man observed that creature. The creature begun moving and he was like leaning his ears to the ground. Which in this instance a man saw a creature in this gesture he knew it was Aswang. What he did was to lacerate the butt of the creature. Then he recognized the creature, and it was Lolo Dacko. The creature was disappeared then.

When an Aswang wants to look for his victim he said to have leaned his ears on the ground to hear the baby crying. And he has the ability to hear it through the ground even on a distant places.


Lolo Dacko eats babies.
He can change the shape of a child into an animal to disguise it from other people.

There was one family who had a child who was badly sicken.

This family which I know exactly had told me the story when I happened to be a part of their family when I married their daughter.  Long time ago, one of my wife's siblings had been taken by Lolo Dacko. 

Lolo Dacko went by the house where there was new baby born, 3 months atleast. He had a chance to got in the house as a normal visitor. Because nobody will decline him visiting such house if Lolo Dacko wants to. Lolo Dacko knew there is a new born baby in this house. The mother of the baby also knew who Lolo Dacko was and what he can be capable of doing. When he visits a house he would ask for a tuba or a coconut sap which is popular in our place. This is what drunkards drinks in place of beers or hard drinks. When he is done drinking in this house he would go home.

Everyone was scared of him. 

The night has taken over and the baby begun crying. Everyone in the house was panicking they knew why the baby was crying because of the bad spirit who is working. The baby begun to turned red and extremely hot like it was on a grill.

Then baby died.

The next morning the mother confronts the wife of Lolo Dacko who is Lola Yapaz who went by the area.

"You ate my baby" The mother retorted.

What people expects from the couple were their denials. Sadly no one can show the proofs of the claim.

Some people say how this happens. The witch or aswang or the suspicious person being the aswang can exchange the body into look like real one. When the aswang would want to take the baby they will deceive the eye of the people around. What people will see a real baby , but according to some who has a third eye it would be a banana trunk. And the real baby will be taken away with their unseen basket or pouch bag. Then the aswang will bring the baby to their home for dinner.

This was what they speculated to happen to that baby when the baby was turned red and was too hot. 

I had an experience also when we clean the area where the couple Lolo Dacko and Lola Yapaz used to live. The place was bought by someone to build a house. It has now cleared from all the eerie things around. From the  trees and small cavern , all were inspected. During the time I was one of the workers who cleans the area. In our surprise in some part of the area was a small hole where bunch of small skulls and bones were dumped. That was shocking and the speculations of the people in our place came true. 

My Lolo and I flew.

I had been an adventurous person in our place. Everyone knows what I do when I go mountain climbing or spelunking. I used to bring my camera everytime I go around the mountainous area in our place. I marvelous thing I did when I discovered a falls known now as Nakita Falls. That was amazing and incredible. My friend and I discovered this and we made it famous in our place. 

I came across alot of friends as a part of my being adventurous. I gained so many friends both young and old alike. 

One day, I had this little boy named Peter , not real name. 

I used to come to their house because his mother had a store so I and my best friend used to go there to have some drink.

The boy was kind to me and he reassured of his being friendly that he confidently told me a shocking story. 

He told me that last night he and his Lolo was flying . He said he hopped on his Lolo's back and he found out that they were flying. I asked him what did he see while flying and he said he saw the ground, the trees, the houses. 

This is true confession of a kid who cannot tell a lie in his young age. After my thorough investigation though discreet approach so that I may not look like suspicious to my young friend Lolo. The Lolo or grand father of this kid was suspected Aswang in this area. 

And .....

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