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Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines

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Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Conventions/Festivals/Events Mysterious Creatures Mysterious Creatures > Vampires Mythology/Folklore
Added By:	TheCabinet
Added On:	March 31, 2008 - 08:50 PM UTC
Last Modified:	January 31, 2009 - 06:24 PM UTC
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Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines

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Roxas City, Capiz This city in the Philippines is the capital of the province of Capiz, an area rich in mythology and folklore and the focus of tales of a dangerous creature known as the aswang. The city also has the far gentler nickname of the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines," due to abundance of marine life and fishing trade. The city was founded in 1693 under the name of Capiz, but would change its name to Roxas City in the 20th Century in honor of its very own Manuel Acu�a Roxas, who served as the first president of the independent Republic of the Philippines. The Aswang The myth of the aswang (also known as mangalok, boroka, tik-tik, wak-wak, wuk-wuk, and others) varies upon each area's own beliefs and stories and is generically used to represent witches, shapeshifters, monsters and other ghouls. The more popular variation depicts the aswang as a vampire-like creature that can take human form during the day and even carry a job, usually as a butcher. It has the ability to change into other animals or even inanimate objects, depending on the area's folklore. At night, they hunt their prey, usually appearing in the form of an ugly old woman with long, wild hair, bloodshot eyes, long nails, and a distinctive black tongue. It can also appear as a bat, pig, a large black dog, and even in a form that closely resembles that of the Latin American chupacabra. Their prey typically consists of the ill, children, corpses, and pregnant women, but can also include basically anyone that the aswang dislikes. It is said that they greatly favor a pregnant woman, and when it finds one it will extend its tongue into the woman's womb and drain the fetus of its blood, killing it. It is sometimes known as a kikik at these times for the sound it makes as it draws out the blood. When it comes across an ill person, it will crawl under their house and make the person sicker. It will also drink the blood from freshly dead corpses. The stories of the aswang are not limited to the province of Capiz and spread throughout the island group of Visayas, but Capiz is rumored to have a high population of aswang and covens of witches. It is said that one can often identify an aswang in human form by their eyes, which appear greatly bloodshot from their lack of sleep from their nocturnal activities. Though the residents generally dismiss the stories as nothing but old folklore these days, there are still some that adorn their houses with garlic, salt, and holy water to keep the aswang at bay. In fact, this prevailing belief can be evidenced by recent news from the Philippines. Aswang in the News In an article on August 6, 2003 in the Sun.Star, a couple from the area of Villa Esperanza, Bacolod City reported being besieged by an aswang at midnight every night. Their story began on July 29 when the 20-year-old woman was fishing at a pond near her home when an old woman, dressed in black, approached her and offered her a white stone. The young woman refused and quickly fled, but reported that the nightly visits began immediately. The couple were kept awake by strange scratching noises on the walls of their house and when they turned on the lights, saw a brief flash of the witch's hand. When they chased it outside, they came face to face with a black dog. The events caused the couple to flee to the safety of their relatives, while their neighbors kept a vigil over their house at midnight to keep an eye out for the aswang. The Sun.Star also carries three other chilling tales of people being killed because it was believed they were aswang. In August of 2003, Antonio Rebalde of Don Salvador Benedicto admitted to hacking and shooting his aunt and cousin, because he believed they were aswang. According to Rebalde, the duo had cast a curse on his wife who died three days after giving birth a year earlier. The article further states that a husband and wife were similarly killed and beheaded from a scythe by two men in the Sitio Sila-ay, Barangay Bulata area. On September 13, 2005, the paper would report another incident of another husband and wife being hacked to death and decapitated in Sitio Inapugan, Barangay Santol, Binalbagan town. According to the police, the couple was known throughout the community as being witches or aswang. At the time of that report, no suspects had been arrested. On September 25, 2004, the paper carried the report of an aswang attack in Tantangan, South Cotabato. According to the article a 16-year-old boy saved his 14-year-old brother from a "big black dog with red, glowering eyes" by firing his rifle at it. According to him, the creature then fled into the night. His brother was hit in the right leg from the shot and rushed to the hospital to treat the wounds. The story was met with skepticism from some of the local residences that chalked it up to the boy's imagination, while others believed it, based on their own encounters or stories they heard from the friends and family. As recently as late-January/early-February of 2008, many citizens of Silay City "had become insomniac for almost a week, vigilant of the 'aswang' attack in their area," according to yet another article from the paper. In this case, some residents reported a new type of aswang wandering the cities at night, describing it as a cross between a frog and a human. The creature was known as "oko" and was observed on the roofs throughout the city. The Aswang Festival Back in Roxas City, one group named the Dugo Capiznon, Inc. decided that rather than fear the folklore and stories of the aswang, the community should embrace it. As such, they came up with the three-day Aswang Festival to be held at the end of October in celebration of All Souls' Day (or Halloween in western culture). The idea was first floated back in 1996, but was laughed off by detractors. It wasn't until 2004 that the Aswang Festival finally took off, which featured a colorful parade, street dancing, food festival, a body-painting contest, live entertainment, and many more events. The Aswang Festival was an immediate magnet for controversy, drawing the ire of the Catholic Church and various other religious organizations in the area. Their objection was that the festival promoted the beliefs and folklore behind the aswang and was a celebration of evil. The organizers strongly disagreed and told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on November 7, 2006 that part of their motives were "...to reverse the negative image of Capiz as a haven of aswang and remove the stigma attached to the word. We consider aswang simply a myth, with no factual basis. It does not exist except in the imagination of people." In addition, they hoped to stimulate the economy for local businesses and create a worldwide tourist destination to highlight their seafood, beaches, and local scenery. The organizers did initially agree to rename the festival Lupad Kapiznon rather than Aswang Festival in 2005 after a request made by the Catholic Church, but reverted back to the original name only a day before the event after the Church continued their protests. Church followers went as far as holding a vigil on the second day of the event in 2006 and prayed for rain to stop the activities. Reportedly, it did drizzle some but the festival continued regardless. The Aswang Festival was held through 2006, but ultimately came to a stop in 2007. By all accounts the festival was very successful, despite the mounting criticism, in its three-year run. However, the organizers finally decided to scrap it when the administration in place at the time took the position of the Catholic Church and opposed it. In Popular Culture The aswang may be primarily based in the Philippines, but it hasn't completely escaped the eyes of the entertainment world. It even emerged in western culture in a 2001 episode of the short-lived Fox series, FreakyLinks, in an episode titled "Me and My Shadow." In the episode, the aswang is depicted as a beast with tendrils that lives as a parasite in people's shadows. It was also the subject of horror films in 1992, 1994, and 1999 - all aptly named Aswang and various other movies filmed in the Philippines. More recently, it was the subject of the horror "DocuMovie" titled Aswang: A Journey Into Myth. Roxas City Today There is no word on whether the Aswang Festival will be revived in the future or not. Based on recent newspaper accounts, the aswang has not completely escaped the psyche of the Filipino people though. The legend persists and has its believers and skeptics alike. Given the controversy that erupted over the annual Roxas City festival, it is safe to say that it is very much a divisive issue to this day.

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Related Sites
Wikipedia: Aswang Wikipedia's entry on a mythical vampire-like creature believed to mainly reside in Capiz province of the Philippines, but throughout the country as well.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Aswang Encyclopedia Mythica's entry on the Philippine folklore of the vampire-like creature known as the aswang.

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See Also on TheCabinet.com
Blog: The Aswang of the Philippines (05/26/08)
Blog: 2004 Aswang Attack (09/25/08)

Available from Amazon.com
Aswang
Aswang
Vampires: A Field Guide To The Creatures That Stalk The Night
Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality
Vampire Watcher's Handbook: A Guide for Slayers
Sacred Hunger (Norton Paperback Fiction)
The Terror That Comes in the Night (Publications of the American Folklore Society New Series)
Unholy Hungers: Encountering the Psychic Vampire in Ourselves & Others
Asian Horror Encyclopedia: Asian Horror Culture in Literature, Manga, and Folklore
Culture Shock! Philippines: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Philippines)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires

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The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

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