The truth about the ASWANG in Capiz

“People visiting these islands –  foreigners, Spaniards, Americans –  couldn’t explain this transforming person…”

Perhaps the most famous creature in Philippine Folklore is the aswang – a ghoul who feeds on the sick and helpless.  More famously, the Manananggal (a subset of the aswang) who transforms herself by splitting in half, sprouting wings and sucking the fetus from the womb of unsuspecting mothers with her proboscis tongue.  For some reason, the Visayas – Capiz in particular – has become stigmatized as being the home of these creatures.  If a resident of Capiz is elsewhere in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for people to jest that they “flew in”, or to jokingly referred to them as an aswang.  So damaging is this stigma,  Capiznons operating businesses in Manila will often lie about where they come from.  This leads me to ask  – why is Capiz the suspected home of the aswang?

Likely, you’ve heard the tale of Teniente Gimo and how he pretended to be an aswang in order to dissuade Japanese troops from entering the town of Dueñas, Iloilo. Many speculate that this began the rumours.  It’s a terrific story, but the aswang phenomena on Panay Island pre-dates WWII.  Proof of this can be found in “The Asuang by Vincente Perez – Bisaya Paper no. 279 (1924)” where he clearly shows that belief in the aswang was well established in Pototan, Iloilo.  It is further recorded in Rosario Picazo’s paper “Superstitions in Capiz – Bisaya Paper No. 246 (1926)”  and again in Amparo Barza’s 1927 paper “Bisaya Beliefs in the Vicinity of Capiz – Bisaya Paper No. 301 (1927)”.  It is an indubitable fact that belief in the aswang, and its association with Capiz, existed before the legends of Teniente Gimo.

Another attempt to dispel the myth has been made by saying female freedom fighters opposing the Spanish were tagged as aswang so the people would not support their revolts.  This is a very romantic version of history, and could certainly rouse some pride in being from Capiz.  Unfortunately, it isn’t true.  The first issue is that there is absolutely zero historical evidence to show that this happened – not even enough to give us an inkling that it occurred.  Don’t get me wrong, the Spanish did horrible things to the people of the Visayas.  They  beat, tortured and publicly humiliated the babaylans – this was well documented by the Spanish themselves. They took pride in the cries of these former spiritual leaders and their subsequent conversion to Christianity, as evidenced in Fray Diego del Villar 1595 report on the state of the Philippines. However, they absolutely abhorred the superstitious nature of Filipinos, with their casting of lots and fear of spirits and ghouls.  It is an unlikely proposal that they would spread belief in anything other than their interpretations on the “word of God”.  While there is evidence that some of the deities among the Taglaogs were deemed “witches” (Read more on this subject here), it was also documented that belief in the “Osuang” (aswang) and similar ghoulish spirits already existed all over the Philippines.  There is no doubt that the Visayas held a formidable warrior class and powerful female leaders, but in all the documentation regarding revolts in the Philippines, there is never any mention of psychological trickery involving the aswang.

So how did Capiz become known as the home of the aswang?

While filming “THE ASWANG PHENOMENON” documentary in 2008, I was made aware of a very rare form of dystonia – X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism (XDP) or Dystonia of Panay (Lubag).  It is an X chromosome defect dating back 50 generations (1000 years) on Panay Island.  According to the most recent studies, 93% of current cases today are located on Panay Island, and 63% of those are in Capiz.

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada states, “XDP occurs throughout the Philippines but is also diagnosed in the US and Canada in people of Filipino descent. All known cases of XDP originate from one common ancestor. The gene associated with XDP, called the DYT3 gene, was discovered in 2003.”

So how does this fit the aswang stigma in Capiz?  The 8 minute video below is a segment from THE ASWANG PHENOMENON documentary and attempts to explain the phenomena.  Imagine being a traveller to Capiz  and encountering a person suffering from this disease (body twisting, tongue protruding from their mouth, salivating). Before modern medicine and before modern education, it wouldn’t be difficult to draw a conclusion that the person is in a transforming state.  In fact, many people suffering from XDP in Capiz are still being branded aswangs.  Unfortunately, this forces families to keep the disease hidden instead of seeking effective treatment.   It is time that this stigma is broken and the truth about XDP becomes common knowledge among the residents of Capiz.  Those suffering from XDP, and their families, should feel no shame in seeking help and inquiring about genetic counseling.

“There are cases where they have resorted to killing themselves… because of the stigma, because of the burden, because of the lack of social support.”

 

There are no aswang in Capiz.  However, there are human beings suffering from this rare genetic disorder who need the support, compassion and understanding of their community.  XDP is not contagious and it can be stopped through genetic counseling.  First, the aswang stigma in Capiz must be destroyed.  Please help spread the word by sharing this article.