The Aswang and the Nursing Process

I have been reading a lot of aswang stories these past few weeks, well, that’s my way of spending time at home since I left my job. And also, since I was a kid,I have been hearing aswang stories from my grandparents, my uncles and my aunts. I got fascinated about the aswang and the thought of it still tickles my imagination now that I am 24 years old and a faithful Christian.

The aswang is said to feed on humans but would happily feed on animals because people nowadays are aware of their existence. Their presence is said to make the sick even sicker and the belly of a pregnant to contract. Aswang also causes the bailing and howling of the dogs, the discomfort of fowls in their coops and the berserking of the cats on the roof.

The idea of incorporating the aswang and the nursing process came to me when I was reading articles from the maker of The Aswang Project. The nursing process is a systematic way of dealing with problems of the patients but this time, I will use it on the aswang. The said process is symbolized by the letters A, D, P, I and E.

A stands for Assessment – a systematic, dynamic way to collect and analyze data
D stands for Diagnosis – judgment about the scenario or the condition
P stands for Planning – sets measurable and achievable short- and long-range goals
I stands for Implementation – actual undertaking of the planned actions
E stands for Evaluation – checking whether the set goals are met or not

Now that we know about the process, let us now proceed and apply it to the aswang.

1. ASSESSMENT

In this phase, we will check about the physical, social and behavioral characteristics of the aswang. We will make use of the cephalocaudal concept in physical assessment to be more keen on checking. Cepalocaudal means “head to tail” or “head to toe” assessment. We will also take the general to specific approach.

The aswang is said to be either a male or a female. They look like ordinary humans during the day but will take a form of an animal it first sees before it leaves the house at night. It may take my form of a pig, a dog or a big black bird.

The hair of the aswang is said to be sparse and thin. Its face is said to be like that of an old person but others say that the aswang is a fair lady during the day. One of its most notable features is the lack of a nasolabial fold or the groove between the nose and the upper lip. During the day, the mouth of the aswang is just like the other humans but when it transforms at night, their mouth agape.

The elbows and the knees of the aswang are leathery thick, darkened and callous because they use it to crawl. Their fingernails and toenails are dirty and untrimmed due to nightly treks to forested areas.

The aswang is said to have very poor social life since they tend to avoid people in fear of getting recognized. They would also avoid going outside during the day because though they will not die of sunlight, it irks them anyway. They also avoid eye contact.

The aswang is attracted to pregnant women, terminally sick or the dying. Elders in our place told me that the sick smell like jackfruit to the aswang.

The aswang takes the form of the first animal it sees when it leaves the house at dusk. It surveys the surroundings for possible victims in the form of a dog, pig or a big black bird. It stays near the house of its chosen victim through the night and then launches an attack any time between midnight and three in the morning. It is believed that during this time, their abilities are at highest and they then take their monster form: human body covered in hair, long tongue, sharp teeth, piercing claws, enlarged hands and feet. They are said to put black oil on their body to break their form in the dark and to make themselves slick and slimy making it hard for the people to have a grab of them.

They also possess superhuman abilities making them able to run fast, leap from one coconut tree to another, climb and scale walls with ease and squeeze thorugh tiny passages.

2. DIAGNOSIS

Here are some things to verify that the ones you suspect for being an aswang is really an aswang:

a. coconut oil – will bubble or steam off in the presence of an aswang
b. pet animals – dogs will bark at aswang, sometimes dogs will bark in the middle of the night at something you cannot see in the dark
c. they look at pregnant women as if looking at a buffet table
d. your image will appear upside down when you look into their eyes
e. bend over and look at them between your legs to see their true identity
f. listen to the eerie noises around your house, if it sounds far then it is near; if it sounds near then it is far – a way to trick their victims
g. if your see it eating a human or an animal, then it is an aswang.
h. you may also suspect someone for being an aswang if you always see him/her in places where there is a terminally ill person or a pregnant woman.

3. PLANNING

Let’s say you’re sure that an aswang is near your house, it’s now time to plan your course of actions. Plan ahead what you need to ward off or fight an aswang, the time, the place and the people you would need with you in the time of the battle. In this phase, we will place ourselves in the movie World War Z.

a. things you need to ward off the aswang (to ward off is to keep away)
– garlic
– burned tires
– rotten egg
– broom stick (walis tingting)
– bamboo spears (not related to Britney Spears lol)
– palm leaves blessed in the church on a Palm Sunday
– fire
– pineapple plant (the spiny leaves are said to cause deep wounds on the aswang)
– dogs
– holy items like the bible, rosary and crucifix
– sounds of prayers and religious songs

b. things you need to fight the aswang (to kill or cause harm)
– stingray tail (buntot pagi)
– holy water
– salt
– bamboo spears
– wooden peg
– guns and bullets
– sunlight on their monster form
– boiling water
– bolo

c. time
– best time to fight an aswang is at night when they are in their monster form since it will be a criminal case to fight them when they appear to be humans

d. place
– best place to fight an aswang is your own home. If you have a sick, dying or pregnant person in your house; the aswang is most likely to go there. Do not go the house of a suspected aswang, you might be charged with trespassing. Do not come to them, let them come to you instead. After all, you’re in your own home.

e. people to be with you in the time of the fight
– someone to stay with the sick, dying or pregnant in the house (must also be able to fight a hand-on-hand combat if faced with an aswang)
– at least three people to patrol the grounds
– at least three people to guard the windows, doors and attic of the house
– a group to say prayers or sing religious songs

If you do not have this much people, you better be good at multitasking. LOL

Proper briefing should be done prior to the event so as not to cause confusion when the time comes.

4. IMPLEMENTATION

In this phase, we will put into action everything we planned.

Prior, scout the area for signs that an aswang is near. Listen for the eerie noises. Look at where the dogs barks. Check out movements in the bushes. Watch out for red, glaring eyes in the dark. Follow an unfamiliar putrid scent.

If you suspect that the aswang is near, curse at it as the aswang has poor self esteem. You may also pretend you know them because aswang fears being identified. Example: “Hoy! Ikaw kang tangina ka! Kilala kita. Huwag ka nga dito, baka ipasunog ko yang bahay mo.”
English translation: “You mothafuckah! I know you. Go somewhere else or I’ll have your house burned.”

a. To ward off the aswang:
– Plant pineapples near windows and doors.
– Put salt and garlicon door steps and other places the aswang could enter. Keep salt in pockets or near the bed.
– Put old coins in the pockets of the sick, dying or pregnant women. Old coins are said to make them heavy and it would be difficult for the aswang to carry them away.
– Place bamboo spears, broom sticks and palm leaves on places that would be a venue for the aswang.
– Make a bonfire outside, make camp and burn tires. The smell of the burning tires would suffocate the aswang and fluch them out from where they hide but this is not advisable because burnt tires are harmful to the environment 🙂
– I advise all readers to keep dogs in their homes to keep guard and to be protection from aswang and criminals.

b. To fight the aswang:
– Listen to its sound. Beware when it sounds far, it means they are near.
– Be sure that all windows and doors are secured but keep an easy access to the house if you need to run for cover.
– I guess you already know what to do with the objects enumerated in killing the aswang.
– Aim for the heart to kill it instantly.
– Wound the aswang at the back of the neck (batok) so it could not lick the wound because its saliva heals its injuries.
– For a sure kill, decapitate the aswang.
– Remember the injuries of the aswang and look around your neighborhood for people sustaining the same injuries. The aswang might already have changed its form.
– If you can, do not let the wounded aswang to run away or call out for help. It is known that they hold grudges and they family members fight back for their fallen comrade.
– If you sustain an injury, immediately wash with running water. Scratches and bites from an aswang harbor a lot of bacteria that could pose a threat of infection.

If you manage to kill an aswang, lay its body in the grass and wait for the sunlight. The rays should dry the cadaver immediately or turn it into a resembling object like the body of a banana tree. If you have an injured aswang in custody, make sure it could not make a sound or cry for help.
You may hang the aswang upside down to make it vomit out the charm that makes it an aswang. Some say that it is a black bird. Some say it is a black stone. I have no idea what it really is so I suggest you just wait for it. You may also bring the aswang to the church and have the priest or the pastor to pray over it and possibly save its soul from eternal flame.

5. EVALUATION

To check the effectivity of your actions, check for the aswang. If in its monster form it dies from sunlight, then it is an aswang. If it sustained burns and lashes from whips of salt and stingray tail, then it is an aswang. If it passed out a charm through vomit, then it is an aswang.

I want to make a little disclaimer regarding this note. Be it known to the readers that everything I had written here are (let’s say) fictional because until this day, I have not yet encountered a real aswang. And, it is against the law to punish someone out of suspicion and assumption. Everyone has the right to due process of law. As far as I am concerned, I think there is no law stated in the Philippine Constitution that includes the aswang 🙂

This note aims to entertain but if the need comes, this might also be helpful 🙂

Thanks for reading and let me know about your reactions and/or suggestions through the comment box and message.

HAPPY ASWANG HUNTING! 🙂