Superstition or Supernatural
It is so easy for a Westerner to dismiss the idea of ghost and vampires in the Philippines. Then again, you have to wonder a little bit when it seems all the Filipino believe in them. Not only believe in t hem but staunchly believe in and defend their belief. While those from the West tend to dismiss it, they tend to think we just don’t know. Are we so sure they are just silly superstitions. I’m beginning to wonder.
The first time I read about a quack doctors, it was from an expat that took his girlfriend to one that had been sick for a while. It was his first experience with a quack. He didn’t really believe but at the same time, he commented how she got well that same day. He explained the “doctor” said some chants and lit some fires and then she got well.
Last night, I was sitting on the porch again and I was thinking that I’d like to see that creature I saw the other night. The bat with a birds body and a long beak, like that of a humming bird. I wanted a better look.
Then I heard a few squeaks. That’s exactly what I read during the day yesterday. That people often hear a squeak. Jessie called it a chirp or rather, like a chirp.
I quickly changed my line of thought as you’re never suppose to invite them in. I’m thinking, did I call it up? Did it call me up to invite it? I know that sounds crazy but you didn’t see what I saw two nights before.
I had noticed that the trees in the house next to our house needed the trees trimmed that hung down over a walk way. They are blocking my view and disturbing my Filipina watching. LOL
I didn’t say anything to Jessie about it but last night she volunteered that the neighbors wont trim them because “the entity” gets upset. She said the ya ya (nanny) who use to work there told her that.
I asked how they knew the entity gets upset. Jessie told me that the ya ya’s Cebuano was “deep”. Jessie can understand much of the local language but not all of it. I’d like to know how they know, maybe she will be able to find out.
The house we live in had an old woman that lived here for many years. Our landlord grew up here. The old lady was her mother.
The ya ya said she once heard someone taking a shower in the bathroom downstairs. She thought it was Jessie but when she got up, there was no one there. I thought, perhaps she was just dreaming. Perhaps she was.
Jessie told me that that same ya ya also saw a figure down stairs a couple of times. She said the woman looked like Jessie from behind but she never saw the ladies face. The woman was always looking out the door.
This ya ya is a perfectly normal person. No drugs, no drinking just your average Filipina with a couple of kids of her own.
Aswang are usually depicted as female.
I have often felt a presence when I go downstairs. I figured it was just my wild imagination running amok again. I don’t like going down there late at night though. I always turn the lights on. I get a creepy feeling when the lights are off. That’s a bit silly, I think. I doubt the entity cares about lights.
I’ve seen Filipina attribute noises to various things that I thought could happen quite normally. Then I get these creepy feelings. I see what Jessie is sure was a aswang (vampire). And I have to wonder, I can’t help but wonder.
Jessie told the ya ya what I saw and she said we should not go out so late. That here are lots of aswang in this area.
At the very least, its fascinating to me that so many Filipino talk of it as a fact of life. It just is. Ghost and ghouls a real, very real to many Filipino. I don’t know if this is true at all, though, I’ve seen and heard strange things.
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Rusty,
I used to question Filipino beliefs such as this too, until my Filipina wife pointed out
“well, you westerners believe in UFOs, alien abductions, Big Foot, and the Loch Ness monsters so what’s the difference?”
She made her point.
I don’t believe big foot or the loch Ness. But they are not spirits. Big difference. The UFO and alien abductions? I’m open minded. But again, its not dead things.
Hello Rusty! Joe Bogo introduce you to me,I love reading your blogs. But this one makes me smile. Well, Ironically I believe in a thing called (aswang). My grandmother’s family was originally came from aklan tribes they brought up from there. Aklan was a place near from Capiz, and Capiz having their yearly celebration called the aswang festival, since its a known that most aswang were living there. Though I am curious about it and I want to check that place if what it is really there..hehe I heared a lot of such creepy stories from my mother’s sister’s and brother’s even my grandmother proving that its true. Specially the one that they called (amaranhig), my mom told me that its called zombie in English she said if I will go visit there and if theres a chance that I could visit a funeral watch out if a dead person has a red clothe tied somewhere on his/her body it only means its amaranhig the one that still talking even he’s already inside his cabin. Amaranhig basically jumped out the time he/she will to be in grave. My mom said that its flowing through its generation. And my mom said if I can visit Aklan soon make sure to bring water anywhere I go, it makes them afraid of. Well, theres a lot of prevention my mom told me, but I don’t know if they still exist today
. Even in the province where I grew up before we relocate here in Davao our closest neighbor known as aswang. Well, I think so it was proven many times, but said that aswang never hurt their neighbor according to some old saying better to have an aswang neighbor than a thief 
. So I guess if you think they really exist and bothering just dont let them see that you’re afraid or else they will tease you 
Hi russ , i love this place, it tickles me, I like the way you apreciate our culture and traditions.. Im telling you filipinos believes in superstitious too. What ever our grandmother and grandfather says dont do that.. will have to follow in anyway because its disrespecting them and besides it doesnt hurt to believe and to following the old folks I love them so much. I spent my childhood vacations on my grandparents place, somewhere in the Island of Camotes on the most highest mountain of that Island. Exploring, I used to bring sundang in my waist u know like people that harvest wine from the coconut, but I dont do that I just like to bring one specially when me and my cousins use to explore caves and make a trail of our own hahahaha. I grew up on the city for some reason I really like the provinces. i love the beach, and the outdoors and have fun spend time with relatives. By the way Camotes Island is part of cebu. Ived been there in bogo and most of the provinces in cebu and bantayan Island too. have you been in Olango its in cebu too its a bird sactuary. Its not expensive to visit. I visit this places during semestral breaks when I was in college. I was able to afford it even my income. Have fun!
Been browsing and reading your blog entries for a while, but can’t help on commenting on this one. Filipinos, believes on almost every supernatural and mythical creatures. ^-^
Reminds me back when I was still in the province (before we went here in US.) I used to hang out up there on the roof top in my room during the full moon, texting, then I was enjoying the scene of the rice fields and the tall bamboo trees near the river (far from the house though) and I saw this round kinda like ball of light on the rice fields near the bamboo trees, I thought ,”it was so late for a farmer to walk on the field and do chores, who could that be?” And I continued staring at it. Then suddenly it went larger and larger and gets higher and higher as high as the tallest bamboo tree. Only then I came to my senses, IT’S not a farmer holding a ball of light or something. It was Sain’t Elmo’s Fire! We call it “santilmo” in Tagalog.
It is a belief that if you follow it you will get lost on your way. I got creeps and I run back down from the roof to the living room. >.<
I also had other experiences aside from that. ^-^
P.S.
I would like to read that blog entry you mentioned about an expat who went to a quack doctor with his girlfriend. ^-^