Aswangs, or at least tales about them, are a part of Filipino culture. These mythical creatures are humanoid in appearance with vampiric traits (i.e. undead, sucks blood, etc.) and are usually prevalent in rural areas (surprise, surprise).
Whilst stories of aswang exist virtually everywhere, some places (such as Siquijor) are rich with anecdotes regarding aswang-related incidents. One of these locations is Dueñas in the central portion of Iloilo province. Dueñas is the hometown of the infamous/famous Tiniente Gimo aswang story (read about it here). And that is where this story takes place (disclaimer, this is not an aswang story, sorry to disappoint lol).
After Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit northern Visayas on November 8, 2013, many families had to live in evacuation areas such as schools and other government facilities. Since they were displaced, these families needed food, water, clothes, etc. as they were unable to provide themselves with these necessities at the time.
Some members of my family and I decided to go on a road trip to the North to drop off some donations there. I forgot exactly the number of individuals that came, but we rode in two vehicles — a Honda CRV and a Chevrolet Orlando, two big ass vehicles but the Orlando could fit more people than the CRV — this is an important detail lol.
Anyway, we arrived in Estancia, the northernmost town in Iloilo and dropped the donations at a university that doubled as an evacuation site. We also surveyed the destruction the Typhoon caused — remember the USA had to send a couple of its nuclear-powered Aircraft Carriers to aid in the rescue/rehabilitation efforts.
We then decided to head on north to Roxas City to gas up because it was another four-hour drive back home. Roxas was pretty banged up, too, so we had a hard time finding a gas station that had gas. Fortunately, we found one juuuuuust as the CRV was about to run out fuel.
We pressed on Roxas, headed to a town in Aklan whose name I forgot then went back south to Iloilo via Passi City (we previously used the Coastal Road heading north). Just as we had entered Dueñas, we noticed smoke was coming out of the Orlando’s hood so we stopped. Apprently, the engine overheated.
This happened around sunset in a neighborhood that was full of tall, imposing trees and a few houses — your typical aswang movie setting. Because of course. Fortunately, fate wasn’t too cruel as the house where we’d stop in front of had a talyer — a mechanic’s shop! The mechanic checked the Orlando and concluded we had to leave it there overnight. Again, aswang-movie aesthetics right there.
It was already getting dark, so there was no time to argue. We simply decided to just trust this random stranger (who may or may not have been an aswang… jk… or am I?). We left the car and crammed ourselved inside the CRV. The Honda CRV is a big-ish SUV but not enough to fit like 10 people (or more). We drove back home and by the time we got off the car, I couldn’t feel my legs. (My uncle returned to Dueñas the following morning to retrieve the Orlando… he did not return as the aswangs got him… again, JK… or am I?)
I personally don’t believe in aswangs, but it was a creepy experience to say the least because the place, the vibe, the whole scenario was something straight out of a 1970/1980’s Pinoy aswang movie. It makes for a great story, though, and that’s what were all about. #Content
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