It is said that even the wild people who once roamed the remote mountains spoke of Catalina with love. Around the coastal towns and villages of the island, when the wind whips the waters of the Tañon Strait into a frenzy and storms rampage in from the sea, the old men and women would gather their grandchildren around the glow of burning coconut lamp. As the wind howled and shook the walls and the roof they would tell the story of Catalina of Dumaguete. 

They would tell how many, many years ago, there was an old man named Banog who made his living by making daily rounds of the town selling the sweet water from the coconut tree. This was before the custom of making it into strong liquor became widespread. Although Banog was poor, he was very much respected and considered a good man despite his poverty. Banog had a daughter named Catalina, and everyone did all they could to support them because the Gentle People always supported one another the best they could. 

At the age of sixteen, Catalina was a very pretty and hardworking girl. She always wore a long white dress, which she kept spotlessly clean and in good repair. Everyone agreed she was very good of character, with a lovely nature, and everyone liked her. But in some ways she was a very strange girl. She very rarely spoke, and was often found standing staring out over the sea while shading her eyes with one hand. At other times she would suddenly stand tall while clasping her hands together and gaze into the sky, as though she could see something that no one else could. Because of these strange characteristics, the people believed she had some mysterious power of sight. 

There came a day when a fleet of ships carrying fierce pirate warriors appeared off the coast of Dumaguete.They came ashore and attacked the islanders, killing the men and enslaving the women. They even killed poor, harmless, Banog. They robbed and pillaged, and rounded up all the women and placed them on to a ship to be sold as slaves. One of the prisoners was Catalina, and she sat silently in the bow of the ship staring fixedly at the sky. Although her companions talked to her trying to comfort her, she gave them no reply. Then a very wonderful thing happened. Suddenly, Catalina stood upright and leaped from the bow into the water. But instead of sinking, she landed lightly on the sea’s surface and walked over the waves back to her island home. Her captors were astounded, but made no attempt to stop or interfere with her because they feared her, so she reached shore safely.

There were still many survivors on the island who had escaped and hid in the forests, and when they saw Catalina return they all came out to meet her. Although they greeted her warmly, she said nothing and gazed beyond them at the great Thunder Mountain of Dalugdug. Then, she walked straight towards it with her eyes still fixed upon it. She walked through the burnt town of Dumaguete, ignoring the horrors that lay all around her, and strode steadfastly onwards.

Some scholars study urban legends in order to learn about modern cultural ideas on crime, women, children, food (especially fast food), and medicine.  And one of the Legend in Eastern Visayas is about the Kapre. Kapre is accidents are like lightning they do not strike twice in the same place we see them in top of the tree. That is the common belief, so when accidents repeatedly occur in a certain place, there is bound to be attached to it some kind of fantasy. They called supernatural because of there personality.

Old persons recall that when boredom or the lack of any other activities made them restless, the boys would climb up the tamarind tree with a bottle of gin and some smoke to pass the time in conversation and have fun at the expense of an unwary barrio bumpkin, who overstayed in town and now had to go home at night. 

And other Story the road was yet a trail years ago, it was overgrown with wild bamboo groves. Late travelers at night told weird stories of having been blocked on the trail by a huge coffin with a skull on it, at other times by a big shapeless animal, and still at other times by a black shape of a man as tall as a tree, they had seen these obstructions at one time or another when they passed the road in the dead of night. Some early churchgoers from the barrio said that they were once chased by an enormous cat when they passed the road one early dawn.

An official of the town and an old inhabitant were called to explain the accidents. They related that there were three old agtas’ who lived in an underground cave near the road. They said that they had seen them. The oldest of them had only two teeth in front.

These agtas sometimes go to the culverts to enjoy the cool water there. Then they sit on the road to dry themselves in the mellow sunshine. When a car comes and the driver blows his horn, the agtas get out of the way; but if the driver does not blow his horn, and an agta happens to be in the road, the invisible monster simply goes on unconcernedly with his sunbath. When the car reaches him, he simply elbows it, and down the embankment, the car topples.

This explanation has been repeated so many times that it is known to all drivers. That is why they always blow the horn when they pass the road daily. It has been found out that all cars that blow their horns when they pass that road never meet with any mishap. All the cars that did not blow their horns met accidents. Since that time, a road sign was placed at each end of the road which says: “Agta! Blow your horn.” But the district engineer who did not believe in fairy tales, put away the sign.

An aswang, according to Philippine folklore is a creature of the night that has a taste for human flesh and blood, Aswang is a legendary monster that eats human organs/ flesh and has shape-shifting capability to transform into any animal. has other supernatural abilities such as witchcraft. The origin of the word aswang is still being disputed up to this day. The arrival of Catholicism turned the aswang into a demon and made it vulnerable to crosses, holy water, and other objects and symbols of Catholic faith. Belief in the aswang is widespread in the Philippines and dates back before the Spanish conquered the archipelago. Unlike vampires, Aswangs are considered daywalkers, because they are not harmed by sunlight. Spanish missionaries and authorities mentioned the persistence of such belief in their memoirs and letters.

In Western Visayas, Aswangs are similar to humans. They experience a wide range of emotions, from anger to sadness to humiliation to happiness. They can form friendships and will never cause harm to their friends and neighbors. The belief in the aswang persists despite the advances in science and modernization. Even in its cities, some folks still continue to fear this creature of the night. Once in a while you will hear or see in the local news of an alleged aswang attack or sighting.
There is the story of the infamous Teniente Gimo of Dueñas. The most popular version, from which an episode of the 1990 Philippine horror classic film Shake Rattle & Roll 2 was loosely based, tells of a female student who got invited to a village feast by her friend, Teniente Gimo’s daughter. As the story goes, the night before the feast the student overheard that the family intended to butcher and eat her. Fearing for her life, she switched bracelets with the Teniente’s daughter who was fast asleep and disguised herself. This way she was able to flee the village. In the end, the Teniente killed his own daughter, mistaking her for the intended victim. The student reported to the authorities who arrested the Teniente and his family. The culprits were paraded around the town and were tagged as aswangs.
Aswangs can also transform the appearance of objects. They will replace their live victims or stolen cadavers with replicas made from tree trunks or other types of plants. This doppelgänger will then return home extremely sick and die naturally to avoid suspicion. Another alleged aswang, whose story became an urban legend, is Maria Labo from Iloilo (although there are those who contend the story originated and they said this the places where the aswang came from Capiz, in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, or in Sorsogon). As the story goes, Maria worked as a caregiver in Canada. There, it is assumed, she was turned into an aswang after inheriting it from her employer. When she returned to the Philippines tragedy befell her family. Maria butchered, cooked and ate her two children, and later fed them to her clueless husband. When the husband found out later, he hacked Maria with a machete, leaving a gaping wound in her face, hence the name Maria Labo. Labo in local dialect means “to hack”. But Maria survived and escaped and up to now continues to terrorize those who believe in the aswang. Her story was produced into a full feature film directed by veteran actor Roi Vinzon and was shown in theaters last November 2015.
In the province of Capiz, numerous tales on aswangs have proliferated for as long as anyone could remember. It is said that aswang communities actually exist in some parts of the province. Capiz became synonymous with the aswang. The province was even tagged as the “aswang capital of the Philippines”.
It is still questionable, however, if such creatures did and still thrive in Capiz. The ancient folk of Aklan, on the other hand, classified the aswang into four types: The flying Aswang Lupad, the flightless Aswang Malakat, The Aswang Gabunan who eats humans only once a year, and the self-segmenting Aswang Hubot. Is the aswang real or just a remnant of an ignorant past? Only the truth knows.
Below are a few identified aswang variants based on stories and accounts all over Western Visayas. Aswangs can also transform the appearance of objects. They will replace their live victims or stolen cadavers with replicas made from tree trunks or other types of plants. This doppelgänger will then return home extremely sick and die naturally to avoid suspicion. In Western Visayas, Aswangs are similar to humans. They experience a wide range of emotions, from anger to sadness to humiliation to happiness. They can form friendships and will never cause harm to their friends and neighbors. The belief in the aswang persists despite the advances in science and modernization. Even in its cities, some folks still continue to fear this creature of the night. Once in a while you will hear or see in the local news of an alleged aswang attack or sighting. .
There is the story of the infamous Teniente Gimo of Dueñas. The most popular version, from which an episode of the 1990 Philippine horror classic film Shake Rattle & Roll 2 was loosely based, tells of a female student who got invited to a village feast by her friend, Teniente Gimo’s daughter. As the story goes, the night before the feast the student overheard that the family intended to butcher and eat her. Fearing for her life, she switched bracelets with the Teniente’s daughter who was fast asleep and disguised herself. This way she was able to flee the village. In the end, the Teniente killed his own daughter, mistaking her for the intended victim. The student reported to the authorities who arrested the Teniente and his family. The culprits were paraded around the town and were tagged as aswangs.
Another alleged aswang, whose story became an urban legend, is Maria Labo from Iloilo (although there are those who contend the story originated in Capiz, in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, or in Sorsogon). As the story goes, Maria worked as a caregiver in Canada. There, it is assumed, she was turned into an aswang after inheriting it from her employer. When she returned to the Philippines tragedy befell her family. Maria butchered, cooked and ate her two children, and later fed them to her clueless husband. When the husband found out later, he hacked Maria with a machete, leaving a gaping wound in her face, hence the name Maria Labo. Labo in local dialect means “to hack”. But Maria survived and escaped and up to now continues to terrorize those who believe in the aswang. Her story was produced into a full feature film directed by veteran actor Roi Vinzon and was shown in theaters last November 2015.
In the province of Capiz, numerous tales on aswangs have proliferated for as long as anyone could remember. It is said that aswang communities actually exist in some parts of the province. Capiz became synonymous with the aswang. The province was even tagged as the “aswang capital of the Philippines”.
It is still questionable, however, if such creatures did and still thrive in Capiz. The ancient folk of Aklan, on the other hand, classified the aswang into four types: The flying Aswang Lupad, the flightless Aswang Malakat, The Aswang Gabunan who eats humans only once a year, and the self-segmenting Aswang Hubot. Is the aswang real or just a remnant of an ignorant past? Only the truth knows.