Dog killed in campaign vs Kidapawan 'aswang'

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – Security guards of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) at Barangay Sudapin here shot and killed on Thursday night one of three dogs that supposedly killed 21 sheep inside the school campus earlier. Edgar Ygoña said he and a companion were patrolling the school premises when they spotted three large dogs attacking the last two sheep. Ygoña said the dogs sensed them and poised for an attack, prompting him and his companion to shoot the predators, instantly killing one. The two other dogs fled, he said. It was the second time that a dog was killed in the area for attacking farm animals. On June 27, one of four dogs believed to be behind the attack on the USM flock was killed by guards. The sheep that were attacked on Thursday were what remained of an original flock of 23. Guards said they started losing their flock in May. When officials of Manongol, a village adjacent to Sudapin, heard that a dog was killed at USM, they took the slain animal to the barangay hall and showed it to residents to dispel rumors of the presence of an "aswang" or vampire. “Mao na kini ang pamatuod nga walay aswang o sigbin dinhi sa Manongol" (This is the proof that no aswang or sigbin exists in Manongol)," Manongol chairwoman Beatriz De Villa said. Rumors about the presence of vampires (locally called "sigbin") in the village gained credence when MSU started losing its flock. On June 29, three goats owned by Cielo Alonzo were also devoured by an attacker in a vacant lot in Manongol. On Tuesday night, a resident claimed that she saw two flying creatures near the house of her mother. They called the creatures “wak-wak" - another term for “aswang." The next day, villagers prepared bamboo spears for protection. De Villa said that the controversy put the name of Barangay Manongol in a bad light. She said people from other places were afraid to go to Manongol and some villagers were afraid to go out of their houses at night. A television crew from as far as Davao City came to make a story on the reported “aswang" attack in Manongol. “When the TV reporters asked me if they can make an interview, I told them, “Hindi nagpapa- interbyu ang aswang, kaya ako na lang," De Villa said in jest. Officials had tried to allay fears of the villagers with the city veterinarian Eugene Gornez sending a press statement to the media on Thursday saying that dogs - not vampires - had killed the farm animals, based on the investigations their office had conducted. “Strictly speaking, it is not solidly formed and it can be said that it’s only based on folklore, thus, there is no such a thing," he said. This was echoed on Friday by Albert Anima, one of the caretakers of the farm lot owned by USM. “We were so sure the animal killers were stray dogs, not vampires. But residents here were saying otherwise," said Anima. But despite their statements, some of the villagers remained unconvinced. “He did not even see the actual killing of the farm animals," a resident of the Manongol, who identified herself as Rose, said. Many villagers in Sudapin and Manongol believe there is such a "beast" around that can transform itself into different shapes such as a woman, man, dog, cat, depending on which one it meets first while coming out for a nightly prowl. When Manongol village chair Beatriz de Villa earlier sought support from her constituents to join her in the 24-hour Ronda patrol, residents armed mostly with bamboo spears immediately responded. “Epektibo gid ang bangkaw para patyon ang aswang (A bamboo spear is very effective in killing the ‘aswang’)," a villager said in Ilonggo dialect.-GMANews.TV