Maguindanao villagers up in arms against ‘aswang’; docs say fear rabies instead

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao  – Villagers in Poblacion were up in arms on Thursday against a huge dog they believe to be a mythical "aswang" that allegedly attacked a couple.  

 

Muslima Guiamad of Barangay Poblacion 8 in this town was walking to the public market with her husband Abdullah before dawn last week when a huge dog attacked her from behind.  

 

She recalled the dog bit her in her nape and upper arms. 

 

“The extra big dog had wide red eyes, sharp teeth and it was very strong,” Muslima said.

 

Abdullah came to her rescue and hit the creature with his machete but it just turned on him and attacked him instead.

 

"I hit the dog several times but my machete just bounced back as if I was hacking a stone," Abdullah recalled. "I was convinced it was not an ordinary dog but an aswang."

 

A police blotter report showed the Guiamad couple were victims of dog bites.  

 

In Barangay Tapodoc, Aleosan, North Cotabato, a similar "aswang" phenomenon was also reported.  

 

Villagers have armed themselves with sharp bamboo poles, machetes, knives and even firearms. They have been staying awake at night waiting for the "aswang," which they said can transform into a cat.

 

Locals have put garlic by their windows to keep the creature away and children have been prohibited from going out at night.

 

Doctors: Fear rabies instead

 

Doctors who have checked the bite marks allegedly inflicted by the so-called "aswang" have said the victims got them from wild animals.

 

In a report from GMA's “24 Oras” on Thursday, the doctors instead warned the victims against rabies, a lethal viral disease that people can get through the saliva of wild animals.

 

The doctors advised the victims to immediately get an anti-rabies shot at the nearest medical facility. — With Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News