The story and photos of an aswang allegedly caught in Lucena City are spreading online. Netizen Mae Marcelo posted nine photos of a woman with a caption implying that the woman was brought to an outpost of barangay Mayao Crossing in Lucena City in the province of Quezon because she was suspected to be an aswang. Marcelo added that the woman was brought to the outpost by people from Bestland Subdivision in the same barangay who claim to have seen her transform from a huge black bird.
Here's Marcelo's caption of the photos: "Eto po yung nahuling aswang sa Mayao Crossing na dinala sa outpost. Mga taga-Bestland ang nakakita na ito'y nagpalit anyo galing sa pagiging malaking ibon. Pinakawalan ito ng Kapitan ng Crossing sapagkat nag-banta ito. Nahuli din ang isa nitong kasamang lalake sa Marketview ngunit nakatakas ito. Kaya mag-ingat po kayo dahil hindi ito isang biro."
In the photos, the woman who is yet to be identified, is seen sitting and being interviewed by who looks like a barangay official. According to Marcelo, she was released by the barangay officials after she allegedly threatened them that she'll harm their families if they don't let her go.
There's zero evidence proving that aswangs exist. Aswangs belong on a shelf of mythical creatures that include tianaks, tikbalangs, and duwendes. As far as the evidence is concerned, they are not real. They are creations of the imagination. With that said, this aswang story coming out of Lucena City is shady at best. There are several possibilities here:
1) Mae Marcelo may be lying and this whole thing is a sick hoax. The woman may exist, she may have been truly brought to the barangay outpost, and she may have been released by the authorities. However, the circumstances leading to such a predicament might have been something entirely different from being an "aswang suspect". She could've been a homeless person. Or one with mental problems. Or she could be going through some other issues.
2) Mae Marcelo and the barangay officials who released her truly believe that she is an aswang. In this case, there's nothing we can say but suggest that these same people read more science books.
3) The woman may have mental problems and she may have directly admitted that she is an aswang. The people (including Mae Marcelo and the barangay officials) then bought her story.
These are all just speculations, of course, but at these times, it's best to be skeptical and not believe everything that you read online no matter how popular it becomes. The woman in the photos may be in need of help. If she is not a local resident of Lucena City, it's unlikely that she has relatives in the area to help her out. In this case, the Department of Social Welfare and Development should be brought in to do their jobs.
3) The woman may have mental problems and she may have directly admitted that she is an aswang. The people (including Mae Marcelo and the barangay officials) then bought her story.
The woman tagged as an aswang being questioned at a barangay outpost. Photo by Mae Marcelo via Facebook. |