The Scariest Places in the Philippines

Since a lot of Filipinos had outgrown the fear for the mythological beings of the Philippines, what replaced it is fear of ghosts and hauntings. We now have a tendency to believe that supernatural events that happen are caused by ghosts or some spirits. There might be isolated experiences in some places, but there are many who claim hauntings are stronger in some places.

We Pinoys like being scared. Somehow it becomes entertainment, something that we can talk about. Especially on times like these. Times when it is believed that spirits are let loose on earth. When that happens, not everyone would want to be in one of these places.

Ghouls - Corpse Eating Aswang

Death is something that we fear. To many, death is a source of pain and loss but there are some who grow more excited as death nears. They aren't the tyrants or the mass murderers of the country. What I'm talking about are the guys who feast when someone dies. Literally feast when someone dies. They feast on the dead. They are known by a lot of names like segben, buso, kagkag, balbal and others, but they are still popularly known as aswangs, only these feeds on corpses.

They are said to look like ordinary men and women when they are not invisible, although their nails are curved and they smell rotten bad. When a person is about to pass away, they are said to be near. These type of aswang senses the sweet smell of ripe langka from the dying. The nearer to death, the stronger the sweeter and stronger the smell.

Tikbalang - The Pinoy Man-Horse

To many Pinoys, the mere looks of a tikbalang is very terrifying. Imagine meeting a tall, well-built man with the head of a horse and horrible teeth. Maybe the teeth went bad because of smoking all those cigars. Even I find it really creepy and the thought of encountering one is frightening. It is said that the creature's legs are extremely long when it sits, the knees levels with the head. Inspite of its scary description, the tikbalang is never violent. Meeting one spells out only two things, the creature's submission to you or the creature making you lost.

Beware when you are traveling, never get separated from a group. Even as a group, the tikbalang may still make you lose your way. The way they do it, they exhaust and confuse the traveler. It has also been told that the creature sometimes kidnaps children and keep them deep in the forest. For what purpose, I cannot say. One thing for sure, they won't be eating those kids.

Aswang - Pinoy Supernatural Creatures

At twilight, as the sun goes down, when the leaves of the makahiya and ipil-ipil starts to fold, the fear of the creatures of the night increases. The first time I heard about aswangs were the ones told by our kasambahay when I was a kid. They would tell of stories that they too heard from the old folks of their rural provinces. For a very long time, these creatures had lived vividly in our imagination and from time to time we hear of people testifying close contact.

With the non-stop life here in the metropolitan cities, belief in the aswang don't seem appropriate. There has been less and less dark places and fewer trees. More and more buildings continue to rise from the ground as living spaces become concentrated. People know each other and if someone goes missing, someone would notice. If something strange happens, news travel really fast. A very different jungle for descriptively primitive and carnal beings. But the question is, are they really primitive?

Dun sa Divisoria

Its always a busy day at Manila. The hustle and bustle of the city, the struggle and haggle with life, the sweat and soot all around. Glory may have faded, but old habits persist. There are still lives to live, wares to sell, polluted air to breathe and places to go. Such a place exists in the Philippines. Such still is very much part of the Filipino Culture.

Such a place is Divisoria.

Divisoria is a destination for the thrifty Juan with a meager income. Since almost everyone I know says their income is meager, everyone I know wants to go there. It is the center of wholesale, retail and the best sales. But to be there, one must let go of convenience and be one of the crowd. One must be part of the massive circle where everyone walks at Divisoria. Being one of the crowd, one is left without a choice but to blend in. Stand out too much, you get mugged or your wallet and cellphone stolen. One way or another, your money will still be taken from you. Its either the stores or the bad guys will.

Top 5 Pampainit ng Pinoy

Photo from iprovoked

Seriously, if your looking for something for adults, you should be looking somewhere else. Wholesome tayo dito pre. What I meant on pampainit is pampainit ng tyan. :)

We are in a tropical country. If its not sweltering hot and sunny, its wet and rainy. During these months of rain you'd be too lazy to do anything at all. Even I would just want to slack around and doze the whole day off given the chance (which happens most of the time on weekends). We Filipinos fortunately found pampainit tactics that takes away the gloom of rainy days. I give you the Top 5, starting with...LUGAW.

Extra Rice Please!

Every Filipino is a rice person. Not nice ha, but rice. Then again, sige na nga, you could say nice...generally. :) For a lot of countries in Asia, it has become the foundation of our cultures and the foundation of our very lives. Thousands of years ago our ancestors were eating rice already, and up to now, these grains has been the source of our sustenance.

Admit it, you won't feel fully satisfied if you ate your lunch or dinner without kanin. Somehow you get that feeling parang busog na hindi. Nothing beats ulam and rice. I pity those who try to adapt the American and European culture by not eating rice for whatever reason. They're giving up something that is a part of being a Filipino.

Another Perspective of People Power and EDSA Revolution

We are proud of what we have done years ago. We are proud that we Filipinos had shown the world we can unite and cause change. Are all Filipinos involved in the EDSA Revolution or only a mere handful of those in Metro Manila? Maybe nakiki-isa in spirit yung mga taga Visayas at Mindanao. Who knows.

Nothing against the "heroes" of the nation who rallied in EDSA to "risk their lives" for Democracy. It was indeed a display of People Power. Could be someone you know was there. Maybe you can ask how things has changed.

Larong Pinoy, Luksong Tinik

We are children of the sun. Not the literal anak araw or albinos. Living in a tropical country, the Philippines is blessed with a lot of sunlight. And the Filipino culture brings us outside of our houses most of the time. If you stay indoors, its either you are too old or too sick. We work, we socialize, we play outside. To be out is to be alive.

When we were young we play outside our houses. There's a time to behave, there's a time to be wild. When there's sun, open space, and a few kids...the fun begins! And larong pinoy is more often than not done outside. A favorite, is luksong tinik.