MANANANGGAL. Literally means “one that removes”. This creature is usually an attractive woman by day. At night, especially when there is a full moon, her upper body detaches from her lower body; it utters a special demonic prayer and applies some kind of oil on all of its body parts before the ‘detachment’. Bat-like wings sprout out from its back, and it uses its long tongue to feed on human blood and flesh (usually that of unborn babies). Before the sun rises, it goes back to where it left its lower body and attaches itself again, ready to blend in with the human crowd for another day.
KAPRE. This mythical creature is often considered as a tree demon with human-like characteristics. Often described as giant-like and hairy, wearing loincloths (or bahag) and smoking tobaccos, Kapres are not particularly evil. They just love playing pranks on people, and would sometimes look for friendship with mortals.
TIKBALANG. Usually depicted as a very tall creature with a head of a horse, tikbalangs are famous for leading travelers astray by scaring them. They play tricks on humans, making them return to the place where they are trying to get away from. There are some superstitions stating that tikbalangs are guardians of the forests.
TIYANAK. Tianaks are evil creatures taking the form of babies in order to lure unwary travelers to their trap. They frequent forests and woods, and they imitate the cry of an infant to catch the attention of passersby. When picked up, the tianak would revert to its true form and attack the victim. They also play pranks on people. Some sources say that tiyanaks are the souls of unborn children who were killed in an abortion, or of those who died with their mothers during childbirth.
DUWENDE. They are goblins or dwarfs who can either provide good fortune or bad fate to humans. They are often thought as mischievous little beings who love to play tricks on humans. Usually, people mutter “tabi-tabi po” to excuse themselves whenever passing by supposed homes of duwendes (usually small mounds of earth or trees) so as not to disturb them.
SIRENA. Philippine version of mermaids. They love hypnotizing people, usually fishermen, by their sheer beauty and enchanting singing voices. Some say that they pull humans to the water and offer them to ocean deities; some accounts said they just love to distract humans while working (though sometimes it still lead to death, i.e. shipwrecks)
"I submitted [this] for the We Are Not Aimless Exhibit. I made fake posters for my fake movies. Hence the series: Movies in My Head. LEAP is about the journey of 5 engkantos to the moon in search of a less chaotic life. I made a 3d model of this for the exhibit as well, a fake toy line for a fake movie. I also made a fake OBB of LEAP that’s coming out soon."-- Dan Matutina
Trese – dark mysteries on the streets of Manilla a review by Richard Bruton
Trese is a supernatural series starring a female investigator who steps in to protect the streets of Manilla when the police can’t deal with the supernatural weirdness that appears. Produced by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, this Filipino book does so much right it’s practically scandalous we haven’t heard more about it here in the UK.
...Trese is definitely from the same mold as Hellblazer, just as it’s writer Budjette Tan is channelling equal parts Jamie Delano and Warren Ellis and artist Kajo Baldisimo does some impressive black and white work somewhere on a scale of Frank Miller and Eduardo Risso. But there’s a lot of other influences in there as well – is it just my prejudices or can I see Alan Davis as well?
But the most important thing is that it’s a very impressive take on the whole mysterious magical investigator. Its’ a very original take on an old genre idea. A hugely entertaining series of 13 stories across the 3 volumes.
We had a grand plan for 2010. We planned to release Trese Book 4 and 5. Along the way, we distracted ourselves with other things and thought we were supermen and could juggle all these worlds simultaneously and still deliver the books on time. We were not as super as we thought.
Then I wrote that Trese Valentine’s Day story “I Carry Your Heart” where we revealed the secret of the bangungot.
We also worked on the script and storyboard for a Trese short film (which is now officially on hold and not so sure how soon this will get the green light again).
And then I collaborated with Brandie for his RE:VISION exhibit piece,which was a six-panel Trese story that you switch around and revise and it will still tell you a story.
Towards the end of the year, Erwin Romulo and the crazy crew of UNO lured us into, what he promised to be, “a whole lot of fun”. Well, he did deliver on the “fun” part and we cooked up THE FEAST (It's an 8-page, full color, all original story from me, Kajo, and Alex Arellano.) Read it in the least issue of UNO. You can't miss it. It's the one with Iza Calzado on the cover.
So, we didn’t exactly slack off and that’s why we missed our deadlines. We just kept ourselves busy. Too busy.
This charm was used throughout the Middle Ages. 'One only had to write it down in the triangular pattern shown below and wear it round one's neck as a sort of phylactery or charm to be protected from various diseases and to be cured of fever':
ABRACADABRA
ABRACADABR
ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
ABRACAD
ABRACA
ABRAC
ABRA
ABR
AB
A
The word derives from the Hebrew abreg ad habra meaning to 'strike dead with thy lightning.' In Hebrew it comprises nine letters. 'Placing aleph on the left side of the triangle - and its ninefold repetition - is the magical element.' By arranging the letters in a reverse triangle, the celestial energies which the charm claims to entrap are directed downwards. According, the figure should be seen three-dimensionally as a funnel. Like amulets, talismans and pentacles, this charm seeks to give the individual a sense of protection through communication with the higher powers and with the mysterious laws which govern the universe.
Here's the last set of pictures from Ian Balba's thesis about creatures from Philippine mythology. All of these sculptures and pictures were made by Ian. (And how I wish this wasn't the last set!)
As 2010 comes to a close, SPOT.ph asked Andrea Pasion-Flores, executive director of the National Book Development Board and herself an author and fictionist, to pick the most noteworthy Pinoy reads released this year that were penned by some of the most creative and controversial storytellers of our time. Check out the page-turners that deserve a place on your bookshelf--or under the Christmas tree.
CSI meets kapres, duwendes, tikbalangs and other mythical creatures of the Philippine underworld in Trese. Tan and Baldismo have created a series just as suspenseful and entertaining with strange murder suspects and a girl-sleuth named Alexandra Trese and her aswang sidekicks. Set in contemporary Metro Manila, the crimes are horrendous, with no violence, blood, or gore spared, and depicted in black-and-white illustration that show unearthly crime in all its gruesome glory. Would you believe this graphic lit series won a National Book Award? It’s that good.
For fans of komiks, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo need no introduction, and neither does “Trese”, their komiks collaboration, now published by Visprint, which is one of the most popular and most successful komik series’ in recent memory. While komiks still remains, at this point, a niche market, “Trese” continues to make inroads into mainstream consciousness, its most recent success being recognition in the National Book Awards in the category of Graphic Literature. In their first post-award interview Kajo and Budjette talk about the success of “Trese”, the importance of their fans, transmedia storytelling, and the future of Philippine komiks:
The second one is an interview by Oliver Pulumbarit, where he talks to me, Gerry Alanguilan, and Carlo Vergara about the potential and future of the Philippine comic book industry.
The local comic book industry has evolved dramatically in the last couple of years. The weekly newsprint “komiks” are gone, but the number of independent comic book creators who bring their vision to their own publications continues to grow.
Filipino-made comics are alive, kicking, and here to stay, according to three of indie movement Alamat’s most successful creators, Gerry Alanguilan (writer-artist of the acclaimed “Elmer”), Budjette Tan (author of 2009 National Book Award-winning “Trese”), and Carlo Vergara (creator of the multimedia sensation “Zsazsa Zaturnnah”).
And we're back! With more of Ian Balba's sculptures depicting creatures from Philippine mythology, some of which I've never heard of. Would be great if these were all compiled in a book with accompanying stories about each beast and being.
