Moonlight Curse: The Hunger

Chapter 9

I needed to limber up. I changed into my work-out clothes, grabbed a pair of yantok about 12 inches long. Yantoks are made from rattan, a type of Southeast Asian vine. It produces hard and durable wood that endures a***e and does not splinter. It is therefore a very good practice tool for Arnis- a form of Filipino martial arts focused on weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, hand-to-hand combat and disarming techniques. 

Other terms for this art are Eskrima and Kali believed to have been passed on by Spanish colonizers.

Though the techniques of these arts were already being practiced by the natives even before the Spaniards, it was the same technique used by Rajah Lapu-Lapu and native warriors to kill Ferdinand Magellan in the epic battle in Mactan, Cebu.

According to the eye witness of the event named Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian chronicler, Magellan was stabbed in the face and the arms were pierced with spears. Multiple other warriors also hacked and stabbed him. What a brutal depiction. I could still remember his written recollection of the event based from the eyewitnesstohistory.com "The Death of Magellan, 1521" as follows:

The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some others. Thus did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther. An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay his hand on the sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off.

When the Spaniards colonized the Philippines, they grew afraid of the skills of the natives in combat using bladed weapons, so they prohibited them from carrying "Kampilans or Itaks". These were full-sized swords carried by warriors and natives alike. So, they were driven underground to practice and still impart their skills to their sons.

My Spanish ancestors were masters of the arts of Arnis, Kali and Eskrima. More recent ancestors developed more modern techniques and added foreign influences. Dan and Aura have a lot of contributions to my family's own version of these arts. And we were also trained in Buno (main weapon is a four feet long rope or whip, also techniques in throwing knives, spear and bow and arrow), Silat/Kuntao (also a weapon based martial arts from the Chinese) and Taekwondo for mortal combat.

But my favorite form of exercise had always been Arnis. This is a violent form of Martial Art. Unlike other forms, Arnis or Kali is not about defensive tactics, it is all about attacking your opponent and targeting its head, hands, and feet with your chosen bladed weapon. Mine was a gift from my father on my 18th birthday. It is pure silver Kampilan Bolo said to come from a Datu (leader of a tribe) in Southern Leyte during pre-Spanish period. It is light weight with a blade length of 21 inches and its handle was made from a young bamboo along with its sheath. What is amazing with this blade is; it can chop the thickest kawayan (bamboo) in one swift slice. And so, it can sever heads in just one hack. And then there are Nana's twin Chinese butterfly swords which she gave me before she got sick. The blades' arched style and rounded handle make them look like boomerangs. Unlike Aura, she favored throwing knives or bow and arrows. Maybe because of my poor eyesight, I was never good at shooting arrows, guns or even knife throwing. It was always amiss for me. For an hour, I worked out to regain the fluidity, agility and confidence of my movements. Like duck to water, I waddled hard.

I started with the basic San Miguel strike which is a forehand strike in an angle hitting the right shoulder down to the left hip of the opponent. Then I transitioned to the Sinawali move which involved a signature double stick weaving movement in continuous motion, just like weaving coconut or palm leaves. I did not stop as I continued to twirl the yantoks into circular downward motion moving into pivoting footwork and triangular stepping. While using the redonda technique with my left hand, my right hand was executing the witik/flick technique which involved flicking the wrist in 180 degrees in a fan-shaped motion in every unexpected angle. I ended the exercise with both hands performing the pilantik motion by whipping both sticks around the wrist over the head in 360 degrees alternating motion as fast as I could muster.

Somehow, I remembered some basic moves and I prayed it was enough to keep me alive during the hunt.

At 8:00 am, I was on the bus, the Victory liner with WIFI on board for a trip to Isabela. Armed with my laptop, cell phone, ancient silver dagger, Nana's precious weapon, my Kampilan bolo and my own hunter's kit: crucifix necklace, rosary, book of prayers, wooden stakes, silver and copper coins, flask with holy water, blessed virgin coconut oil, pure rock salt and tail of a stingray; I braved my way to the world of unknown yet of familiarity.

You might ask how I sneaked all these deadly weapons into public transportation. Well, the security guard just opened my huge backpack that's almost the size of a luggage with his wooden stick, peeped in and told me to get in the bus and find my assigned seat. He did not check its various secret pockets where I hid my weapons.

On the bus, I did my research. I had no appetite to eat or the inclination to sleep. I was fuelled mildly by adrenaline but mostly by fear and anxiety.

My brothers called up their contact in Alicia; he would pick me up at the Hotel which they also called up for my reservation. They worked fast to get me going, it showed their support and also their care for me.

Staring at my laptop's monitor, I couldn't imagine life without the internet or cell phone. How did my ancestors survive their era without Google? I would be lost, slow, agitated and frustrated if I were to relive during those days of old.

No wonder most species became extinct, perhaps due to boredom! Thank God for geniuses like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and other IT brainiacs.

Just like that very moment, I was 8 or 10 hours away from my destination, good thing I had a laptop and the bus was equipped with WIFI! How hi-tech was that?

So, I typed in to Google the map of Alicia which took a few seconds to download. It looks like a paper with torn or folded side tips. The highway we would be trekking to get there split Alicia into two sides. Then, I opened another search tab for more news on the case. Links for news articles then popped up in seconds, kudos to the speed of the bus' internet connection.

One article jumped at me, "Owner of Dead Cows in Alicia Finally Revealed the Truth".

The article read:

Mr. Nazareno Baluyot discovered his dead cows: total number was 7, on his pasture land in Barangay St. Ana, Alicia, Isabela (pop. 533). The night before was rather uneventful. He kept the cows during night time in a pen made from barb wires measuring about 500 square feet, which was adjacent to the grazing land. He checked the locks on the gate of the pen which was securely locked. His 5 watch dogs, all local breeds or what we call "askals" (asongkalye or stray dogs living on the streets) were chained surrounding the perimeters. So, he went to bed at 8:00 pm. Farmers turn in early for the night since they wake up as early as 4:00 am for their morning chores.

He woke up earlier than usual, he recalled. It was about 3:15 am or so. When he told me about this, I was not surprised at the timing at all, for if there are dark hours, 3:00 to 3:33 are the peak hours. He said he was aroused by his dogs howling, growling and whining. What excited me were the dogs howling. For it is superstitious belief that dogs howl when spirits or dark beings are near or are already looming around. It can also mean as omens for bad events or someone dying in the house of their master or in his neighbors' houses.

And so he went out of the house and into the front of the pen's gate to hush the dogs. His approaching footsteps calmed the dogs, for when he got to the fence's first corner, the dogs kept silent but awake and rather alert who were then surveying the grazing fields.

The cows were rather uneasy too he said they circled the pen, stomping their hind legs as if preparing to make a stand against an incoming enemy.

He stared out of the field but could not see beyond 5 meters. His spot lights only covered about 2 to 3 meters from the pen and his front yard. So, he made a mental note of adding lights on those shady areas. But just as he was about to walk back into his house, hairs at the back of his neck began to stand up and suddenly felt the chilly air of dawn. What was out there? He asked his dogs who only whimpered and scratched the ground with their hind legs, a combative move of canine breed.

I stopped reading and asked myself, "How could Sam have missed all these?" then answered my own question. Perhaps these reports came later since they only stayed one night in Alicia. I hoped that was the reason for it, because it would poorly reflect on the whole family if Sam became lax or lazy in his investigation. But it was so unlike my brother, he was so methodical and by the book. Plus, Meg was with him, she was a keen observer too.

I was not appeased by rationalizing the events on my own, so I called up Samuel.

Whispering slightly, although I bought two tickets so I have the whole 2 seats for myself, still I was cautious.

"How could you miss the dogs?"

"What dogs?" he grumpily asked.

"The 5 guard dogs of the cows' owner were howling at 3:15 am. Clearly, it was a supernatural alarm."

"What reports are you reading?" he asked, "When I interviewed the owner, he did not mention the dogs. And I did not see any dog at all on the farm."

"Have you interviewed the neighbors?" I asked.

"What neighbors? The farm was in the middle of nowhere near the foot of a mountain and thick forests, miles away from the next block of houses. It was isolated, surrounded by fields and a creek beyond the grazing field."

"I'm reading a newspaper article by Ronald Magdiwang for the local paper. Where did he get all this info then?" I asked again.

"First thing you do when you get there, find the writer, and then bring him along to interview the owner yourself, but stay close to Roberto."

"Who's Roberto?" I asked.

"He's your tour guide. He can be trusted and knows the town well," he answered.

"Does he know about what we do?"

"Yes, he's a convert. His mother was killed by," he did not continue but took a deep breath and said, "Just ask if he'll want to talk but do not push him to talk about it."

"Okay, I understand," I answered.

"God be with you, kid," he finally ended the conversation.

In my head, I replied, "Amen bro."

I then finished reading the article. I was puzzled. Why did the owner not speak of the dogs? He only spoke after the witness identified the culprits but no arrests were made yet. Was he afraid or protecting someone?

Maybe he thought he was already safe to tell the whole story when the suspects were identified and the police were already looking for them.

Questions I could not wait to be answered. So, I called up Meg.

She answered on the 3rd ring with her usual sombre tone, "Hi, Tits."

"Meg, are your uncles with you?" I asked.

"Nope, they went out," she answered.

"Okay, tell me everything the owner said when you talked to him."

"Well, he said he checked on the cows then went to bed at 8:00 pm. He woke up around 4 a.m. but only saw the dead cows at 5:30 am. Then he went to the Barangay Captain's house to report the incident. He did not see or hear anything unusual during the night."

"Did he seem scared or sounded as if he was lying?"

"He sounded confused and really lamenting his dead cows. He looked as if he had been crying. He was kinda jittery but I thought it was due to shock. I mentioned it to Uncle Sam. I knew he was covering up something. But for Uncle Sam, he looked like a bankrupt businessman. He was reeling over the loss of income," she said.

"Yeah, I get that. Did you see any dogs?"

"I saw two dogs peering from the shed's door," she answered slowly reminiscing the past, then added, "They did not come out, barked or were they chained?"

I was quiet ‘coz I knew Meg would tell me more.

"They did not make a sound while we were there, now that you mention it; that was an unusual behavior for dogs. I saw chains on the posts of the barbed fence though."

"Thanks Meg. Train harder and be safe." And with that, I had more questions lingering in my mind.

I then decided to check out who Ronald Magdiwang was. He wrote mostly about murder in the Northern parts of Luzon, except the Ilocos Region. And I knew why, all kinds of Sup such as monsters, evil creatures, dark elemental spirits and demons have learned to avoid the area since the Spanish era. It was due to the protective spells, talismans, and hidden objects to drive all kinds of dark forces away from the paths leading to the region. That's also the reason why most hunters go to Ilocos for their training, retreats, meditations, vacations, medications and healing, and even reunion gatherings every year. It was collective efforts of my ancestors and other hunting families to set the protective walls around the area. 

Ilocos is a Hunter's Fortress in Luzon, just like Bohol as the Hunter's Paradise in Visayas and Cagayan De Oro as the Hunter's Haven in Mindanao.

One proof of the myth in Ilocos is, the Aswang, a mythical creature in Filipino folklore which was presumed to be inherently a vampire became popular all throughout the Philippines except in Ilocos region where there was no equivalent myth. Every province then from Mindanao to Central Luzon had their own versions of this mythological creature from Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Provinces, Bohol, Masbate, Aklan, Antique and Siquijor. Different names were made up like Tik-tik, Wak-wak, Sok-sok, Bal-bal. Except for the Ilocanos who did not have any single literature written on this creature.

If you study Ilocano literature from the Ilocos Region, it mainly focused on strong heroes and heroines who fought evil men and not evil spirits.

Why? Because they have no experience of the monsters, dark creatures and spirits we called evil sups. But witches and quack doctors swarm the area, as long as they practice white magic, then they are welcome to stay. Also, good elemental beings still dwell in its forests, undergrounds, rivers and mountains. They help the people of Ilocos defend the region from invading forces of evil.

Going back to the writer, he was very graphic in his descriptions of the crimes he wrote. He could very well write ghost stories for the book series called "Philippine's Best Horror and Ghost Stories".

No wonder, he was assigned or maybe he sought out the event of the dead cows.

I scanned the titles of his articles, then one did make me stop to click the link.

The title was, "Dead Lovers Under the Full Moon". My heart skipped to my throat. I know the story... and sadly it was based on a true life story.

Then, realization struck me. Ronald Magdiwang was just a pen name. I knew who wrote the article and these stories. Oh yes, I knew him well, for I almost got him killed once, and I almost killed him...twice.

He is what we, hunters call - "salisali" which means a pestering, always in your way, pesky, menacing, intrusive son of a b***h. In this day and age, we like to call him, "The Paparazzi of Hunters". But I loved my sister's version of him better. She dubbed him as "Intruder alert" because what he did best was to intrude into every plan, stake-outs and even secret rendezvous. It was like he had tracking devices secretly placed on every known hunter in North Luzon. 

He could never manipulate or outsmart my brothers, so he stayed away from them. That was one reason he could only get interviews 2 days after Sam and Meg left town, I suddenly realized. He knew he could not cross Sam, so he stayed away. And so he dogged the female hunters instead. There was even a rumour that he and one of my cousins had a fling during a hunt which resulted into an almost disastrous mission. Thank God Dan came to their rescue to salvage an almost apocalyptic result.

Knowing I had to see him again made me sick all of a sudden. I hated his guts! He was egotistical, reckless, improper, dare-devil, over-confident and plain stupid man. I could go on and on with his so many flaws until I realized, why was I upsetting myself over a toad? So, I exhaled and for 15 minutes, silenced my mind with deep breathing.

Of course, it didn't work. So, I stopped researching for a while and took in the scenery of Pampanga which was mostly vacant lots covered in cogon grasses, huge warehouses and well-paved highway roads. And soon, I succumbed to sleep hugging my closed laptop to my chest.