Erika Mae G.

Baclor

BSMA 1-5

A reaction paper on the Unang Aswang by Rody Vera

In the real world sense, there are no such folklore creatures as aswang ,tiktik, tikbalang and the
likes in the Philippines. In the psychological sense, its just mere manifestation of our fear insinuated
imagination.

As we are told of “Aswang”, it is said to be a monster that gets naughty human beings, It has no
definite figure because it is said to transfigure into different animals to deceive its prey. They are
witches that cause misfortune to the farmers. They are the ghouls and werewolves, the plague of the
Filipino society. Aswang is the incarnation of the evil that the Filipinos see and experience. These are the
anger, the greed, the corruption, the lust, the hate that the Filipinos refuse to acknowledge so instead
they attribute it to this mythical being. I believe that the Filipinos are truly people of faith. With a
country befallen by great poverty, the people have no other option but to hope. To hope for a better
tomorrow, and that is where the Aswang come in. In line with this mentality of hope for a better future
is the idea of good and bad. If the Filipinos do and be good, this will eventually lift them up from their
current state and if they are supposedly good, then there must be something bad. Something bad that
has caused all their pains, and all their worries. Something bad and terrible that has prevented them
from rising from this poverty trap. These are the so called Aswang. The corrupt politicians, brutal police,
unfair businessmen, and such. It helps the Filipinos get through their day to day lives by putting all this
evil into a manifestation that they can blame all their problems on.

The “Unang Aswang” show’s synopsis is as follows: A night when the moon is in full, on a dark
jungle, a new born baby swallowed the liquid of the heart of a banana tree. As the time passed by, the
baby has grown with the help of a dog, cat and a wild pig who stands as her mother. Away from the city,
the girl lives happily until she encountered a man that changed her life. The man introduced to her both
love and pain. The pain that the man inflicted to the protagonist brought out the inner monster in her. It
pushed her to the edge and that’s the reason of why she committed a heinous crime. She devoured
their offspring limb by limb. It is a story of love, failure, abuse and pretentions. To raise questions and
open discourse about morality, truth, and judgement is the challenge.

The most memorable line that inculcated in my mind is the last line the actor articulated which is,
“Ako ang unang aswang ng bayang ito. Ako ang salamin ng kanilang kabulukan. Ako ang salamin na ayaw
nilang harapin! Nagsimula sa isang pagnanasang makamtan ang langit. At ngayon, isang buhay na
malungkot man ay malalim naman ang pag-unawa. Malungkot sapagkat nakikita ko ang dilim na sila rin
ang nagdulot. At maraming magiging tulad ko, nasawi, itinapon sa gubat ng mga lihim. At magiging tulad
nila ako. Ikaw yun, kung nanaisin mo.” It has very powerful implied meaning underlying with it, my own
interpretation is this aims to dig and discover our missing history and to find and heal the wound caused
by the lost sense of identity.

Although ‘Ang Unang Aswang’ is said to has been staged many times by different theater companies
in distinct ways, including Polyrep’s version last 2016 as part of 35th theater season, current PUP SLP
recreated and revitalized the story in another level. Marcus Belisario, the director, highlighted the
reimagination of this ‘Ang Unang Aswang,’ surprised its audiences because of its ‘never seen before’
factor. Over all the play is wholesome and very commendable. A big applause to the production team,
director, actor, and all the other people who has been part of this success. If I were given a chance to
watch it over again , I will grab the opportunity because it is indeed worthy of time.