For the third time, the controversial but culturally important Aswang Festival was held in Roxas City, Capiz, toward the end of October, in keeping with the spirit of All Souls’ Day, celebrated in the west as Halloween. As in previous years, the annual festival was greeted with disfavor by local church leaders. In a Pastoral Letter, the local parish proposed a boycott of the festival. On the second day of the event, church followers held a vigil and prayed for rain to stop the activities.It drizzled a bit, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the people who flocked to the center of the town to see the colorful parade and watch the body-painting contest. The Viva Hot Babes, who flew all the way from Manila, performed provocative dance numbers in skimpy attires, thrilling the audience.According to the organizer of the festival, the Dugo Capiznon Inc. led by Cheryl Ann R. Lastimoso, the church was against the event because it purportedly “promotes belief in aswang and scares the children.”This is not true. I do not know where members of the clergy in Capiz got that idea because when I asked Lastimoso what the objectives of the Festival were, she said matter-of-factly: “We have three main objectives: first, to reverse the negative image of Capiz as a haven of aswang and remove the stigma attached to the word. We consider aswang simply a myth, with no factual basis. It does not exist except in the imagination of people.“Second, to promote economic growth by helping small businessmen. We do this through trade exhibits during the festival.“Third, to promote Capiz as a good tourist destination by highlighting its famous sea food products, fine beaches and other local scenery.”
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