ILOILO CITY – The mythical “aswang” (shape-shifting evil creature) float depicted by the Roxas City government in the 2025 Capiztahan Festival parade has sparked an online debate.
People slammed the city government for highlighting the aswang and reinforcing the image of the city and province as the “Aswang Capital of the Philippines” instead of being the “Seafood Capital.”
A FLOAT depicting the mythical ‘aswang’ in Roxas City during the historical and cultural parade of the 2025 Capitztahan Festival. (Roxas City Information Division)
The float was the official entry of Roxas City government at the April 5 Maragtas cultural and historical parade of the Capiztahan, the festival celebrating the 124th founding anniversary of Capiz.
“The Maragtas Historical Parade and Cultural Show did not glorify the aswang as Capiznons are known for their strong devotion to the Virgin Mary,” said Erwin Bonifacio, a historical consultant of the Capiz provincial government for the Capiztahan.
Roxas City Tourism Officer Bryan Mari Argos explained the metaphorical concept of the aswang in the pre-colonial and Spanish periods.
“Roxas City utilized the folklore of aswang and agurang as a metaphor for dungan (spirit), where aswang and its minions represents bad dungan and agurang and its charges represents good dungan,” Argos said.
“The dungan – being a timeless and spaceless force – plays a role and culminates in how early Capiznos were able to conquer the exploitation of the Moros as they enter a blood compact with the Spanish conquistadores who assisted them in protecting the early Capiznons from the Moros,” added Argos.
Bonifacio said that the Roxas city government was not the only local government unit that depicted the aswang.
The towns of Jamindan and Dumalag also featured a performance depicting the aswang as part of the storyline of the Epic of Panay, the oral literature of the Panay Bukidnon indigenous peoples.
Bonifacio noted how the Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion, a school under the Archdiocese of Capiz, also presented a folk tale featuring two aswangs. “Please understand and appreciate the context of their presentation,” urged Bonifacio.
This was not the first time Capiz had controversy over the presentation of the aswang.
In 2004, Dugo Capiznon Inc. organized the Aswang Festival in an attempt to remove the negative stigma of Capiz and draw more visitors. However, the Aswang Festival only lasted until 2006.