Boni and the Baby

This is another story of Boni. His neighbor, Joanna, had given birth to a child a few months before. As was the practice in the Philippines, the child's aunt carried the baby outside to catch the early morning sun. Sunbathing was considered a healthy practice for babies in the country long before health buffs promoted the use of Vitamin D.

The baby had just been fed and was quite happy in his aunt's arms. She stood on the side of the street, out of reach of the shadows of the tree fronting their small yard.

Then along came Boni, who was going someplace that morning. Due to his reputation as an aswang, the aunt was loathed to stay long and exchange pleasantries. Especially not today, when there was a healthy baby in her arms.

But before she could turn away and flee to the safety of the house, Boni came up to them, said hello and greeted the child, "What a healthy, fat baby!" That was all he said before he turned away and walked on.

Disconcerted, the aunt brought the baby inside the house. Just then, the child began to cry and wouldn't stop. She tried to check the diapers or for any tightness in the clothing. Since the baby had just had its milk, the aunt thought it was flatulent and began to rub balm on the baby's stomach.

But the child went on crying, his voice getting louder by the minute.

The cries brought the baby's mother and grandmother from the kitchen. They tried to calm the baby down but the crying just wouldn't stop. They passed the baby from one woman to the other but to no avail.

Annoyed and nervous, the aunt grabbed the baby, wrapped a towel around him and went to see Nora, a known healer. If there was some unexplained ailment or some mysterious condition that the doctor couldn’t explain, Nora was the go-to person in their area. In fact, she was the first person people went to before they even saw a doctor. She was a healer and a no-nonsense healer at that.

When she saw the baby, Nora cut a piece of ginger and rubbed it on the baby's forehead, Before the aunt could say anything more, Nora said, "Why that filthy old man! So early in the morning, too! He had to get to you, didn't he?"

Surprised at what the words meant, the aunt asked who Nora was referring to.

"The old man living next to you. He must have seen the baby this morning."

The aunt admitted that he did. Nora nodded, began whispering prayers and soon, the baby simply stopped crying.

Since then, Boni had a few more attempts on the baby but he was always checked. The baby grew up to become a strong, young boy and in the end, it is said, Boni just simply gave up trying.

A disclaimer:
Boni, as you may have probably guessed, is not this person's real name. So are all the names of people mentioned on this website. I would like to reiterate that while his neighbors claimed that Boni was indeed an aswang, this has never been proven. This was a man who worked hard for a living and was just a friendly soul -- never hurt anyone directly -- or at least that's what his neighbors will reluctantly tell you. He could be one of those very eccentric, Nature-loving guys that will probably, in the final scheme of things, inherit the Earth.

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Boni and the Black Bird

In this story, which I heard from a source, the belief that an aswang won't harm its neighbors seems to be put into question.

Boni was a short, handsome man who lived on a street famous for its streetwalkers. His Spanish ancestors lent him his light brown eyes and fair skin which turned pink under the sun. He was always smiling and quite pleasant as a neighbor. If not for his reputation as an aswang, Boni would have been well-liked. In a street known for its prostitutes, drunkards, hippies and brawlers, Boni was a saint. If only he didn't have that pet bird…


The street where Boni lived in a hut he shared with his family had been restless for the past few nights. At dusk, a dark bird would fly around the neighborhood, swoop down on rooftops and scratch at the tin coverings. It made a huge racket on the house of Celia, whose youngest child had a fever and it hovered over the roof of Tinio's hut, whose wife was pregnant.

This went on for several nights. What the neighbors didn't know – and wanted to know – was, what kind of bird was this? It had a dark-colored body, was larger than a pigeon and somehow resembled a rooster. They also needed to know where the bird came from because it seemed to just appear out of nowhere, as soon as the sky became dark. Before daybreak, it would disappear to where it came from – nowhere.

And then came the night when the bird made its last tour. Nothing bad had really happened, except that people came home earlier, to the relief of housewives and the consternation of the streetwalkers. The bird was especially noisy that night, calling out, flapping its wings and scratching at the rooftops.

As annoyance overcame fear, the residents simply began to harass the bird. They beat their ceilings and walls with sticks each time they heard the bird coming near, yelled out insults and threats and began to sharpen their machetes. The bird made a few more attempts to claw at the rooftops but since dawn was nearly breaking, it gave up and flew away.

Where it came to nest, according to eyewitnesses, came as no surprise. Boni's hut had an open area, common to many Filipino nipa huts. The wall where the kitchen sink was located was built halfway, just enough to allow a person to look out unhampered. One eyewitness recounted that the bird, panicked and angered, began to land on the roof near the kitchen area. But then a hand reached out and grabbed one of the bird's legs and very softly, they heard Boni's soothing voice, saying, "That's enough. Enough already. You're home."

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