Between 1985 and 1986, five women were kidnapped, raped, and murdered.
Their bodies were discovered in areas between Waipahu and Salt Lake. The island of Oahu was in a panic because it had its first known serial killer. Simultaneously, in a small plantation community called 'Ewa Villages, another problem arose. It began with the disappearance of people's dogs, who were leashed and kept outside overnight. In the morning, their bodies were found to be drained of all their blood. It became such a problem that the Humane Society was called to address the situation. None was found. Yet, stray feral cats were found in very much the same way, with no answer as to why they were in such a condition. It wasn't Esmerelda Infante, Gloria Escencio, Teresa Sampaio, and Celia Parang who claimed to have been assaulted by a giant bat-like creature while waiting for the number 50 Ala Moana bus on Renton Road.The time of the assault was at 4:30 in the morning. The four ladies were housekeepers at the old Westin Waikiki, and they often caught the bus to and from 'Ewa villages together. They never called the authorities, but since they were members of the Visayan club, word got around quickly about what happened. According to the description of the creature, there was no denying the facts. 'Ewa Villages had an Aswang. Other younger Filipinos who were trying to acclimate themselves to modern times had no room in their lives for superstitious beliefs from the old country. That is, until one of them was plucked right out of his mango tree one evening. He was up high in the branches, retrieving two of the lusciously ripened yellow and red fruits for his pregnant wife, who craved them. He would later tell the priest at St. Joseph that the creature was right there, sitting on a branch, looking directly at him, not less than a foot away. He could feel its breath on his face, and for some strange reason, it reeked of Aqua Velva cologne. In a second, its wings opened and pushed down. At the same time, its clawed hands grabbed him around his arms and plucked him right out of the mango tree. It carried him five feet in the air above the mango tree and dropped him on the roof. He went tumbling down the corrugated tin roof until he hit the grass with a dull thud.
It appeared that whether people were in a group or alone, the Aswang would attack when the opportunity presented itself. A few days later, the body of Vicky Gail Purday was found on an embankment at Ke'ehi Lagoon. Her hands were found bound behind her back. She'd been raped and murdered. The reports on the news and in newspapers only made the situation worse in Ewa Villages. The predominantly Filipino community was on high cultural and spiritual alert. People were arming themselves with garlic, vinegar, and stingray barbs with which to defend themselves from the Aswang or perhaps kill it. Everyone knew that the creature had a human form during the day. The problem was trying to determine who it could be. Herman Pungsalang was still recovering from his broken arm after being ceremoniously dropped on the roof of his home by the Aswang.
The old general store on Renton Road was one of the few places outside of Chinatown that sold tiger balm from the small white bottle. Renaldo Kabisay, the owner and cashier, joyously received his customers and loved talking with them about their families and the latest gossip floating around the village. Everyone loved him, and he was always invited to most family get-togethers and celebrations. In fact, Renaldo held mah-jong games at his home mainly for the wives whose husbands were spending too much time in those clubs on Waipahi Depot Road. In a way, Renaldo was the toast of 'Ewa Villages. When the line finally died down, Herman was next up to the counter. Renaldo's face went pale.
"Herman, what happened? That looks sore on your arm, no?"
"I fell off the roof," Herman winced while attempting to hold his arm up to Renaldo.
"One tiger balm," Renaldo rang up Herman's purchase and quickly placed the small bottle in a small paper bag. Handing to Herman, he noticed a wafting aroma coming from Renaldo. It was the smell of Aqua Velva cologne. No one knew that tucked into the space inside his cast, Herman had a stingray barb lashed onto a piece of wood. Herman became flush with superfocused rage. His years of learning Arnis from his grandfather armed him with the skill to unsheath the stingray barb and slash Renaldo's throat in one motion. While reaching for the weapon, the store was suddenly filled with the noise of teenagers going through puberty. They quickly filed in like wild pigs and a shop filled with the finest glassware.
"Seuss, you!" Renaldo scolded the kids. "No running in here before I call you maddah!"
Herman quickly grabbed the paper bag from Renaldo and left the store. Walking at a quick pace down Renton Road, he took a left turn down Auwaha street, and then to his home on Ho'opio street. Walking into the house, he made a beeline for the garage where he assaulted the punching bag over and over again. Who could he tell? Who would believe him? When he finally calmed down and gathered himself, he realized that the Aswang was not there to harm him; it was there for his pregnant wife, Pearla. The Aswang wanted her embryonic juices; Herman who was climbing the mango tree for his wife, got in the Aswang's way.
~
Almost a year later, Regina Sakamoto was found naked from the waist down, wearing a blue tank top and white sweater at Ke'ehi Lagoon. Her hands were bound behind her back. The incidents with the Aswang were not as frequent until then, except on the evening when the pastor at Lanakila saw the giant bat-like creature sitting on the roof of the old plantation manager's mansion. The pastor saw it as a test of his faith. The Aswang saw him as a nuisance and it chased him all the way to the opposite end of Renton road, right up the 'Ewa Train yard. The good pastor would go on to preach about how he survived a night with the devil in close pursuit.
"Satan himself breathed down my back and offered me the greatest temptation, and that was to be like him! To be the devil that takes the lives of pregnant women in the shade of night and to live as a man during the day!" He emoted. "The temptation was so great that I was close to giving in to the devil, but the light of God illuminated that moment, and I was saved!"
What really happened is that the old conductor who lived in the train yard heard the commotion of the pastor begging for his life. It was the conductor's lantern that brightened that moment and chased the Aswang away.
A week later, Herman's wife Pearla gave birth, but Herman did not let his family return to the 'Ewa Villages house. Instead, he sent Pearly back to her family on Kaua'i, promising to join them there soon. He had business to take care of before he joined them to begin their new life together. It was in the middle of the Mah-Jong game at Renaldo's house that the wives were laughing uproariously while playing Mah-Jong that Herman suddenly appeared in the living room. All the women greeted him and encouraged him to take the seat and join the game. Instead, Herman walked up behind Renaldo and slit his throat open with the stingray barb.
"If you are not Aswang like Renaldo, then you must be the ones worshipping him," Herman said evenly before leaving the house. The doors and windows were all locked from the outside. Herman set the house on fire first, then he got in his car and drove to the airport. While living on Kauai, Herman followed the news. Three more women were killed and found dead. It couldn't have been Renaldo because that problem was taken care of. It dawned on Herman that this was a strange kind of synchronicity, where on Oahu, the authorities were dealing with a serial killer.
In contrast, a small community of Filipinos in the 'Ewa district dealt with something that was uniquely of their own culture, and it too was killing them. It was a sobering thought for Herman, who worked during the day as a landscaper at a local hotel. At night, he cleaned out the airplanes sitting on the tarmac. He and his family mainly kept to themselves. His circle of friends was small, but he always made sure he was armed with the stingray barb, a bottle of vinegar, garlic, and a quick wit. Because you never know.
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