a FEEDBACK FROM SAMMY

Manong Vic, I am one of your many avid readers of your journal and e-mails (esp. with Arsenio and Sir Johnny P.) After reading your "scary story" i can't help but reminisce my childhood and teen-ager days. As we all know, the White house is located in Macalong. During the days the sight is very nice with the Bangar tree as backdrop. The tree blooms nice flowers before they become a hanging ball like fruits. We used to play with these balls but never tasted the nuts inside it. I should have. But during the night as we pass by after going to the town plaza before and during the town fiesta is another story. We had to close our eyes as we traversed the dark street in front of the white house. We remember those stories about the pig with fiery and burning eyes. (Kayo pala ang pinagmulan nito), white ladies and "kapre" hanging on those big branches of the bangar tree. Those were the days (circa 60's and 70's) when the once tall tree hovers and dominates above other trees and plants. Sad to say, these trees were extinct due to natural calamity such as typhoons and poor conservation. They were never replanted or replaced. What a loss for the next generations. People are not just aware of the benefits these trees provides. But what can we say? So long and goodbye to the BANGAR tree.

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Thanks for your feedback, Sammy..The pig story was contributed by Angelito Domaoan, an Asinganian now residing in New Jersey. But I did hear a lot of stories about that pig, mostly from my classmates from Macalong who were quite good story tellers themselves. Another version is that the pig starts as a piglet, then it changes into a boar ( still following you ) then it becomes a horse, still following you. Have you ever heard the story of the rolling mat or a live coal that keeps hopping about? Some say if you can catch that coal you will posses a "talisman" or "anting-anting".This time it is you who will run after the thing instead of the other way round. Or how about the story about a tricycle driver who picked up a lady in Poblacion at night. The lady asked him to bring her to Macalong. As the motorcab reached the cemetery the lady asked the driver to stop. Then out came the passenger, this time with blood soaked bandages on her face..Story said it really scared the s...t out of the driver ( who wouldn't?) and he became a raving lunatic! Then there is the story about the roadside bamboo trees who would bow down and try to trap you if you happen to pass by these really desolated streets in the town with bamboo clumps left and right. Somebody told me that to escape the "ghostly bamboos", you remove all your clothes ( I mean all) and the bamboos will snap back into place. But do not forget to put on your clothes back as you return back to your house.

 Is the White house ( with apologies to Pres. Bush ) you are refering to the Asingan cemetery itself? Or just a particular tomb inside the cemetery?Its my first time to hear the word used with regards to Asingan stories.

 

I personally never saw any apparition in Asingan. But I did hear weird sounds inside our house there. But I will tell it more in detail another  time --#