MANILA, Philippines -- A white dog was hunted down and caught after it was suspected of being an aswang, or a mythical ghoul that changes shape and has vampire-like characteristics.
But it was later set free by residents of Barangay Villegas, Pozzorubio in Pangasinan province, TV5's France Noguera reported on location at Aksyon Prime on Wednesday.
The white dog was suspected of being one of two "aswangs"--one colored white, the other black--that preyed on members of the the village, which is four to six hours away from the Philippine capital.
Villagers became suspicious about the dog's real persona when they saw that it was colored white and was found near a ricefield where the aswang supposedly fled after being hunted down by a dozen or so spear-wielding residents.
The ricefield was later burned to ward off the aswang and discourage the supernatural being from ever coming back, residents interviewed by TV5 said.
One middle-aged female resident even tried in vain to film the aswang with a camera to "prove that it exists," she told Noguera.
For his part, Pozzorubio mayor Artemio Chan said the "aswang" was just a reason being used by criminal elements to rob homeowners in the area.source: interaksyon.com
