Aswang, Gabunan, and Sigbin: Legends, Sightings, and the Truth Behind Panay’s Most Famous Folklore

For centuries, the aswang and its more powerful forms — the Gabunan and its companion Sigbin — have been the most enduring stories across Panay Island. They are not just tales told to scare children; they are part of our identity, our history, and how our ancestors understood the world around them.

Today, we look at both sides: what the old folks say, what science explains, and why these legends feel so real even now.

Artistic representation of Panay’s folklore — the Aswang, Gabunan, and Sigbin. AI‑generated illustration only, not a literal depiction or photograph.

What the Old Folks Describe

In the quiet towns and remote barrios of Panay, the stories are consistent:

🦇 The Aswang

By day, they look like ordinary people — farmers, neighbors, or traders, often quiet and hardworking. But when night falls, they change:

• Their eyes turn glowing red.
• They grow a long, thin, hollow tongue used to reach through cracks in walls or roofs.
• They shape‑shift into large black dogs, cats, pigs, or birds.
• The sound they make — tik‑tik or wak‑wak — is said to grow fainter the closer they are.

👑 The Gabunan

Considered the king or leader of all aswangs, the Gabunan is older, stronger, and far more dangerous:

• It can move even before sunset, not just at night.
• It does not need wings to fly — it glides silently through the air.
• It is said to be the head of a whole clan, passing its nature from one generation to the next.
• Many stories say it can create illusions to trick people, and even leave a dummy made of banana trunk or animal parts in place of its victim.

🐾 The Sigbin

The strange companion or “familiar” that serves the Gabunan and powerful aswang families:

• Looks like a hornless goat, a strange dog, or a creature similar to a kangaroo.
• It walks backward, head tucked between its legs, with large ears that “clap” and a long, whip‑like tail.
• It smells very strong and foul, can turn invisible, and is said to suck blood from the ground or through floorboards.
• Families known to keep them are called Sigbinan, and it is believed the Sigbin brings them wealth, luck, and power.

Beliefs About Sacrifices and Worship

In the old stories, people believed these beings made offerings and served powerful forces:

• Sacrifices: Tales speak of them offering blood, hearts, or unborn children to keep their strength or pass their nature to someone else before they die. This ritual is sometimes called salab — transferring the “spirit” from mouth to mouth.
• Who they worship: Originally, before the Spanish arrived, our ancestors honored Anito (spirits of the dead), Diwata (spirits of nature, mountains, and rivers), and Bathala (the supreme creator). But during the colonial era, these beliefs were labeled as “devil worship.” What was once a way of honoring ancestors and seeking protection became twisted into stories of serving evil forces.

The Question: Contagious or Inherited?

One of the most common questions is: Can you catch it?

• In folklore: Yes — people believed it spreads through bloodline (running in families) and also through saliva or food. If an aswang mixed its saliva into your meal or drink, you would become one too.
• In reality: Not contagious at all. It is not a disease, virus, or curse you can catch. What we now know is that it is linked to a real genetic condition.

The Science: XDP — Dystonia de Panay

For many years, scientists have studied why these stories exist only here in Panay, and why they run in specific families. The answer lies in X‑Linked Dystonia‑Parkinsonism, or XDP — locally known as Lubag:

• What it is: A rare genetic mutation found almost exclusively in people whose roots trace back to Panay Island. It started from one single ancestor around 1,000 years ago.
• Symptoms: It usually appears between ages 30 and 40, more strongly in men. It causes uncontrolled twisting of the body, stiff muscles, tilting of the head, protruding tongue, slurred speech, and a shuffling, unsteady walk.
• Why it fits the legend: In the dim light of kerosene lamps or moonlight, these movements look exactly like “changing shape,” “growing a long tongue,” or “transforming.” Families carrying this gene were often quiet, kept to themselves, and did not understand what was happening to their loved ones — so the community explained it as being “aswang” or “Gabunan.”

What They Saw in the Dark

The old folks were not lying — they did see something. Here is what those sightings actually were:

• Wild animals: The large flying lemur (kagwang), civet cats, owls, and feral dogs are all nocturnal. In the dark, their shape, movement, and sounds are easily misinterpreted. The “clapping ears” of the Sigbin is often the sound of wings or large ears moving quickly.
• Human eyes and imagination: At night, our vision is weak. When we are alone, far from the village, and already carrying the fear of what we were told to expect, our brains fill in the shadows. A rustle in the grass, a distant call, or a moving figure becomes exactly what we fear most.
• Real people: Someone walking home late, tending to their crops, or living deep in the mountains, who happened to have unusual movements or a rare condition, became the figure seen “roaming the roads.”

Why the Stories Remain True

Even with all these explanations, the legend never goes away — and for good reason:

• They are lessons: “Stay home after dark, do not walk alone on narrow paths, respect families who live differently” — these were practical rules for safety in a time without streetlights or police.
• They bind our culture: These stories are shared across Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, and Antique. They remind us that we are one people, with the same history and the same mysteries.
• They honor our elders: When we say “it is true,” we are not saying supernatural monsters exist — we are saying their experience was real. They saw the world through the knowledge they had, and passed it down to protect us.

Conclusion

The Aswang, Gabunan, and Sigbin are not just monsters from fairy tales. They are a mix of real biology, misunderstood nature, ancient beliefs, and the way our ancestors explained the unknown.

The Gabunan is the oldest family line, the Sigbin is the strange creature of the forest, and the aswang is the mystery of what happens when the light fades.

Whether you believe in the creature or the science, one thing remains certain: These stories are part of who we are in Panay — and they will stay with us as long as the dark roads, the quiet mountains, and the memories of our elders remain.