Flying Creature in General Santos Mistaken for ‘Wakwak’ Aswang, Turns Out to Be a Giant Bat
A flying creature mistaken for ‘Wakwak’ aswang was allegedly spotted by residents of a barangay in General Santos City.
The wakwak is a creature from Filipino folklore, often described as a type of aswang, a shape-shifting monster or evil spirit. The wakwak is believed to have bat-like wings and makes a flapping sound “wak-wak” as it flies at night.
Recently, a strange creature known as a “wakwak” was spotted flying in the area. The video shows a man on a rooftop swinging a stick to drive away a winged figure that flew off into the night.
According to Milky Tayal, the resident who captured the video, it was the first time she had seen something that big. She described the creature as having glowing red eyes, long wings, and a pointed snout, which reminded her of the mythical wakwak often talked about in Visayan folklore.
“Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganung kalaki. Para talaga siyang wakwak,” Tayal said.
Stories about the wakwak go back to the 16th century, as recorded by Spanish colonizers who observed the locals’ belief in this flying, human-eating creature. However, experts say it’s hardto prove if such beings truly exist.
Some locals who saw the creature suggested it might not be a wakwak at all, but a very large bat, specifically a flying fox. When Milky was shown a photo of the flying fox, she said it looked exactly like the one in her video.
Wildlife biologist Jay Fedelino from the UP Institute of Biology shared that flying foxes are real creatures that can have wingspans of 1.5 to 1.7 meters, nearly as wide as a human is tall. These bats fly great distances at night in search of food and may rest in unfamiliar places, which could explain the incident.
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The social media users expressed their reactions to the video:
