Mandug, Sigbin and other Mystical Tales

Mandug? Where the hell is that place? Can I find it in the map? Of course you can. Try using Google Earth or Wikimapia. If you will have a hard time locating it, try tracing Davao River from Davao Gulf upstream, surely, you can't miss Mandug along the way.

Almost half of my entire life was spent growing up in a remote barangay in Davao City named Mandug. Life was simple then. By six in the morning, I would be awaken by the sound of the airplane roaring above our house, doing its daily rounds of fertilizer spray of the bananas in Lapanday Plantation that surrounds our village. When I was in Grade 4, my Dad used to tune in to an AM station every morning which airs a Muslim prayer every 6AM. When I hear that distinct chant, I know it's time to wake up. By 7 then, we would be on our way to school w/ my younger brother and sister and we meet our classmates who are also our neighbors. Almost everyone knew each other and even the not-so-secret lives of a wife in another block. It was a small community then.

Mandug, as small as it is, is surrounded by big mysteries of the paranormal - of earth-bound creatures roaming above the silence of the pitch black hills and meadows, of the the mysterious kidnappings of small children by some rumored dark spirits. Far away, you could hear faint but horrible cries of torture and you know a witch rite has been going on and someone has been sacrificed ... and so are the other endless tales people tell to each other.

Listening to scary paranormal stories was my favorite when I was a kid. I used to have a classmate named Catalina (we called her Cathy) and she had lots of scary stories to tell, mostly from her own experiences. The scariest story Cathy ever told us was about the old mango tree at the back of our school. I remember that mango tree. It was unusually large, with a wide trunk and rough, hardened barks. There are moss growing on them and when you'll look at them, they seem to look like eyes. Its branches spread outwards covering a large area and providing shades for small animals like goats, 'carabaos', etc. If it had lots of dangling roots, you'd think it would be a balete tree. Anyway, according to Cathy, she went to the restroom alone one day and she had to pass by near the mango tree on her way. She was alone as classes are ongoing and suddenly the roots suddenly clung to her foot and when she can't move, she uttered this weird spell and the roots let go of her. We don't know if Cathy ever told the truth of that story or any of her stories.

Bloody Black Dog

The other tales circulating around is the tale of the "Sigbin". According to the myth, passed by word-of-mouth, the "Sigbin" is a dark creature mostly resembling a very black dog. According to the stories, it eats small children and is also fond of eating squash. When I was in grade school there are numerous events that marked the disappearance of small children. And according to the grapevine, they were eaten by the "Sigbin". Our maid used to scare us if we don't go home from play when darkness falls, we will be eaten by "Sigbin". I have never seen one in my entire life let alone believe that it's true but you bet, for kids who get scared by mere thoughts of monster, it's effective.

The other fascinating tale that I also know and partly experience (or so I thought) is the story of Maria de Cacao. I'm not familiar with her story but according to the grapevine. When 12 o' clock midnight strikes, you could hear Maria de Cacao's ship passing along Davao River. What's striking about it is that you can't see the ship but you can hear the sound of the engine even if you are miles and miles away. Cool, huh. I used to remember one night, I think I was in high school at that time, that I woke up near midnight and suddenly I heard a ship's engine wailing in the silence of the night. I find it strange because our house was quite far from the river and then I remembered the story of Maria de Cacao.

There are other numerous tales which are worth telling but I guess it would take another 2 or 3 paragraphs. Maybe next time perhaps. Mandug for me remains, an old ancient place, as my mind would give it. Despite, the new internet shops sprouting in every corner as I go there once a year, the memory of it, as seen from my childhood eyes, would make that place somewhat special for me.