During a time lost to the pages of the world, the faraway and peaceful land of Mapayapa was filled with happy, quiet, friendly, and God-loving people. Ever since, the people of Mapayapa have had un-interrupted peace and prosperity. All thanks to their guardian, Diwata Matinta, who was a reflection of the people she had been protecting–peaceful and loving to all.
Because they have lived for so long in peace and prosperity, the people of Mapayapa were utterly engulfed with fear and terror when an evil “Aswang” stormed into their village. The Aswang ate their pets and took their children.
The adults and elders did all that they could to ward off the evil Aswang; They followed the instructions from their ancestors for facing such creatures. They used salt, garlic, and even their bolos to try and defeat the malicious entity. But try as they might, the Aswang never cared for them and easily defeated them, and even targeted their sleeping children every full moon. Parents screamed in deep despair due their lost children and cried in frustration of being unable to do anything.
With the whole town in shambles, their great leader, Tero Alasiw, said to have the spirit and wisdom of Solomon raced to Bundok Mahika with his whole town in tow and consulted with the great Diwata Matinta.
“What?? Is that so?! Do not worry, I will help you,” said Diwata Matinta.
After a short ceremony to appease the Gods, Matinta gave them a special “tinta” or ink that can defeat the evil Aswang. Made from the tongue of a dog, the ashes of a sun god and the dark blood of the Diwata, it was a concoction that would target the dark aura of the Aswang and make it crumble to its knees. But only beings with so pure a heart, so little a burden, and with a happiness so great within, could use the ink directly to make a trap by drawing a set of magic lines on the street. I If not worthy, the user of the ink will be incinerated to dust. Simply put, only children with wisdom can defeat the Aswang. A wave of concern and unease spread among the people like a rabid disease. The Diwata said that they should mark with ink the street which the Aswang would pass through, in the entrance, exit, and middle area, and find three brave and pure-of-heart children, symbolizing the three divisions of the world: God, man, and magical beings. They will trap the aswang inside the borders of the ink cage and with the “tinta” written on the street and with their feet touching the borderlines, they will hold the Aswang. This will overwhelm its aura and ultimately defeat it.
With this, immediate preparations were done and the search for the three children commenced. After three days, the chosen ones were Luzon Lapatiw, Visayas Ayasol, and Mindanao Horapas. These three were chosen because they were the strongest, kindest, bravest, and the most God-loving children in the land. They then trained rigorously knowing that something could go wrong if one makes a wrong step and they developed a great camaraderie. With their strong teamwork, they became more powerful.
Source of individual images that were edited by Batute: https://www.google.com/search
Finally, the full moon came, and their practice was to become a grueling but heroic experience. The three waited diligently in the trap and the whole town watched from their houses. A feeling of dread suddenly crept in their hearts –a deep strum of danger and suspense. After an hour, an adult came running into the street. “The Aswang is here!!!!" he screamed. And now came the biggest moment. The three proceeded to taunt and bait the Aswang. The beast roared in annoyance and extreme madness. Once the Aswang was close, the child in front and the fastest of the three, Luzon, left his station to run towards the Aswang. Luzon immediately ran back into the trap, narrowly missing the inch where the monster's cold and sickly hands were. The monster was just behind Luzon when the three children got the chance to touch the Aswang within the ink trap; it realized its deadly mistake but was too late. The Aswang was baited into the trap, and together, the three children bravely touched the Aswang’s dark and bony body. The Aswang, writhing in anger and frustration, then crumbled into ashes and its spirit was said to have been thrown into the confines of hell.
Since then, all the children in the town were taught the strategy of trapping the enemy, practicing how to reach and touch the enemy without leaving the “magic line”. This was the birth of what is known today as the “Patintero” named after Diwata Matintina, and the great leader of Mapayapa, Tero.
Batute or Stuffed frog in english is also one of Kapampangan exotic dishes. They also call this as “tugak” around Pampanga. It tastes like chicken and it’s really good.
Farmers in Pampanga used to depend on rain water to irrigater their farms. Children would then catch the frogs, which came out during the rainy season, while their parents cultivated the land or planted rice. Outwitting the frogs…
