It is so that many writers have documented the traditional rural myths of the Philippine Archipelago. There is, however, a branch of mythology whose origins are the streets and people of Manila, the largest city on the island of Luzon. The 16 million inhabitants of Manila, immigrants from provinces all over the Philippines, have developed their own unique folklore over the past century. It is my intention to begin a recording of some of the most popular figures of Manila myth.
Magbalsa-kukulam (Raft-witches)
On the milky white surface of the Pasig river and the flat waters of Manila Bay there can often be seen rafts of fresh green branches, or sometimes whole trees, floating purposelessly with the current. On rare occasions, these rafts can be seen moving at high speed across the water, even moving upriver or against the tide. The popular explanation for these occasions is that the rafts are being piloted by magbalsa-kukulam, slender men and women who drink seawater for sustainment and who can only be seen by moonlight. It is the milky fluid faeces of the raft-witches that gives the Pasig river its opaque sheen and poisonous qualities.
Wenna Malkin
Among the street vendors, those men and women who struggle on the streets peddling cigarettes, peanuts and Japanese sweetcorn, the name of Wenna Malkin is singularly venerated. She is a saint to those who live their lives on the sidewalks of Malate and Pasay, and a curse which is visited on those who do them harm.
It seems Wenna Malkin was once a vendor herself, who dealt in jellyfish. One day, a guard employed by a rich merchant (some say the 7-11 chain of supermarkets, others say the Mini-Marts) expelled Malkin from her patch, leaving her with no means of supporting herself.
As she was starving to death, Wenna made a terrible bargain. She called on the gods and offered up her eyes for revenge. Accepting the offer, the Gods taught Malkin how to fish from the sky the poisonous jellyfish that swim in Manila's polluted clouds. In one horrific night, Malkin visited the homes of the rich merchant and his guard, and brushed the faces of both men and every member of their families. Those so touched took weeks to die and their faces by the end were messes of ruinous blisters and boils.
Now Malkin still roams Manila, with no place to rest or sleep, no eyes to light her way, and no means of dying. On cloudy days she can sometimes be seen moving along the powerlines, fishing down jellies from the sky. At night, she is known to visit those guiards and policemen who harrass street vendors, and mark their faces with her poisonous sting.
Ava Macalinao, the Rooster Goddess
A legend of the Libertad Cockpit, Ava Macalinao was the offspring of famed fighting cock Amanikable and his wife, the hen Mayari. In 1998, after Amanikable had impregnated his dutiful wife, a typhoon swept through Manila and blew the unhatched egg into the body of a human woman. In 1999 Ava was born in the shape of a human girl.
From the earliest it was clear that Ava would never learn human speech, but from the cradle she was already a skilled fighter. At the age of four, the owner of the Libertad cockpits put her in the ring to battle the champion bird of the Buendia pits. Armed with a small knife and her jagged teeth (both cleaned carefully to be sure they were not poisoned), Ava tore her opponent into pieces.
Known as the Rooster Goddess, she was the champion of the Libertad Cockpit for an unprecedented twenty one months, until in the wet season of 2005 a bird with poison prepared on its claws slipped past the judge's eyes. Ava died squawking in agony from a small cut on her belly, aged six years.
