Today I'm talking about a Philippine monster called a Manananggal (pronounced "Ma-na-nang-gaal"). These creatures resemble Vampires from western myth. They are evil, cannibal witches who in the daytime look like normal humans. However at night, they split into two halves. The top half of the body flies away and perches on rooftops waiting for victims whose organs she can suck with her very long tongue. The bottom half is left behind wherever the Manananggal was originally.
Manananggals can be found in the provinces of Capiz and Antique in the Philipines. Relatives of the Manananggal can be found in Indonesian and Malaysian fokelore. I guess they would be a type of Pontianak. I haven't seen any in Singapore but if there were any, maybe you would find them hanging from a tree in Pulau Ubin. Watch out for Manananggal spit when you walk around! One drop will turn you into one of them!Old folks say that you can kill a Manananggal using a sharp knife, sunlight,vinegar or even using the tail of a stingray to whip it to death.My dad says that you can also put ashes and garlic on the bottom half so that the two halves can't connect back. Sunlight will kill the top half, and I guess you can use the lower half as an unusual sidetable.
