TALES OF TERROR

Maria Labo (Philippines)

Maria Labo, who is said to have lived in one of the island provinces in the Visayas, was once a happy wife to a policeman, and a mother to two sweet boys. But her husband's salary was not enough to make ends meet. To help her family get by, Maria opted to work as a caregiver for an old man in town without knowing that the old man was an aswang. The old man was already frail and desperate to die, but an aswang could not die unless he bequeaths the curse to someone else. Taking the opportunity that comes with having a naïve village girl at hand, he secretly passed the curse on to Maria.

Several months after the old man died, Maria unemployed and hoping to give a better life for her family. She went to Canada as an overseas worker and returned after a couple of years. Maybe it has to do with the cold Canadian air and maple syrup, for it was only when she returned that the curse started manifesting itself. Her hunger for human flesh became unappeasable. When her husband went home one night, he found their house oddly quiet. He went into the kitchen where Maria was cooking dinner. He asked her where the kids were, and Maria merely pointed at the large pot atop the stove. When the husband opened the lid of the pot, he saw the kids (chopped and well seasoned) simmering away in thick broth, ready to be served for dinner. Enraged, her husband grabbed a big knife from the kitchen table and struck her. The blow wounded Maria's face and forced her to flee the house.

This urban legend started in the early 2000's and is still going strong, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao. It's said that Maria is always on the move and never stays anywhere for long, out of fear that someone might notice she's an aswang. Maybe a time will come when she'll get bored of the Philippines and go somewhere else. Perhaps New Zealand will be to her liking.