Urban Legends

Pasig River Monster

As brief introduction to the Pasig river, it is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for 25 kilometres (15.5 mi), it is lined by Metro Manila on each side. Its major tributaries are the Marikina River and San Juan River.

The Story

[Contributed June 18, 2012:] 

Syokoy Caught in Pasig River

By: Jomara Merano

This story was told by my mother every time I asked her to tell creepy stories whenever I and my sister feel so. I know that this is true and thus I believe in them--- these creatures. 

My mother said it was around November 1981. She was then pregnant to my eldest brother that time and they lived in San Joaquin Pasig (Pasig is a city now). One of their neighbor told the other neighbor that there was someone caught from the river. Because of curiosity, my mother along with her husband and their neighbors rushed to the Municipal Hall. When they get there, my mother's husband forewarned my mother not to look because she might "paglihian" whatever she might saw. But my mother insisted. There were many people inside the municipal hall which were also curious about the creature. They forced inside the hall. Then, about 2 feet away from the jail, my mother had a glimpse from the creature. She described it as a little child about 10 years old with green skin. It's a slight of blacky, maybe because the creature was out of the water for several hours. It has full big black eyes like it wore goggles. The creature just stand there inside the jail with it's hands holding the metal bars. My mother said the creature was scared, shocked and also wondering of many people surrounding him. After that, my mother's husband insisted to go home and so they do go home. 

The next day, the neighbors told my mother that the creature was gone. They also wanted to see the creature. But the police officer told them that the creature was taken by someone saying that it was their child. There are other stories that it was thrown back to the river by the order of the mayor in afraid that something might happen to them if they still keep it around. It was published in the newspapers but were also vanished quickly in the light. 

I searched google to find something about it but there was none.

As she described the monster caught in the river, one thing rose in my mind - a kappa. 

Kappa [left] (or sometimes called Kawataro meaning river-boy), in Japanese folklore, was a humanoid, resembling a little child, and with scaly and reptilian-skinned (just like that of a turtle) monster. Their skin is usually color green, and sometimes yellow. Like the monster above, this creature also live in rivers. 

While Siyokoys are mermen, sea creatures that have a human form and scaled bodies. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart of the Sirena. It is usually depicted with green scaly skin, ears resembling fish fins, having fishtail or scaled legs, and webbed feet. They could also have long, green tentacles. They drown mortals for food. They could have gill slits colored brown or green. 

Although both would look like the same in imagination, what made me think it was a kappa is . . . She described it as a little child about 10 years old with green skin. That's her description. 

By the way, before I end this discussion, the author also wanted to know if someone knows the same story as hers. She would also like to know it like me.