By Tim Binnall
Police in the Philippines are attempting to put down a panic that has erupted in a city after two girls claimed to have encountered a fearsome mythical creature known as a manananggal. According to a local media report, the curious case began last Thursday evening in the community of Talisay when the pair of witnesses said that they had spotted something rather unusual and terrifying perched atop a house. Although details surrounding what they specifically saw are scant, the shaken young women told police that they believed the oddity to be a manananggal, which in Philippine folklore is said to be a bat-like creature (seen in an artist's depiction above) that can separate its body at the torso.
Word of the strange sighting soon spread like wildfire in the community and concerns surrounding the incident were compounded when, a few days later, it was said that a creature "with a head of a pig and the body of human" had been seen in a nearby town. In an attempt to assuage the growing fears of residents, authorities went so far as to hold a press conference concerning the matter. Pledging to investigate the report submitted by the witnesses, who are reportedly receiving counseling following the traumatic encounter, authorities pleaded with residents to stop sharing rumors of manananggal sightings and, instead, to immediately notify police if they encounter "something unusual."