Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, the Amomongo is a creature described as a

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

y, man-sized

ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its siste ...

with long nails. The name is probably derived from the Hiligaynon word ''amó'', which translates "ape" or "monkey". Residents of La Castellana in

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

view the Amomongo as a violent, wild creature that lives in caves near the foot of the volcanic

Mount Kanlaon Kanlaon, also known as Mount Kanlaon and Kanlaon Volcano ( hil, Bolkang Kanglaon; ceb, Bolkang Kanglaon; fil, Bulkang Kanlaon), is an Active volcano, active stratovolcano and the highest mountain on the island of Negros Island, Negros in the P ...

. Amomongo is featured in a local folktale called "Amomongo and Iput-Iput," or "The Ape and the Firefly." The name Amomongo has also been translated to mean the word "

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

," though this is not a native animal to the region. On June 9, 2008, Amomongo supposedly attacked Elias Galvez and Salvador Aguilar of the La Castellana settlement and disemboweled numerous goats and chickens in the area for the purpose of eating the

entrails The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans a ...

. Attacks lasted until the next day on June 10. Medical records reveal that Galvez and Aguilar sustained numerous scratches on their faces, backs, and abdomens. Residents described it as a "hairy white ape with long, sharp nails and stands tall." Some compare the creature to other ape-like cryptids around the world, such as

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

, though the scientific community holds that it is just a legend mixed with mistaken identity. The native community holds that it is a wild animal, not an intelligent being like a witch or

aswang Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...

References

{{authority control Visayan mythology Philippine legendary creatures Culture of Negros Occidental Hominid cryptids