Every All Souls’ Day, I can still vividly remember sitting in front of the television as a child and watching “Magandang Gabi, Bayan,” which featured stories about paranormal experiences. I also looked forward to storytelling sessions with the elders about “aswang.” The most common “aswang” was one that feasted on the innards of humans. However, the creature only lives through narratives passed on from generation to generation. While there is no evidence of the existence of “aswang,” sociology refers to the situation as a “phenomenon of social control.”
Filipinos love these kinds of stories, like “Maria Lobo,” who was said to have killed and devoured her children. The tale begs the question, is cannibalism an indicator of being an “aswang?”
Unknown to many, there are stories of Japanese troops committing acts of cannibalism in Bukidnon between 1945 and 1947. Rolando Esteban detailed the spine-chilling narrative on how Japanese soldiers practiced cannibalism, which is not mentioned in history class.
Anthropophagy refers to the consumption of human flesh by human beings but, for this case, I will use the term “cannibalism.” There are two types of cannibalism; endocannibalism refers to the consumption of individuals within the group, while exocannibalism refers to the consumption of outsiders or enemies. Endocannibalism is characterized as affectionate, while exocannibalism is viewed as aggressive.
Due to the advancement of American forces at Palau, Leyte in early March 1944, the Japanese anticipated the landing of American troops. Lt. Colonel Fumio Suzuki organized the 15th embarkation unit to abandon Ormoc for Cagayan de Oro. As a tactical move, Suzuki immediately reassembled the unit in Carmen, Cagayan de Oro in March 1945 in preparation for the retreat to Bukidnon to escape the Americans. Withdrawing from the mountain of Basak, Japanese soldiers met problems that led to fatal casualties, such as beriberi, salt hunger, malaria, and diarrhea. The decimation of forces and scarcity of food led them to practice cannibalism to increase their nutrients. According to First Lt. Hajime Ainoda, a medical doctor, the Suzuki unit ate human flesh as a result of the desperate physical condition of the country—malnutrition, salt deficiency, and a food shortage.
Since it was difficult to obtain animal meat, human flesh came into consideration. It was not mere diversion that provoked this act, there was desperate necessity.
In August 1945, one family was murdered and their bodies were eaten. Then, an unknown man was shot and eaten. In October 1945, Japanese soldiers captured a father with his two daughters. The daughters were raped and eventually escaped, but their father was cut-up and eaten by the troops.
Japanese troops continued the practice until 1947. However, they began engaging in endocannibalism. Based on their accounts, whenever possible, they avoided killing people by eating the bodies of those who died from illness, killed in action, or executed for crimes. Certain events after their encounter with the Philippine Army resulted in them disposing the casualties; however, later, some of the troops bought a putrid slab of meat from one of the dead. In their desperation, four days before the Japanese surrender on February 9, 1947, one of their comrades died due to malaria, they buried him at 4:00 p.m. and, on that night, around 10:30 p.m., two soldiers ask permission to dig up the body of their fallen comrade and consume it. As a gesture of esprit de corps, all of them gathered and partook the flesh of the dead soldier.
Endocannibalism and exocannibalism were used as a desperate measure in times of survival by the Japanese. It was accidental and compelled by dire conditions.
Which is more sinister?  Narratives from an oral tradition or research-based historical material that pronounces an existing culture of cannibalism committed by the foreign invaders? One is common, both of them happened in the Philippines.

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