Filmmaker to bring 'aswang fest' to Canada

MANILA, Philippines — The famous Aswang Festival of Capiz province will be featured in Canada, after a Canadian filmmaker and international television host bared plans to make a documentary on it. Online news site The News Today (www.thenewstoday.info) reported Tuesday that Jordan Clark, 36, wants the documentary to benefit a project to save the island village of Olotayan. "I love Roxas City, the cleanest and friendliest place to go. It's now my fifth time to visit here that's why I thought of making a documentary regarding the Aswang forklore," Clark said. Olotayan, an island village about 30 minutes from Roxas City, features white sand beaches. Some years back, private firm Dugo Capiznon Inc. organized an Aswang Festival in the province but several public officials and the Catholic Church opposed it in 2006. Public officials said an Aswang Festival has negative effects to the economy of Capiz considering that this province is considered a seafood capital exporting marine products. Church leaders, for their part, said holding an Aswang Festival is an act of adoring the devil's spirit. Indignation rallies eventually led to the scrapping of the festival. The Aswang Festival is usually held in the last week of October before the Halloween celebrations. - GMANews.TV