The Cigar, the Cat, and the Stolen Skirt

In the quiet outskirts of Alaminos, near a grove of mango trees and an old, roofless hut, villagers tell stories about something that lurks when the moon is high and the night is windless.

They call it the Pugot.

By day, it might be a fat, orange-eyed cat, staring blankly at passersby. But blink, and it’s gone—replaced by a mangy black dog, snarling in the shadows. And when it truly reveals itself—usually after midnight—it becomes something far worse: a giant, headless black man,

taller than any tree, with glowing hands and the smell of cigar smoke clinging to the air.

This story begins with a woman named Diana, known in the barangay not just for her beauty but for her obsessive laundry habits. She washed her clothes three times a week and never missed a chance to line her underthings out in the open to catch the night breeze.

She would say, “Ti angin no rabii ket agpapintas kadagiti paldak.” (The night wind makes my skirts prettier.)

But one morning, she discovered that three pairs of her lacy undies were missing. At first, she blamed her cousins. Then the neighbors. Then her cousin’s goat.

Then it happened again. And again. Each time she left her garments outside overnight, something took them.

That same week, strange things began to happen in the village.

Children playing near the mango grove ran back home screaming that a cat with flaming eyes had hissed at them—then turned into a dog and chased them in circles until it vanished in smoke. One old man, walking home drunk, claimed he saw a giant black figure crouched on the roof of the abandoned hut, puffing on a cigar, muttering in a language he didn’t know.

Then came the stones.

Each night, stones rained on the roofs of the houses near the grove. No one could see who threw them. When brave young men went to investigate, they found only scorched grass, cigar butts, and—most terrifying of all—a red bra nailed to a tree like a trophy.

The elders gathered and confirmed what they had long feared:

“Pugot” - A being not quite man, not quite beast, known for stealing women’s underwear, especially the prettier ones, abducting unruly children, throwing stones at night to remind people not to wander near its territory, and appearing in forms that test courage—or sanity.

But why had it returned?

Old Apo Talino, the town’s retired herbularyo, said, “Nagsair la ketdi dayta. Adda la ketdi di nangraem iti pagtaenganna—wenno nangsulisog iti dayta.” (It must’ve taken offense. Someone must’ve disrespected its home—or tempted it.)

That’s when Diana remembered.

Two weeks earlier, she had tossed a basin of soapy water behind the abandoned hut, muttering about how “that old shack ruins the scenery.” She hadn’t known it was sacred ground.

“You gave it insult,” said Apo Talino. “And then you offered it silk underwear. What did you expect?”

Diana was mortified.

To appease the Pugot, Apo Talino performed a ritual beneath the mango tree. He offered a cigar, a strip of red cloth, and a small mirror—symbols of the Pugot’s known pleasures. Diana, swallowing her pride, had to apologize aloud to the spirit and promise never to air her garments overnight again.

That night, the stone-throwing stopped.

The cat was seen no more. The fiery-eyed dog disappeared. And no more garments vanished—though a month later, someone found a pair of pink bloomers tied around a scarecrow, grinning in the rice field.

Now, in Alaminos, villagers teach their children:

“Raemem dagiti daan a lugar, dikay agladaw iti ruar, .

Dikay’ makisarita manen kadagiti pusa wenno kagura dagiti agsala a silaw.

Ket no pagay-ayatmo ti underwear-mo, .

Saanmo nga ibitin iti agpatnag.”

(Respect old places, don’t stay out late,

Don’t talk back to cats or chase dancing lights.

And if you love your underwear,

Don’t hang it overnight.)

Because the Pugot may not be evil... but he’s got eyes, taste, and an extraordinary sense of humor.

Base Reference:

Stoic-Aswang (Updated February 2025). “Monsters and Supernatural Beings from Filipino Folklore and Myths.”  https://stoicaswang.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/supernatural-beings-and-creatures-of-philippine-folklore-and-mythology/