The manananggal is a self-severing witch creature that takes flight at night to prey on unborn fetuses and newborn babies in the Philippines. They leave their vulnerable lower half safely hidden when they hunt.
A few Manananggal aided the Huk rebels against the Japanese Yokai invaders as anti-aircraft units, taking down Japanese bombers and Tengu soldiers.
“Balete” is inspired by summer trips to my home town where we pass by vast rice fields and communication towers along the way. I imagine what could be seen from the road towards the horizon. Initially, I saw a spacecraft landing port but it felt too scifi. I wanted something eerie and supernatural and then I saw a colossal ancient balete grove…and a former dweller who had moved to the city, visits her “home."
Balete trees are both feared and revered by native Filipinos, believing that they are dwellings of nature and ancestral spirits.