It’s the time of the year again!
A time to honor our loved ones who have passed on; a time to collect candies and show off our costumes at Halloween parties; and of course, a perfect time for families to gather in front of the TV to watch some spine-chilling stories.
When we talk about television shows, “Rated K,” a magazine show hosted by Korina Sanchez on ABS-CBN, is known for its feature stories that are either inspiring or blood-curling. Truth be told, this show has already been part of every Filipino’s Sunday night habit.
And for their Halloween special, “Rated K” upped its game by collaborating with none other than, “Magandang Gabi Bayan” host, Noli de Castro. One of the stories they featured last Sunday was about “Teniente Gimo (Lieutenant Gimo)”, an urban legend that originated in Dueñas, a town in Iloilo.
Based on the story, Gimo had a daughter who was studying at a university in the city. During their vacation, her daughter invited one of her friends (Maria) for a hometown visit. Maria immediately accepted her friend’s invitation since she had never been to the town before. Little did she know that her friend’s family was rumored to be a clan of aswang.
In 1990, the story of the flesh-eating lieutenant became more popular when Regal Films included it in the second installment of Shake, Rattle & Roll franchise. The characters were portrayed by ’90s icons Ana Roces and Manilyn Reynes.
Deeply embedded in our culture, aswangs are believed to be the most feared monsters or creatures in Filipino folklore. According to a variety of stories and myths across the country, these creatures can sometimes be in the form of a shapeshifting evil, ghoul, witch, and/or werebeast.
Whether you were born in Iloilo or you know someone who’s from the same city, for sure you’re already familiar with Teniente Gimo’s story. While “Rated K’s” eerie episode on Teniente Gimo gave us goosebumps, some viewers didn’t even find the episode scary.
Rather, they found it problematic.
Rated K’s episode on Teniente Gimo is considered a “form of bullying”
https://www.facebook.com/sirlabs/posts/10217030879465081
According to Docendo Discimus, the episode that was aired last Sunday didn’t do anything good for the town of Dueñas. Instead of giving them better publicity, the show only tarnished the municipalities’ reputation.
“Many people of the town from different professions and from different walks of life work altogether to give Dueñas the kind of respect and image they deserve. Your ill-researched, one-sided story, for the purpose of rating, definitely crossed the line. I am not sure if you have consulted our Lgu Duenas or the Sangguniang Bayan Lgu Duenas or other duly mandated offices before you aired your episode” he said.
The urban legend took place in Duenas, Iloilo but the dialect used in the episode is Bisaya
Some viewers also pointed out that the researchers didn’t even conduct an in-depth research about the topic. It was already given that the tale of Teniente Gimo originated in Iloilo, but the “re-enactment dialogue” in this 11-minute episode was written in Bisaya.
https://twitter.com/CSpinner28/status/1056528644787576832
A cringe-worthy Rated K episode about tiniente Gimo. We speak hiligaynon, not bisaya. Damn, get a better research team, mga manol. 😂
— Paolo (@pjnazzzzz) October 29, 2018
OH AND HERE'S THAT STORY ABOUT TENIENTE GIMO. ILONGGOS STAY WINNING SKSKSKSK. CC: @keiakamatsu @immanuellakant pic.twitter.com/tBrk6DIzLU
— HIDILYN KLUM (@Punongbayan_) October 28, 2018
Hello kay Ate Korina, hindi po Ilonggo yung ginagamit niyong lengwahe para sa kwento ni Tiniente Gimo. Hehehe. #RatedK
— Van Hudson (@_vanhudson) October 28, 2018
Lastly, the details in the episode don’t match that of the movie
Another thing that confused people on the Internet were the details in the episode. Although, no one really knows which version is more accurate; still, people couldn’t help but compare “Rated K’s” recent episode to “Shake, Rattle, & Roll II: Aswang.”
https://twitter.com/jstn_rmrz/status/1056528477057253376
RIP #RatedK Anong nangyari sa Tiniente Gimo, hindi ba kayo nagresearch? Haha! 😂 #KMJSGabiNgLagimVI
— DM Molina (@_dmsonzamolina) October 28, 2018
Ba't parang same yung kwento sa Shake,Rattle and Roll dati na movie? Minus si Tiniente Gimo ?? #RatedK
— bading kay Bada Lee ❤️🔥 (@joweehoh) October 28, 2018
In the movie, Manilyn Reynes was wearing a bracelet while in the episode, the actress was wearing a watch. Well, this tiny detail doesn’t seem like a huge issue, right? But for people, who grew up watching the movie every Halloween, took their observations to Twitter, saying that details like this shouldn’t have been overlooked.
We all know that media in all its forms is responsible for disseminating information and shaping public opinion. And with shows aiming to educate viewers, it’s important to always do an intensive research.
The tale of “Teniente Gimo” is just one of the many urban legends and myths that have stood the test of time. Aside from being a source of entertainment, these stories also play an important role in shaping our cultural identity. Despite the lack of evidence, urban legends persist because these kind of stories help us make sense of the world.
Within the modern society, oral traditions are no longer contemporary nor practiced in some communities. But with the help of the Internet, these urban legends are able to spread more rapidly while retaining relevance, coherence, and of course, significance.
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