Aso ni San Roque

AI illustration

Aso ni San Roque

From Tagalog region, Tagalog

Aso ni San Roque means "Saint Roque's dog". In the Catholic story of Saint Roque, a dog brings him bread when he is sick. A 2012 GMA fantasy series used the title and mixed in aswang and other creatures.

Folklore is retold; versions differ.

Sources: Wikipedia: Aso ni San Roque (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)

The story

Aso ni San Roque means "Saint Roque's dog." The name comes from the Catholic story of Saint Roch, who is known as Roque in the Philippines. He is the saint people pray to for protection from plague and disease. In the story, he fell sick, left town and lived in the woods. A dog is said to have brought him bread each day, and he recovered. The dog is part of his picture in churches, and the saint is often shown with it at his side.

In modern Filipino media, the title took a second life. GMA Network aired a fantasy drama called Aso ni San Roque, from 10 September 2012 to 11 January 2013, with 90 episodes. It follows a blind girl named Fatima, born to a human father and a manananggal mother. A prophecy says she will end evil creatures. A dog named Anghel, shown as the saint's dog come to life, guides her.

No old folk creature under this name is known. The saint story is religious tradition, and the drama is fiction that borrowed from both.