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Berbalang
Almost all that is written about the berbalang comes from one 1896 report from Cagayan de Sulu, by the traveler Skertchly. He wrote as if he saw its powers himself. Other sources are few, so we say little.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Berbalang (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Almost everything written about the berbalang comes from one report. In 1896, E. F. Skertchly, a British naval officer based in Hong Kong, published an account of the island of Cagayan Sulu, now called Mapun. He wrote that a village in the middle of the island held people called Berbalangs, and that islanders feared them. The report was printed by the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
In that account, a Berbalang is a kind of ghoul with cat-like slit pupils. It digs up graves for flesh. When the supply runs short, it goes into the grass, holds its breath and falls into a trance. Its spirit then leaves the body, flies to a house and feeds on a sleeper. People hear a moan that grows softer as it nears. They see eyes flash like fireflies. A stone found in a coconut, called a pearl, is said to protect a person. Another defense is a kris blade rubbed with lime juice.
The tale also says the creature goes by contraries, so it is never where it seems. Because there is one source, how widely the belief spread in Visayan lands is unknown.