First of two parts

THE Philippines' first documented serial killer was also an ordained Catholic priest.

Juan Severino Mallari (1785–1840) from San Nicolas (now Macabebe), Pampanga, was a parish priest in Magalang — and reportedly killed 57 people in the area before he was disovered, arrested, imprisoned and hanged in 1840.

Mallari studied theology at the University of Santo Tomas and completed his seminary studies in 1809 and was ordained and became the coadjutor in Gapan, Lubao, and Bacolor. He then applied for the position of parish priest in several areas — Orani, Mariveles, and Lubao. But even if he came from a reputable university, he was roundly rejected. He applied as a chaplain in the Port of Cavite, but he was turned down again.

This series of rejections must have contributed to the psychic seeds of depression that were already growing in his mind.

To soothe his hurt feelings, Mallari turned to the consolations of art. He became the second calligrapher in the country, after his cabalen, another priest named Fr. Mariano Hipolito of Bacolor, Pampanga. As a parish priest, he was known for decorating the boring annual reports with his calligraphy. His works, and those of Hipolito, are preserved in the archives of the Archdiocese of Manila.

"Calligraphic drawing is a folk art in which the artist draws figures to decorate the edges of a manuscript," wrote Robby Tantingco, author and director of the Center for Kapampangan Studies.

"Fr. Hipolito and Fr. Mallari took to calligraphic drawing to decorate their usually drab parish annual reports called planes de almas. They had contrasting styles: Fr. Hipolito often drew Spaniards in various poses like hunting, walking their pet or writing at their desk, while Fr. Mallari's favorite subjects were flowery vines and naked boy angels perched on swirling clouds."

Murder he wrote

Mallari was finally appointed parish priest of Magalang, Pampanga. He was based in San Bartolome Church from 1816 to 1826, becoming the first Filipino to become a parish priest in the province. This was an impressive feat, considering that it happened during a time when it was uncommon for Filipino priests to hold such a position of power. He ruled the roost for 10 years, in more ways than one.

He basked in the glory of finally having a church to minister, and people to bring closer to God. But by this time, his mother also fell ill, a very strange illness that neither doctors nor herbal healers could cure. As the days passed and he saw his mother losing weight, her skin turning into the color of paper, Mallari began to think that his mother was bewitched by the devil in the form of a man — or a woman.

Soon, Mallari believed that he needed to kill people to free his mother from this sickness. This bewitching was believed to be from the dark incantations of a "mangkukulam," who can bring sickness or death to people by pricking a wax idol with a magic pin. He thought that by taking the lives of his parishioners, he could reverse the black magic.

Black magic had been done on his mother, he thought as he walked round and round the church, as day turned to darkness. And only he could undo what had been done to her.

And so, he memorized the faces of the men and women who went to his church weekly. He also learned where they lived, and in the town of Magalang in the 18th century, people began to die one by one, as soon as night fell. Magalang was still a heavily forested area then, and the shadows grew larger when darkness descended.

(To be continued)

Danton Remoto has published Riverrun, A Novel and The Heart of Summer: Stories and Tales with Penguin Random House Southeast Asia. The books, as well as his translations of classic Tagalog novels into English, are available at Fully Booked Online and www.acrephils.com