Dwende

The dwende is a small house and earth spirit of Filipino folklore, sharing its name with the duende. Isabelo de los Reyes wrote in 1889 that the local figure had taken on traits of native spirits.

Isabelo de los Reyes, in El Folk-lore Filipino (1889), wrote that the duende of the islands had changed. People gave it qualities of the Kaibaan and other native anitos: it fell in love with human women, threw small stones and played rough jokes.

Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales (1921) includes the story of Mabait and the duende. Mabait, amazed and afraid, sees a tiny man about a foot high, with long hair and a white beard, wearing a red shirt, green trousers, a gold cap and black shoes. Trembling, he says he wants no friendship with an evil spirit.

Wikipedia says the dwende lives in rocks and caves, old trees, dark and unused corners of houses, anthills and termite mounds. Those in the mounds are called nuno sa punso. White ones are good and black ones evil, and they like to play with children, who see them more easily than adults do. Offending a nuno sa punso is taboo, and stepping on one is believed to bring a curse. None of these sources counts the dwende as an aswang.