The sirena or mermaid of the Tagalog is equivalent to the katao of the Ilonggos. It is narrated in the following story the origin of the katao.
A maiden attempted to commit suicide because her lover married another woman. The broken-hearted woman in love jumped over the river from a cliff. In an unexplained phenomenon, when her feet touches the water she immediately got a tail just like a fish and she did not die.
Photo Source:
http://m4rl0.deviantart.com/art/Sirena-367131386
