Malabon Citys Satan over St. Michael Statue

When I heard this story, I became interested. As well as feared of course. Satan - stepping over St. Michael?! It's kinda funny to think. I thought the creator just sculpted it by mistake, but if it was a mistake, then why he made it that way?

. . . And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him . . .
-------Revelations 12:7-9

The verse is describing a war in heaven about how St. Michael the Archangel defeated Satan. That's the bases of all the famous paintings and statues of St. Michael picturing his boldness and strength, symbolizing the power of light over darkness. However, in a tomb in Malabon City, instead depicting the original scene, it was opposite. The statue shows a peculiar and dislikable position of the two. Like what I said - Satan was stepping over St. Michael.

Well, there are reasons why the owner wanted it that way. Actually, he was a religious person and has that thinking-out-of-the-box mind to symbolize and extend his sympathy to mankind. He even put somewhat like a short script of a play beside his tomb.

This statue was featured in some television shows in the Philippines. Rated K of ABS-CBN Channel 2 hosted by Ms. Korina Sanchez featured it.

By the way, the HE I'm talking about is the one buried in the tomb. Just read the whole article so you'll understand why I'm refering to him.

The Story

The person buried in the tomb is Don Simeon Bernardo of Barangay Concepcion. One reason that brought this story here in urban legend is the belief, and also the rumor of many people that this person was a satanist which, in fact, he isn't.

According to his grandson, Don Simeon was a religious man, and a very prayerful person. He also expressly wished to have the statue placed over his tomb as symbolism and as reminder that the society was continuously and slowly being engulfed by darkness, and that the devil is winning against goodness, and people is forgetting and setting God aside of their lives. Well, making the statue as his reminder, I can say, it was successful.

Behind Don Simeon Bernardo's becoming popular and bizarre statue, he also had a very sad story. He suffered a bitter life in Spanish Regime here in the Philippines. He was accused by being a filibusterer, and then put him in prison in Fort Santiago. He was also tortured their mercilessly, like some of the Katipunero's . They also made him believed that God doesn't exist and they indocrinated the belief of his children. Don Simeon died in 1934.[a]

Maybe that's the reason why he ordered to have the image.

Like what I said above, there was a script-like thing beside it (located in the left side if you are facing the tomb). This was supposed to be a dialogue if Lucifer (Satan) and St. Michael are talking with each other.

LUCIFER: Bakit ka nakikialam sa kaharian ko dito sa lupa(,) ay hindi na kayo kundi ako ang hari, ako ang nagturo kay Eva at Adan kaya nagkaroon ng sangkatauhan. SAN MIGUEL: Ang lupa at langit ay gawa ng aking Panginoon, kaya hanggang dito ang aming kapangyarihan. LUCIFER: Bulaan(g) hambog, kung ano ang ibig ko(,) siya ritong masusunod at hindi ang ibig mo - digmaan, arihan, dayaan, sugal, (at) lahat ng layaw ng katawan naibibigay ko sa tao, pati mga alagad ng mga Panginoon mo, napapasunod ko, ano pa ang ginagawa mo rito? SAN MIGUEL (SA SARILI): Panginoon kong nasa langit nasaan ang kapangyarihan Mo? SAN MIGUEL: Tao, tulungan ninyo ako na labanan ang kasamaan, pairalin ang katarungan at pagibig sa kapwa, iwasan ang kasakiman sa salapi at kapangyarihan na pinagmumulan ng ligalig. [b]

LUCIFER: Why were you intruding my kingdom here on earth, which you're not the ruler anymore? I am the one who taught Eve and Adam, that's why mankind emerge. SAN MIGUEL (Saint Michael): The heaven and earth was both created by our Lord, so our powers even reaches here. LUCIFER: Arrogant liar! What I wanted here should be obeyed, and not what you like. War, wealth, fraud, gambling, and all the bodily comforts - I can gave it to every mankind. I can even make your Lord's servants obey me. So what are you doing here? SAN MIGUEL (TO HIMSELF): Oh my Lord God in heaven, where is Your power? SAN MIGUEL: Human, help me fight the evil, let peace exist, and love your neigbors, avoid greediness to wealth and the power coming from bodily wants.

Many believed that the passage was taken from the bible, but back in his time (Spanish Era), commoners were not allowed by friars to hold a bible. Well, prettilly obvious that it has no basis in the bible - no verse.

By the way, if you wanted to visit, the Malabon Municipal Cemetery, which is connected to Caloocan Public Cemetery, is located at Barangay Tugatog, Malabon City and Sangandaan, Caloocan City. It's one ride from Monumento to Sangandaan.

The Rumor

Aside of the rumor that Don Simeon Bernardo was a satanist which is not true, there are also rumors pointing to the supernatural ability of the devil statue.

Some people claimed that the image was originally small, but it seemed that it was growing each year.

Well, the main reason why this rumor sprouted is that in late 1970's the original was replaced by the one we see now. The first was actually smaller, and it was replaced because people destroyed it.

They also claimed that the devil statue moves at night and terrorizes people. That's why it was put in prison. (Hehehe ...)

Definitely NOT TRUE. People hate the structure because of its frightening look. Thus, people may intentionally throw rocks just to destroy it. And maybe this rumor emerged because of some tricky imagination, and perhaps just to scare drug addicts or some bad guys there who still wander over the place even at night. The cemetery is in the middle of the city.

The statue changes position. What I mean is, St. Michael sometimes on the top of Satan, and vice versa.

I don't know how to explain that. My professor told me this rumor - he's from Malabon. They said that in some circumstances, goodness prevail over evil, then goes back if the latter prevail over the former.

Source:
a. http://www.lakadpilipinas.com/2012/10/tugatog-city-demon-of-malabon-cemetery.html
b. http://www.mymalabon.net/2010/10/heres-unusual-reminder-at-tugatog.html
c. http://thehorrortree.blogspot.com/2013/02/simeon-bernardos-tomb.html

Pasig River Monster

I've been searching for stories and/or legends about Pasig River, but I found nothing. When I open my E-mail account, I stumbled upon a message of a contributor, and luckily the story she sent was about Pasig River Monster.

As brief introduction to the Pasig river, it is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for 25 kilometres (15.5 mi), it is lined by Metro Manila on each side. Its major tributaries are the Marikina River and San Juan River.

The Story

[Contributed June 18, 2012:]

Syokoy Caught in Pasig RiverBy: Jomara Merano This story was told by my mother every time I asked her to tell creepy stories whenever I and my sister feel so. I know that this is true and thus I believe in them--- these creatures. My mother said it was around November 1981. She was then pregnant to my eldest brother that time and they lived in San Joaquin Pasig (Pasig is a city now). One of their neighbor told the other neighbor that there was someone caught from the river. Because of curiosity, my mother along with her husband and their neighbors rushed to the Municipal Hall. When they get there, my mother's husband forewarned my mother not to look because she might "paglihian" whatever she might saw. But my mother insisted. There were many people inside the municipal hall which were also curious about the creature. They forced inside the hall. Then, about 2 feet away from the jail, my mother had a glimpse from the creature. She described it as a little child about 10 years old with green skin. It's a slight of blacky, maybe because the creature was out of the water for several hours. It has full big black eyes like it wore goggles. The creature just stand there inside the jail with it's hands holding the metal bars. My mother said the creature was scared, shocked and also wondering of many people surrounding him. After that, my mother's husband insisted to go home and so they do go home. The next day, the neighbors told my mother that the creature was gone. They also wanted to see the creature. But the police officer told them that the creature was taken by someone saying that it was their child. There are other stories that it was thrown back to the river by the order of the mayor in afraid that something might happen to them if they still keep it around. It was published in the newspapers but were also vanished quickly in the light. I searched google to find something about it but there was none.

As she described the monster caught in the river, one thing rose in my mind - a kappa.

Kappa [left] (or sometimes called Kawataro meaning river-boy), in Japanese folklore, was a humanoid, resembling a little child, and with scaly and reptilian-skinned (just like that of a turtle) monster. Their skin is usually color green, and sometimes yellow. Like the monster above, this creature also live in rivers.

While Siyokoys are mermen, sea creatures that have a human form and scaled bodies. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart of the Sirena. It is usually depicted with green scaly skin, ears resembling fish fins, having fishtail or scaled legs, and webbed feet. They could also have long, green tentacles. They drown mortals for food. They could have gill slits colored brown or green.

Although both would look like the same in imagination, what made me think it was a kappa is . . . She described it as a little child about 10 years old with green skin. That's her description.

By the way, before I end this discussion, the author also wanted to know if someone knows the same story as hers. She would also like to know it like me.

Source:
Contributed by: Jomara Merano
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasig_River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siyokoy#Siyokoy

The Secret of University of Santo Tomas

University of Santo Tomas was one of the oldest universities in the Philippines. Even our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal studied here.

The university is a private, Roman Catholic, teaching and research university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on 28 April 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia and is one of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of enrollment found on one campus.

"beneath it was something, hidden for almost nine millenniums, waiting for something..." There's a popular myth in the Philippines that the University of Santo Tomas was hiding something beneath it. It was said that there is a secret underground passageway beneath it and it also hides plenty of secret doorways. They said, that it was St. Thomas Aquinas who planned and wrote the testament order to be given to the Dominican priests to build that kind of passages. It was said, that from the Arc of the centuries towards the Main building, you will see unexplainable languages, words, and symbols being etched at the side of the hallway. And that's true! I've seen those prints because I'm a student of this university. Although three of these secret doorways has been revealed, there is no passageway that we could find directing us into the main underground passageway. We are wondering if this is only a myth or reality. And we are thinking, if we could crack the codes etched through the hallway, maybe it can lead us through the secret underground passageway where secrets are meant to be secrets forever. The big question is... Why does St. Thomas needs to order those Dominican priests to build this kind of passageway? What's inside this passageway, and what does it contains? How come that this passageway has been able to be kept for almost nine millenniums without the knowledge of our fellow university men? What does the codes mean? Does the positioning of the University or the above photo of the university can give us hints? Does the Quadricentennial square of this university and its 'arc of the century' have a relationship to this so called "myth"? I'm just wondering because I'm a student of this university...

Being the oldest university in Asia, it is possible that such school may hide some door ways beneath its buildings.

I didn't know about this urban legend, so I have nothing to comment about it. I still find some information that can explain this.

Source:
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=160579
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas

Mt. Apo's Venado Lake

Mount Apo is the highiest mountain in the Philippines, with an altitude of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft). It is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII. The name Apo means ancestor.

There is a lake at the foot of the said mountain which they called the Lake Venado. The name came from a Spanish word Venado which means deer. Locals call it linaw (clear) because of its crystal-clear water that reflects the mountain. Many people would say that the lake is enchanted, that an engkanto (fairy) or some kind of entity was living there.

This simple small lake not only gives a breath-taking picture scene to mountain climbers but was also believed to take lives of these innocent hikers. Well, it is true that almost every year people die there for some reason. The lake is the favorite camping site by people who come there. Some of them dare to take a deep on it.

In April, 2007, a group of mountain climbers set-up there camp beside the lake. One of them died after swimming in the lake. Many minutes later, his companions don't know where the climber go. Their leader didn't thought of him going to swim on the placid and inviting lake. The local government of Davao City strictly prohibited campers and/or mountain climbers to swim on it. Minutes later they heard someone calling for help. They ran straightly to the lake and found the hiker was drowning. They attempted to rescue him but they failed. The hiker was no where to be found, he drowned deep the lake.

Because of his vanishment, urban legends rose. Local tribesmen warned tourists about the said fairy living in the lake.

His co-climbers reported him to the authorities. However, he was not found for many days. For his long disappearance, rescuers speculated that he was already dead. Days later, he was finally found, dead.

Aside of the reported incident, there were other people who were reported missing in the Lake Venado. Some of them still missing until now.

Experts thought of possible reasons of death. It can be caused by physical accident or natural disaster, but for locals, its not the reason why. They are blaming the entity living there. No one can say it's not true because there's no proof to question its validity.

A local leader suggested that tourists or hikers should undergo first for a prayer ceremony in respect to the engkanto living there. The ceremony is called Pamaas. Elder indigenous people perform the ritual to placate the mountain God Apo Sandawa, before they start climbing. The tribe leader of Sitio Sayaban was convinced that the many spirits living on the mountain were disturbed from their peace and demanded a sacrifice to remind the local population and visitors that they do exist.

Tiniente Gimo, the First Aswang

Why did I forgot this famous tale from Iloilo? It was so long since I started my blog, but then I forgot to make an article about Tiniente Gimo. I heard about him in my childhood days, of course, from my grand parents.

Who is Tiniente Gimo

He was called Tiniente (Spanish word which means Lieutenant) because he was actually a Tiniente del Barrio, or what Filipinos, in the present day, refer as the Barangay Chairman, of Dueñas in Iloilo. He may also be a leader of the family of Aswang from which he acquired the title.

Because of the legend about him, many stories made him a antagonist as the blood-sucking villain, a leader of a group and/or clan of Aswangs. Perhaps, the effect of this tales created a bad image to every people, and versions of his story was created.

Actually, there were stories from internet that tell about the experience of their grandparents in his village, that they were certain they were ghoul-vampires, and many more.

The Story

One of the teniente's daughters studied in a university in the city. During a break, this daughter invited two of her classmates to come to her hometown for a visit. The young ladies agreed, excited at the prospect of going to a town they had never visited before. They were greeted with enthusiasm by the teniente's family and as was customary in the Philippines, a small party was prepared. The lady visitors were fed and entertained. As the night grew deeper, one of the young ladies asked (let's call her Juana) what the sleeping arrangements would be. Gimo's daughter said that the visitors would be sharing a room with her. And so off to bed they went. Because they were in a small town, no big beds were available so they all agreed to sleep on mats on the floor. Juana slept in the middle, tucked in between Gimo's daughter and their friend. The two girls soon drifted off to sleep but Juana found that tired as she was, she just couldn't bring herself to sleep. Filipinos refer to this feeling as 'namamahay', which is when your body and mind are still in the process of adjusting to a new environment and thus cannot perform a certain routine. This was what prevented Juana from sleeping. It was also what kept her alive. The party went on outside even as the night deepened but to Juana, instead of fading away, the noise just seemed to get a little bit louder. She heard more people coming, being greeted, there were sounds of suppressed laughter, soft giggles and whispers. "Must be the party for tomorrow," she thought. "They're really throwing a big one." Since she couldn't sleep anyway, Juana decided to get up and take a peek at the activities through the window. When she lifted the cover, what she saw stirred fear in her heart. On the clearing not far from the house, people were gathered together in a circle – a few women were busy cutting spices and vegetables, some men were talking and drinking while others were sharpening knives. There were children as well. And there, through the shrubs, more people were coming. In the middle of the circle was a fire and over the fire was a larger-than-usual iron cauldron. If these people were going to cook, they were going to cook something big – bigger than a full-grown chicken or a goat. Just then, Juana heard Teniente Gimo's voice just on the other side of the wall, talking to another man. "So which one is it?" the man asked. "The one in the middle and the other one's on the right," Teniente Gimo said. "Okay. I'll bring three or four along in case there's a struggle." "Let's just hit her on the head. Keep her quiet that way." "True." "And bring the sack to carry her with. We'll take care of the other one." Juana didn't need to hear any more just to understand what the two men were discussing. The 'one in the middle' they were referring to was her! The fire and the iron cauldron, all those vegetables and spices the women were preparing, the sack… they intended to butcher her and her friend! Juana's survival instinct kicked in. She debated for a while on whether to wake up her friend or not but the men were coming up the stairs and if her friend woke up suddenly, there's no telling what she would say or do. They could both be in bad trouble if she delayed for another second. Juana hurried back to the sleeping girls on the floor, pushed Gimo's daughter towards the middle, lay on the girl's right and covered everyone's head with the wide blanket. That way, the heads were hidden underneath. She tried to calm herself to prevent from shaking. Soon the door opened slowly and noiselessly. Juana didn't know how many men came for Teniente Gimo's daughter that night. All she felt and heard were soft footsteps, a few whispers and a loud thud as they hit the young girl on the head. They were very quiet, as if they were used to doing what they did. They didn't even wake up her friend, who was sleeping so soundly just an arm's length away from Juana. Teniente Gimo's daughter lay moaning next to her. The men quickly wrapped the bleeding girl in the sack and carried her away. After the men had left the room, Juana got up, tried to wake her friend for the last time, failed and decided to go at it alone. She opened the window across the one facing the clearing where they were presently beating the body inside the sack and carefully but fearfully climbed down. As soon as her bare feet touched solid ground, Juana began to run. She didn't care where she was passing through – all she knew was that the main road was in that direction. She hadn't gotten far when she heard shouts and screams from the group. They had opened the sack and found out the terrible mistake they made. Enraged, Teniente Gimo cried for everyone to check the house, find the girl, THE girl they wanted, she who was supposed to be in the middle, she who was supposed to be in the sack, she who was supposed to be the one they should be prepping tonight, she whose throat they should have slit. Behind her, Juana heard the commotion and simply assumed that people were now climbing the stairs, opening the door to the daughter's room and finding that only one was left behind and the other had run away. It would only be a matter of time before they found out where she was headed. So Juana kept on running over the grass, the rocks, the pebbles that cut her feet, the sharp thorns of the shrubs and the slimy dead things underneath her. But those who were in pursuit of her were men – grown men, men taller than she, with longer legs, with strength stolen from the other men and women they had slaughtered before her poor friend. As the men with the torches began to gain on her, Juana felt panic rise from her legs to her heart, threatening to turn her legs to stone. She could never outrun these men and if she could hide, where? They probably knew this area very well and could find her easily. But right in front of her, a tree stood. It was tall enough but not so tall that she couldn't climb it and it looked strong, with a thick truck and even thicker leaves. Juana had no memory of how she managed to climb the tree that night but there she cowered, shaking, mouthing prayers for the Virgin to protect her, to please not let them see her, hear her, smell her. The voices grew nearer and so did the footfalls. Not only the men came in pursuit. There were a few women as well, some of them holding torches, some gripping a thick tree branch and others, still holding on to the knives they used to cut the onions and the tomatoes. Light from the torches illuminated the branches and the leaves of the tree as the mob passed underneath her. If one of them ever looked up… But no one did. The crowd of angry men and women who tried to come after her came and went. They couldn't find her. A few hours later, which seemed an eternity to Juana, they came back again, walking this time, tired and hungry, their torches fading but they came a few feet away, no longer passing under Juana's tree. Although the crowd had gone, Juana stayed hidden in the tree. She waited for the dark sky to turn gray and very carefully, painfully climbed down. No one was in sight and she was too far away to actually hear anything from where Teniente Gimo's hut stood. Besides, it was morning and if they did party on last night, they would be too full and tired to care today. Juana brushed the thought of her other friend, the one she left behind, away and began to run again, towards the main road. At this point, I no longer remember how Juana got help. Maybe she stopped a passing bus or jeepney or maybe a person with a good soul came across the fearful girl with the wild eyes. But she did get help and she did find her way home, safe and alive. She never went back to the town of Dueñas, not even to see if the tree that saved her life still stood. As for Teniente Gimo and his clan of aswangs, it is said that the incident devastated him. It was his own beloved daughter after all. They packed up and abbandoned their home and moved someplace else. Where he and his family are now is only whispered about and whether they are still hunting and luring human prey, it can only be guessed at. Who knows? They could be in your town.

Another version, which is more brief than the latter, and more known by everyone:

Tiniente Gimo's daughter Maria (not her real name) brought his two friends, Jean and Melay (not also there real names) from the city to visit her hometown and her family. They accepted them warmly and served them with foods, as if there was a celebration. The two loved the food and ask them what kind of dish it is. But they answered them with only a smile. After hours passed full of chattering, they decided to sleep. But because the house is small and there's only one room for everyone, Tiniente Gimo told Maria and her friends to sleep in the bed room, while they will sleep in the living room. Like other girls, when they are together, they don't sleep right away. Maria borrowed the accessories of Jean, and wear them till they went to sleep. Tiniente Gimo targeted Jean that night, and the only thing he could familiarize who among of them is Jean, is her necklace. However, Maria weared the necklace of Jean that time. He sneaked unto the bed room to kill her. He hit the head not knowing it was his daughter, and brought her in the kitchen. He chopped her to pieces, and cooked her in a pot. Tiniente Gimo discovered who he had eaten when morning came. No one knows what happened to Jean and Melay after that. Maybe they lived to tell the story of Tiniente Gimo.

As you notice, both tales almost have similar flow of story. In which, there was these two women, who were friends of the daughter of Tiniente Gimo, came in the province with her for vacation or the like, and was killed by the tiniente or his whole clan. Some sources tell that they were teachers from a school, not students. Aside of it, the movie Shake, Rattle and Roll, potrayed by Manilyn Reynes, had almost the same story as above.

Conclusions

Many reasonable explanations emerged about the legend of Tiniente Gimo. One is about his political career. His enemy invented a kind of story that rose people's fear.

Another is about the kind of disease they called Dystonia de Panay (scientifically named torsion dystonia-parkinsonism), Ilonggo called it Lubag. This is a rare musco-skeletal disease found only in Panay, in which the victim will be twist involuntarily. Maybe, the appearance of them in this position made them look like an Aswang, and this might be Tiniente Gimo's disease that time. This same reason can be used to explain the Aswang.

Source:
http://jeminastories.blogspot.com/2008/09/tiniente-gimo.html
http://iloilocityboy.blogspot.com

Bloody Mary in the Philippines

What is Bloody Mary?

Bloody Mary is a legendary ghost or spirit conjured to reveal the future. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called multiple times. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend. The Bloody Mary appearances are mostly "witnessed" in teenage group participation games, often as part of a game of truth or dare.

Rituals on how to perform the Bloody Mary varies as the story is being passed through other people.

... young women walk up a flight of stairs backwards while holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house.

According to some accounts (from movies and ghost stories), young ladies should perform it in a dark room at night (many tells a particular time, sometimes 12 o'clock or 3 o'clock am) and go face a whole-body mirror. Then, chant Bloody Mary 13 times (some with eyes closed). After doing it, the performer will see their future husband (and skull or whole skeleton, telling you, you'll not marry before you die).

It seemed that the ritual is like that of Snow White's mother-in-law, but there she is asking who is the fairest of them all.

Some young girls in the Philippines perform it for the sake of knowing if they'll marry and who will they marry on the future. These originated of course outside the country. I bet someone still believe on it.

Story

Bloody Mary by: Janine My best friend had this neigbor who died because of a horrible experience. Her neighbor's name was Michelle (not her real name) and she grew up in Bicol. When she was ten, her family moved to Las Pinas, just two blocks away from my best friend's house. My best friend was just a baby at that time. When Michelle was in high school, she wasn't afraid of ghosts. When she would hear rumors, she never believed them. All she would do was laugh at them. But there was one rumor she heard that she would never forget until the day she died: the rumor of Bloody Mary. She fainted after hearing it for the first time, so her friends brought her to the school clinic. When she woke, her friends startedasking questions but the only thing she said was, "I'm not afraid of ghosts!" "Really?" her friends asked. They formed circle and murmured amongst each other. Then they dared Michelle to do the Bloody Mary ritual. She did it that night in her bathroom. She turned off the lights, shut the door, and said, "Bloody Mary, bloody Mary, bloody Mary." She chanted it thirteen times, louder and louder, almost to a near scream, and kept glancing at the mirror on each pass. On the thirteenth time, she looked in the mirror and saw her face bit it was all covered in blood! She touched her own face but there was no blood. Then something or someone knocke on the door. She thought that she might see something creepy so she didn't answer it. It knocked tem times then started banging on the door! She wondered why nobody could hear the banging and thought that the thing had killed her family! She screamed, "Leave them alone! Leave them alone!" The banging stopped. All of a sudden, the bathroom became red and the knocking started again. It stopped after five knocks. Michelle peeked out of the bathroom and saw something red on the ground. She stepped on it and it disappeared. She sighed and went back to bed but left the bathroom door open. Her mom woke back to sleep. Now it was Michelle who couldn't sleep because right in front of her just outside the bathroom was a little girl. She was drenced in blood and pleading for help. She had an ID that read "Mary Tachwrite". Michelle closed her eyes and when opened it again the apparition had disappeared. Two days later Michelle died of a severe heart attack. Because of what her friends did to her they all got expelled. They committed suicide because every night they saw the same thing Michelle did. Her friends all became impoverished because their parents got fired at their jobs. Michelle'd mom was their boss and she didn't appreciate what her employees' children to Michelle. Please pray for the lost souls of Mary and Michelle.

Another story:

Bloody Mary I studied at xxxxxxx. There was once a legend in the girl's washroom that a Bloody Mary occasionally appeared to people who called on her. One afternoon, we were really tired and went to the washroom to freshen up. Suddenly, my friend suggested that we try it. We chanted Bloody Mary thirteen times in front of the mirror. Sure enough, there it was staring right at us. We couldn't move in fright. Then we notice that it was moving out of the mirror, leaving a trail of blood behind it. All of us couldn't leave since the Bloody Mary was blocking the doorway. Then suddenly, all of us screamed at the top of our lungs trying to get away. Since I was in the lead, I was so scared. And then (I don't know why), I just screamed and ran through the ghost. All the boys were at the opposite side were wondering why we were screaming and then I accidentally ran into them, with all the girl's behind me and I scrambled up and ran to the principal's office. All of the boys were worried so they checked it out. Then we just heard them running towards us. We all vowed never to come into that washroom again!

Source:
True Philippine Ghost Stories. PSICOM Publishing Inc.
http://haxorfreek.15.forumer.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Mary_(folklore)

Doña Juana Rodriguez Street Haunted House

The Doña Juana Rodriguez Street is located at New Manila, Quezon City. It was the old name of Broadway Avenue (near the building of Broadway Centrum - GMA).

I don't have enough time to research and go to National Library to confirm if the author tells the truth about the article of Daily Express. I cannot say the story is real, because me, myself, haven't gone on the said location. By the way, the

The Whole Story

The Doña Juana Rodriguez St. ProjectBy: Anonymous I first heard this true-to-life ghost from my professor who ran out of lessons to teach one sleepy afternoon. It was about this saleslady - let's call her Mrs. Santos - during the Seventies who was into direct-selling Tupperware products, something new in te kitchenware market at the time. At the end of the demonstration she conducted in Laguna, a middle-aged gentleman, who looked like an important businessman - sort of like a Jaime Zobel de Ayala or a John Robert Sobrepena - approached her. The guy - let's call him Mr. Cruz - invited her to do another demonstration in a house along Dona Juana Rodriguez in New Manila, Quezon City. Charmed by the man's courtly demeanor, the saleslady accepted the invitation and went the following week to the address given. It was a lazy Saturday mid-afternoon and very few vehicles were passing by in front of the mansion. In the front yard stood an old, balding man in a white undershirt, sweeping away the dead leaves. When he saw her, the old man, who was probably the caretaker readily invited her inside. The interior of the mansion exuded a certain Old World charm, something seen in period movies like The Sound of Music or Gone with the Wind. She was ushered into the sala and was told to wait for Mr. Cruz. Mrs. Santos proceeded to see out all the Tupperware items she had brought with her. By the time she had finished, Mr. Cruz still hadn't arrived. She decided to pass the time by reading some of the reading some of the magazines. Oddly enough, she couldn't recognize any of the faces featured on the covers. Glancing at the dates, she saw they were all dated in the 1930's. Suddenly, she heard voices coming from upstairs - animated conversation, punctuated by laughter here and there. When she looked up, Mr. Cruz, together with several men and women similar to his age and bearing, were coming down the stairs. Mr. Cruz introduced her to his friends, who were all wearing gray suits. Some of the men were in gray coats and ties, some in gray barongs and pants - even their shoes and handkerchiefs were gray. The women were in gray skirts and long gowns. Mrs. Santos didn't pay particular attention to their attires, surmising that perhaps it was a gathering of an upper-class club or organization and such "uniform" were required. Mrs. Santos introduced the Tupperware products and everybody seemed excited and pledge to order some items. After her demonstration, someone turned on the turntable and played old tunes, probably Bing Crosby classics. Then someone brought out some food and wine and a party began. Mrs. Santos was invited to stay for the party. She declined, saying it was getting dark,but did drink a little of the wine. Mrs. Santos went home happy and tipsy that day. She stayed the night with a 60-year old aunt who lived in Malate. Mrs. Santos told her aunt about her rich, elegant but weird clients. The aunt was surprised when she mentioned the names of Mr. Cruz and his friends. Apparently, her aunt knew them all by name and reputation. Yes, they were all celebrities and elegantly rich! Some of them were famous artist, musicians and socialites. The only thing was, her aunt had watched and read about them during her college days, decade ago. As a matter of fact, these people had been dead for a long time. Many of them didn't survive the Second World War! Mrs. Santos was too stunned to speak. To think that she even danced a tune or two with them and tasted some wine! A few months after, Mrs. Santos decided to write about her experience and have it published in the Sunday edition of the Daily Express. It came out in the second week of December 1972. When my professor read the article, he tried to find out the truth behind the story. He asked his students (at the time, he was teaching the high school students of San Beda College), to visit the mansion in New Manila with him - as a sort of adventure. So, together with a dozen of his students, my professor went to the house one Saturday morning. To their surprise, an old man identical to that described in the Express story was there in front yard, doing much the same thing that the old man in the story was doing - sweeping away the dead leaves. My professor made some pretext about the needing to interview Mr. Cruz about the old houses. The old man ushered them all inside, and there they found everything as described in the 70's article. Even the old magazine were there, bearing the same dates. The old man told them to wait as he climbed the long staircase to inform Mr. Cruz about the group. What happened next? Well, the group didn't wait around to find out as they sped out of the mansion as fast as their feet could carry them. When I asked the professor whether the story was true or not, he dared me to find out myself. He gave me the exact location of the house, which was some blocks away from the Broadway Centrum. So one Sunday morning, I decided to see for myself. Trudging up Doña Juana Rodrguez Street, i noticed some old houses but saw no sign of the old man. Reporting back to my professor, I suggested that after 20 years, somebody might have bought the property and turned it into one of those townhouse complexes. Probably, he said. He didn't care because after the horrifying incident he never went back there. Even at the height of traffic in the area, he always made it a point to avoid the street. As for myself, I can only report his strange incident that happened after I visited the street: One Monday morning I checked out the National Library for old copies of the Sunday Daily Express magazine. To my surprise, I discovered that all the copies of the December 1972 issues were there - except for the issue that came out on the second week. The librarian, who has been working there for decades, was also puzzled. Coincidence? Somehow, I think not.

Source:
True Philippine Ghost Stories. Book 12. PSICOM Publishing Inc.

A Medical Center Mystery

Have you receive this message below?

About

"ICU patients always died in the same bed on Sundays at 11 a.m., regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors. No one could solve the mystery. Mr. Licauco and the Ateneo paranormal folks were called. They arrived armed with special photographic equipment, infrared devices and motion sensitive radar to detect any presence, so on Sunday, a few minutes before 11 a.m., doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to know what the mystery was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses and prayer books to ward off evil spirits. "When the clock struck 11, Mang Jose, a part-time Sunday janitor, entered the room, unplugged the life support system and plugged in the vacuum cleaner."

Me? Yes. That's the reason why I searched some details that can support the text message I received. Actually I got it a long time ago, and it was only now that I read it again.

According to the message, every patient dies in ICU every 11 AM, Sunday, whatever reason death may cause.

It mentioned a doctor named Dr. Licauco, perhaps his full name is Jaime T. Licauco. He is a paranormal expert (a parapsychologist), President of Philippine Paranormal Research Society, Inc., and a columnist in Inquirer Lifestyle. Other than that, I knew nothing about him. It also mentioned together with Mr. Licauco, the Ateneo paranormal folks. I don't know about them.

I found an article in a News website in the Philippines. He also received the same message, and searched everything about it.

News

I RECENTLY got a text message titled ?Mystery at a Medical Center? from a well known ophthalmologist. The message read: ICU patients always died in the same bed on Sundays at 11 a.m., regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors. No one could solve the mystery. Mr. Licauco and the Ateneo paranormal folks were called. They arrived armed with special photographic equipment, infrared devices and motion sensitive radar to detect any presence, so on Sunday, a few minutes before 11 a.m., doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to know what the mystery was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses and prayer books to ward off evil spirits. When the clock struck 11, Mang Jose, a part-time Sunday janitor, entered the room, unplugged the life support system and plugged in the vacuum cleaner. I replied to the female ophthalmologist who had sent me the text, ?I didn?t know that story is still being circulated around.? I explained to her that the joke first appeared on the Internet maybe five years ago in the US. It carried names of well-known American parapsychologists. Somebody had forwarded to me a copy of that Internet joke. Soon it was used by compilers of a bestselling series of pamphlets on ?True Philippine Ghost Stories.? But they changed the name of the American hospital to Makati Medical Center and the names of the parapsychologists to sometimes Jaime Bulatao or Tony Perez and the spirit questors and myself. I thought the story had died a natural death. But many years later, I found out it is still very much alive, this time in text jokes. I am simply amused by such stories and hope people see the obvious jest. Strangers But urban legends apparently die hard. And some have been going on about me without my knowledge. I am usually the last to know. For example, I bumped into a group of strangers coming out of a Greenbelt restaurant years ago. One of them recognized me and greeted. ?Do you remember me?? he asked. I apologized and said, ?No I?m sorry, but I don?t.? He then told me he could not forget meeting me in a restaurant three months before former Sen. Ninoy Aquino came back to the Philippines. He said that I told him and six other people that if Ninoy came back to the Philippines, he would be assassinated. I said that? I asked incredulously. Yes, he emphatically replied. There were six of us who heard you say that. ?I?m sorry.? I told him. ?I don?t remember having said that.? And then I walked away from them. I learned from my son Jolan Alexander, now a businessman, that he had been told the story on two separate occasions that I once hit a baseball so hard it flew high up in the sky and was never recovered. When Jolan told me about that, I merely laughed because I have never played baseball, not even in my dreams! Relieved Here?s another recent example which took place only months ago. I went to a medical doctor who was a practitioner of holistic medicine and Chinese acupuncture. There was a female patient in the treatment room. When we were introduced, she said she knew me; we were neighbors in same office building in Makati. She said she was then scheduled for operation for cancer and I supposedly told her not to undergo the operation because she didn?t need it. Because of my advice. she said she didn?t undergo the operation. ?And what happened?? I nervously asked. ?You were right!? she replied. ?It turned out I didn?t need the operation after all.? I was relieved but at the same time puzzled because I would never tell anyone, specially someone I hardly know, not to undergo a medical surgery. I don?t remember that incident at all. But she was very sure that conversation took place in that building. Maybe that was another urban legend that has developed around my persona or character. I?ve been told that some people say I can read minds, tell the future, heal the sick and talk to the dead. If I could do all those things, I probably would have a long line of people waiting outside my door. I don?t know how many others are being circulated that I am not aware of.

Source:
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/wellness/wellness/view/20101123-304720/Urban-legends-die-hard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Licauco

Star Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Star Mall Alabang is loacted at 2L, Administration Office, Starmall Alabang, South Super Highway, Alabang Muntinlupa City. I haven't been there, so I don't know what it truly look like in person. They said it just look like a simple building or mall like many others, but there's a distinct something different.

About

Muntinlupa was once notoriously known as the location of the national insular penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison, where the country's most dangerous criminals were incarcerated. Consequently, Muntinlupa or "Munti" became synonymous with the national penitentiary although it has largely shaken-off this negative image to become one of the most progressive cities in the country. Muntinlupa is also home to some of the best commercial establishments in the metropolis and is the location of Ayala Alabang Village, one of the country's biggest and most expensive residential communities, where many of the wealthy and famous live. At the Star Mall Alabang, many encounter ghost while sitting and watching a movie. The location as many will tell you is very haunted by multo, which is derived from the Spanish word muerte, meaning dead.. As a to too often told modern ghost story goes, a young couple went to see a new movie they had trouble finding a seat for the theater as they made their way in was fully packed. They sat and watched a new romantic movie, only to find out when the movie ended and the lights came on that they were the only ones inside. Another tale tells of people seeing what they believe to be people just simply disappear before their very eyes. Tales of pickpocketing ghosts, items disappearing from store shelves and shop owners hearing strange noises and watching things move on their own. Star Mall, previously called Metropolis Star, stands on the former site of the Alabang Cemetery. Manuela Realty Development Corp., established by Sen. Manny Villar's grandmother-in-law Doña Manuela Aguilar Riguera, built the mall in the '90s. Many believe the bodies of the dead were never removed from the site and the angruy ghosts are letting their presence be known and felt. Some frightened mall goers often state they feel cold unseen hands touching them shoving them punching kicking and even kissing them. Photos taken inside and out of the large building often show ghostly images and mists. Many people often report that when going through their bags after shopping strange items often show up or the thing they just bought is missing replaced with another item. Several ghost hunting groups have deemed the location as one of the most haunted hotspots to ghost hunt in.

The Web Story

[Witness:] I'm from Alabang, and lumaki ako malapit sa Metropolis Mall.. Tama nga na dating sementeryo yung mall na yon.. Meron akong friend na may weird experience doon.. Meron kasi silang movie analysis na projects sa skul.. Since na malapit lang sya sa metropolis mall dun na lang sya nagdecide na manood ng movie.. Ang malupit pa doon 'last full show' sya nanood.. S'ya lang mag isa.. So pagdating nya sa movie hauz madilim na and nagsisimula na yung movie... Yung pinanood nya ay isang comedy movie. Syempre nakakatawa yung palabas and nung pumasok sya halos wala syang maupuan kasi tingin nya madaming tao... Ang nakakakilabot sa lahat nung bumukas yung ilaw pagkatapos ng palabas... Nagulat sya nung ilan lang pala silang nanonood, almost 10 or less lang sila.. Bigla syang kinilabutan kaya tumakbo sya pauwi... Mula noon di na sya nanood ng sine dun.. May isa pa akong friend na nagwork sa metropolis as a security guard.. So around 7pm meron daw pumasok na 10 guys na nakabarong, natawa nga sya kasi parang may kasal na dadaluhan yung mga manonood.. Eh, hanggang closing sya duty... Kinilabutan sya nung di lumabas yung 10 guys na nakabarong.. Bigla na lang daw nawala....

Source:
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/ghosthunting/phillipines.php
http://www.starmalls.com.ph/contact.html
http://www.pinoyunderground.com/showthread.php?t=187854

San Juan, La Union Ghosts

[This past few days, I've been very busy with too many things, including my studies. That's why I can't search any other exciting and interesting urban legends in the Philippines, and post them here. Well, now I'm back. It's Christmas vacation. Perhaps, I will have a lot of time on focusing my favorite pastime.]

This urban legend have been famous for decades. Maybe some of you knew this one.

The town of San Juan, in the province of La Union, west of Luzon, is a fishing before the coming of Americans. It has a number of ghost legends, including a headless nun, smoking faceless man and a mysterious smiling white lady at the old tower. Most tales are said to have originated around this time and handed down to generations. It’s still a quiet town, but pompous cottages and mansions have popped along its shores.

Here's the ghost legends in the said province:

It was said that the nun was killed and beheaded by the Japanese in the old Hispanic convent, and her convent burned down. Till now the convent is still standing. If someone passes the ruins of the covenant on a full moon at midnight, an eerie bell tolls, signalling the approach of the nun from behind. First, you will feel a cool, creepy breeze. Then wavy long hair brushing against the nape. Looking behind, the victim would discover the spooky tale for himself.

Until the present day, the nun is still haunting the old ruins. No one knows why she's still there, but perhaps she wants to avenge her death.

The white lady is said to appear at midnight in the ruins of an old watch tower that dates to pre-Hispanic times, and is particularly likely to be seen by handsome young men.

It was peculiar, "a ghost who only appears on handsome brave youths". I wanted to laugh at it. Well, for those bored individual young man there, if you wanted to know if you're handsome, the only place you can go and find the answer out is in the Bell Tower in La Union. If she will appear, then you're definitely handsome. However, if you'll tell anybody about her appearance on you, no one will likely to believe. I wonder why she laughs????

Another myth is about the smoking faceless man.

Before the war, (perhaps the WWII) youths were used to smoke cigars in an abandoned man-hole at midnight. Once, a stranger came, face overshadowed by a straw hat, asking for light. When they lent a lit cigar, the man looked up to light his, showing a spine-chilling blank where a face should have been. The faceless man allegedly still shows up, though rarely, because he prefers unbranded, native tobacco to imported ones. Who could be that faceless pal???

[Taken from a Website:]

In 1582, San Juan was proclaimed a mission station under the authority of the Augustian Order, as recorded by the Nueva Segovia Bi-centennial souvenir booklet dated April 25, 1587. By 1586 the town had become the center of the parish, and was renamed San Juan by the Augustian Fathers after the Catholic Patron Saint of San Juan Bautista. The town boasted an Augustinian convent and a population of 6,000. Its first priest was Friar Agustin Niño. The center of the parish was subsequently transferred to Bauang, with San Juan sometimes being an out-station (visita) of Bauang and sometimes of Bacnotan. In 1707 the Church of St. John the Baptist was constructed at San Juan. In 1772, the mission station was placed under the authority of the Dominican Order. In 1807, San Juan was established as a parish in its own right. Pindangan Ruins this is the home of the headless stabbed priest whose sole ghost prowls at night, either carrying his severed head or searching for his head. Some report hearing his head calling out for his body to find it. Many say EVP's happen here all the time and the wind is known to whisper strange malediction to those that disrespect the location. Pasatsat is word rooted on the Pangasinense word satsat, meaning "to stab". Pasatsats are ghosts of people who died or were killed in the Second World War. Coffins during the time were so expensive, so the families of the dead wrapped the corpses in reed mats or icamen. The dead were buried in places other than cemeteries because tomb robberies were rampant during that era of extreme poverty. These ghosts usually show up in solitary paths and block passersby. To get rid of such a ghost, one needs to stab (hence pasatsat) the reed mat and unravel it, but doing so will show no presence of a corpse, although the mat will emit a noxious odor, much like that of putrid flesh. In 1898 during the latter days of the Philippine Revolution, the whole of San Juan was razed to the ground by a great fire. Many ghost from this period are said to roam the streets. The town of San Juan, La Union has a considerable amount of ghost encounters, sightings and many many paranormal monsters and legends, including a headless nun and a smiling white lady at the old tower. Another strange ghost is that of Devil Cigar Man or as many call him just the Devilman. In the months just before the war, young men from the town would all go around an abandoned man-hole, there they would smoke cigars and speak of the goings on of the day then one night at midnight something strange occurred. Once, a stranger came appearing strangely with his his long well combed black slicked and straight and braided beard is his most striking feature for his face is always overshadowed by a large brimmed straw hat, he came to them asking for light. When they lent a lit cigar, the man looked up to light his, showing a spine-chilling blank where a face should have been. The faceless Devil man allegedly still shows up, because he prefers unbranded, native tobacco to imported ones. And if you don't give him a light he will drag you straight to hell are strike you deaf and dumb on the spot. Another strange haunted tale is about finding the the Devilman's large brimmed straw hat. If by chance you see a straw hat of or hat of any type of hat or head gear on the side of the road by no means touch it. Because if you dare to do os of God forbid to put it on your head. To do so will bring you straight to hell. The tale of the strange ghost nun that was beheaded by the Japanese, and her convent burned down is a very weird ghost story. If someone passes the ruins of the covenant on a full moon at midnight, an eerie ghost bell tolls this is the signaling of the approach of the nun's ghost. One of the many tales tells that the old historical ruins of a Spanish convent were burned by the Japanese and a pious chaste nun was beheaded as an example for all to see. The old ruins of the covenant still stand. On some nights when an unfortunate person happens to pass by on a full moon at midnight, some spectral bell would toll from the netherworld. It supposedly signals the approach of the ghost nun who will slowly creep up on you from behind. They say she is looking for the man who killed her or his descendents to take her exacting revenge. Many say several daring people have died from fright others driven mad when being touched by her on the left shoulder. The white lady another ghosts not to be confused with the ghost nun or the Balete Drive specter, is said to appear at midnight in the ruins of an old watch tower that dates to pre-Hispanic times, and is particularly likely to be seen by many individuals. In recent times, she is often called the laughing white lady is said to have been showing herself periodically in the old historical ruins. The ghosts of this woman is said to appear often and her disguised appearance is said to be very frightening for she has no eyes. Only gaping sockets which glow with an erie spooky ghost light. Many report they hear her maniacal ghostly laughter and would rather run the see her eyeless ghosts. One of the hitchhiker stories tells of three boys who pick up a girl near a cemetery and take her to a party. this is very similar to the tales of Resurrection Mary in Chicago USA. On the way back, the girl complains of the cold and borrows a jacket. The girl disappears near the cemetery, and the boys find the jacket neatly folded on the headstone of her grave. Or that of a freshly dug up grave where the body has been pulled from the earth and partially eaten. Many believe her to be a real ghoul like creature. A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. In another story, a male hitchhiker asks to be taken to a given address. When they arrive, the hitchhiker has disappeared, but it turns out that he used to live at that address and this is the anniversary of her death. Stories tell that this young disfigured man appears as if he was just in some terrible accident with blood on his clothes.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_La_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_Filipino_culture
http://www.philippinesinsider.com/myths-folklore-superstition/ghost-myths-of-san-juan-la-union/
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/ghosthunting/phillipines.php

Aswang in Bulacan

Recently, Brgy. Balubad, Bulacan was covered in terror. Poultry and livestock animals were found dead. One of the owners of these animals was shocked seeing his animals with wounds. They were as if sucked by an unknown being. Rumor has it that an aswang was roaming in there place.

News

[Taken from a News Website:]

‘Aswang’ sows fear in Bulacan RESIDENTS of a barangay in Bulacan, Bulacan now fear for their lives after a series of killings of their animals that some people believe are done by a nocturnal monster locally known as "aswang." Hog raisers in Barangay Balubad said they believe that a monster is the one responsible for the death of their swine. Mat Tansinsin, owner of four pigs that were found dead on the morning of September 8, said he was surprised when he saw his hogs lifeless with scratch and bite marks all over the body and with massive blood loss. A certain Benigno Dela Peña lost twenty four ducks to the ‘monster’ on the first day of the ‘aswangs’ attack’ and after a week another twelve ducks and six chickens. “Tanggal ang mga bituka ng kanilang mga alagang hayop ng aking nadatnan at ang ipinagtataka ko ay kung bakit wala man lang tumahol na mga aso sa mga oras na nilalapa ng ‘aswang’ o nilalang ang aking mga alaga,” (Intestines of my animals were taken apart when I found them. And what wonders me is, why dogs didn't bark at the time when aswang, or whatever kind of being it was, ate my animals.) Dela Peña said. Ason Mahinay, a resident of the place said the night before the livestock were found devoured, she saw a huge dog roaming around their barangay. A day after she saw a big cat. Sa aming lugar sa Bisaya, ‘pag ganyang pabagu-bago ng itsura ang isang hayop, may posibilidad na ito ay isang aswang, (In our town in Visayas, when an animal shape-shifts in different figures, there's a possibility that it was an aswang) she explained. The incident is now being investigated by the local police and the municipal agricultural office. Published : Monday, October 08, 2012 00:00 Written by : Manny Balbin

Some experts explain and speculate the reason of the animal deaths. They said that it wasn't an aswang who killed them, but a wild animal only. However, paranormal experts believe that it was definitely an aswang.

Sources:
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/provincial/39367-aswang-sows-fear-in-bulacan

The Aswang Phenomenon

The documentary was produced by High Banks Entertainment Ltd. It is about the famous Aswang in Philippine folklore.

Try to watch the documentary for a better understanding of what this creature is and where did they originated.

The Video

Click Here for more about aswang.

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePhqoyLpXQ

No. 14 Laperal

It has been urban legend or just plain curiosity that make the locals and tourists alike flock to # 14 Laperal, or famously know as the "White House" in Baguio City.

Many TV shows and films have capitalized on its notoriety as being haunted.

But what really boggles the mind is the mystery surrounding the history of the house. Many stories have come up about the fate of the Laperal family. No one really knows what happened inside the white structure. Even the relatives of the original owners are mum about it.

The paints are fading. But the popularity of the house just keeps on growing because of the interests of the people in the paranormal.

Who are the ghosts that haunt the Laperal White House? Do they have stories to tell?

I-Witness dared to find out when Jay Taruc and a group of psychics locked themselves inside the house to just feel their "presence."

What the cameras captured were extraordinary sounds and images that will stir the senses.

The Video

Click Here to watch this video in youtube.com

I watched this documentary of Jay Taruc in the middle of the night alone in my room ... This scared me very much, especially of that part where a ghost talked in the CCTV Camera saying, Nandito kame ... (We're hear ...) Till now, I can't forget that ...

Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty9_VjYy7Ek

Malacañang Palace

Malacañang Palace is the home of the President of Republic of the Philippines, the symbol of the nation, and also his/her official office. It is located at 1000 José P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila. The house was built in 1750 in Spanish Colonial style. In Spanish Era, it is also the home of Governor-General of the Philippines. It was purchased from a Spanish Aristocrat named Don Luis Rocha, and was purchased by a Spanish Colonel and again purchased by the state, thus became the home of the representatives of Spain in the Philippines.

Yes! It is true. The building was built since the Spanish time. So, it might be true that there is an unknown entity there. Then, what are they?

Male and female figures disappearing into walls. Pianos playing by themselves in the dead of night.

Empty chairs turning, heavy curtains parting, plates vanishing from where you put them. --- Philippine Daily Inquirer

Pres. Noynoy Aquino once said,

No one wants to live in Malacañang proper, because of the eerie environment.

Actually, he prefer to live in the other side of Pasig River - on Bahay Pangarap.

I don?t like the ambience of Malacañang Palace. There's this big balete tree in front [of the state entrance] ... And the guards say sometimes, the pianos start playing by themselves and someone is [heard] marching [down the hall].

Story

[Taken from a News Website:]

Strange things The strongman's son, Senator Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., narrated tales of ghostly goings-on during the family's 20-year stay in the Spanish-era Palace. There's no doubt about it, many strange things are really happening there, the senator told the Inquirer. Everybody who lived in the Palace, during and after [our stay], including the security and the staff?everybody has experienced something, he said. Eduardo Rozon, chief steward during the Marcos regime, and Bernardo Barcena Jr., a guard posted at the door to the private quarters of the then first family, vividly recall both frightening and hilarious encounters with the unknown in Malacañang. From their stories recounted to the Inquirer last week, it appeared that ghosts haunted not only the numerous state rooms but also the Marcoses? private quarters, and even the adjoining building known as Kalayaan Hall. The chandeliers clanked, the plates in the china room tinkled, and staff members felt their hair rising. The ghostly occurrences always happened in the wee hours?between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., when the Palace was quiet and deserted, according to both Bongbong Marcos and Barcena. During that witching hour, it was common for the staff to see figures appear at the Reception Hall, the massive corridor framed by pictures of all Philippine presidents, and the Ceremonial Hall, the biggest room in the Palace where the most important state functions are held and which served as balcony during the Spanish and American eras. Never their faces You just see them. You think they're your colleagues but they're not. And they always had their backs to us; we never saw their faces, said Barcena, who is now on his second term as barangay councilman in Bagong Nayon in Antipolo City, the housing project awarded by the Marcoses to their household staff. Barcena once walked up to who he thought was a colleague leaning on a panel in the Ceremonial Hall: I was just a few meters from him when he vanished. Frightened, Barcena hurried to tell his colleagues about the experience. Rozon, who supervised the Palace waiters, recalled one night when he was at the Reception Hall and noticed that the door to the Music Room was ajar. (A bedroom during the Spanish time, the Music Room has since been used by first ladies as a sitting room for important state guests.) Rozon said he wondered to his companion what would happen if the half-open door would suddenly close. Then the door did close! We ran downstairs! he said, laughing. Barcena swore that in the same room with no one else around, they heard the piano play and saw the first lady's chair turn by itself. Intrigued by the stories, Bongbong Marcos and his friends decided to go ghost hunting in the courtyard of the private quarters, which had a fountain in the middle. Knock, knock A friend reached for a doorknob, but the door opened before he could touch it. They scrambled upstairs, the senator recalled with a chuckle. It was also common for the family members to hear someone knocking on their doors, always at around 2 a.m. During the renovation of the Palace, Bongbong Marcos said, he used a room adjacent to the State Dining Room as his temporary quarters. (The State Dining Room, originally a ballroom during the Spanish and American times, has three Commonwealth-era chandeliers and 40 carved chairs around a long dining table. It is now where Cabinet meetings are held. Its large French mirrors were installed in 1877, according to the book Malacañan Palace, The Official Illustrated History.) Knocking awakened Bongbong Marcos one night, and when he opened his door, he saw no one there. Suddenly, one of the antique chairs stacked leaning against the dining table righted itself! I couldn't sleep anymore that night, he said. The ghosts also apparently liked telephones. The senator said his mother Imelda had been roused from sleep by the ringing of the phone in her bedroom, also during the wee hours. The next morning she would ask who called her at that time, and of course nobody did, he said. Rozon said the ringing phones even sparked quarrels among the guards, each suspecting his colleagues of pulling a prank. Seeing things It was President Marcos who reportedly kept seeing people who were not actually there. Coming home from school once, Bongbong Marcos and his two sisters were told by their father about an experience the previous night in the President?s Study, which once served as Quezon's bedroom. A household aide walked into his office past midnight, and Marcos ordered him to fetch something. When the aide did not return, Marcos asked the guard where he had gone. Sir, there is no one here, the guard said. Rozon told another version of that story of Marcos wondering why a household aide was still in his study well past midnight. He peered through his glasses to look closely at the aide, who disappeared into the wall, Rozon said. Bongbong Marcos said his sister Imee had also seen Quezon's ghost in one of the state rooms. Undersecretary Manolo Quezon of the Malacañang communications group recalled a story of how his grandfather's ghost paced the Palace during times of crisis. (But ?no one I have met, or heard this story from, ever described him as menacing, or cursing, the grandson said.) He said it was supposedly one of the reasons the Marcoses had the Palace reconstructed in 1979, doubling its original size. Another story from the current staff in the Palace is they sometimes see the lights on late at night in the Quezon Room (now the Executive Office) in Kalayaan Hall, he said. The ghosts may be the lost souls of people slain during World War II, Bongbong Marcos said, adding that the Japanese Army used Malacañang as headquarters and that people were killed in some of the rooms there. Father Brown et al. One person believed killed by Japanese troops was an American priest whose ghost has since haunted the Palace as ?Father Brown? and who, Bongbong Marcos said, was wont to wake dozing Palace guards with a variety of tricks. Then there is a Chinese manservant who has appeared to Palace staff and guests. Bongbong Marcos said a guest from Italy recounted being awakened by a Chinese servant at around 3 a.m. and told to attend Mass with the Marcoses. The first family asked around and was told that the ghost had been known to appear as early as the time of President Manuel Roxas. The ghosts are apparently a mischievous lot. Said Elmer Navarro, whose father Federico, now deceased, was a household aide during the Marcos years: The ghosts played tricks on him. When he put down the plates and turned away, they would be gone when he looked again. Then he would find the plates elsewhere. Barcena said he and his colleagues reported their experiences to their superiors, and were told, with a shrug: Those are house guests. Mr. Brown The most popular of the Palace ?guests? is the benevolent kapre said to inhabit the balete tree that makes President Aquino uncomfortable. Rozon, now 69, said the kapre had been known as Mr. Brown (perhaps confused with Father Brown) since Quezon?s time, but that some staff members also referred to him as Mr. Jones. Mr. Brown was not bad. He didn't harm people, Rozon said. The story goes that household aide Mariano Dacuso, now deceased, was relaxing and reading the papers in the Tea House (where a mosque now stands) when he found himself being lifted along with his chair. He was lifted almost to the ceiling so he told the kapre, Please put me down. Then he ran to us, Rozon said. Then there was a cabbie who got the scare of his life when he asked for a light and looked up to see the kapre chomping on a cigar. Shaking in fear, the cabbie ran to the quarters of the servants, who told him he had found Mr. Brown. Rozon also said that when the social secretary's staff worked overtime typing letters, they would hear someone else typing in the next room, which was empty. Whenever something mysterious happened, it was always blamed on Mr. Brown, he said. Elmer Navarro, who lived in the old servants? quarters as a child, said the kapre was feared even by the military. Sometimes, he recalled, ?you could see smoke wafting from the tree.? Bunye's story Ignacio 'Toting' Bunye, now a member of the Monetary Board, has his own story to tell: From Day One of my assumption as press secretary in 2002, I have been warned about creepy happenings in ... Malacañang. Not being the superstitious type, I readily dismissed such stories. But it is not uncommon to hear about various offices being blessed every now and then, supposedly to ward off any unwanted unearthly visitors. One senior official even had the windows and doors of his office plastered with small medallions of the Blessed Virgin as added insurance. And then it happened! One night after a late dinner at the Ceremonial Hall, I passed by my office to pick up some stuff before going home. It must have been past 9 [p.m.]. My office, at that time, was ... what used to be [Marcos?] bedroom. To reach it from the Ceremonial Hall, one passes through a series of doors and hallways, starting with the Music Room, then through the Ramos Room, another connecting room, and finally the Marcos bedroom. As I walked to my office, I had a funny feeling that somebody or something was following me. I could feel my hair rising and my heart ... [pounding] faster. In the still of the evening, the footsteps on the wooden floor were very audible. As soon as I reached my office, I locked the door behind me (as if it would have mattered). The Thing Bunye said the footsteps slowly but progressively moved closer. He continued: Then I heard the doorknob turn and I felt the slight push on the door. After a while the footsteps started to move away, but seemingly in circles. What I have heard is now happening to me! I quickly said three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys and three Glory Be's. Somehow, I felt emboldened and I decided to leave in a hurry. I told myself: Mr. Ghost, you can scare me but you cannot hurt me! My first view of The Thing from a distance was of a white-haired man wearing a dark suit. The Thing must have sensed my presence because he immediately turned around. He said: Toting, paano ba lumabas dito (How do you get out of here)? Secretary Raul Gonzalez seemed as relieved as I was. The then newly appointed justice secretary had followed me through the secret door and somehow had gotten lost in the Palace labyrinth. The two men later learned it was Gonzalez?s footsteps, and not those of a ghost, that Bunye had heard. Real or imagined, ghosts have the run of Malacañang, making it truly a place not for the faint-hearted.

Sources:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101031-300680/Mr-Brown-lives-in-RPs-most-haunted-house-Palace
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacañan_Palace

2012 Habagat has connection with the Bible?

Ever since, people often find the cause and effect of every living and non-living things under the sun, and even the reason of events that occurred which plagued the nation or gave benefit on them. Curiosity can kill cat., that's the essence of being a human. Without unlimited questions, desires and necessities there could be no progress to man-kind. Before, going to the moon is just a product of science fiction, but look to what we are right now, we have more knowledge about the moon than to our own planet.

Well, that's a dramatic introduction to my subject. (Almost no connection...) Hahaha ...

The reason why I started my article with that above is, till now, Filipinos are searching for cause behind the almost tragic not-a-storm weather that sunk Metro Manila for days. I'm talking about the 2012 Habagat.

At the previous article here, I featured the similarities of 1972 Great Flood of Luzon and 2012 Habagat, that the reason why the event happened because of the disappearance of a religious thing. And now, they took (or blame) the Bible and even GOD for the tragedy.

Story

[Taken from a Text Message:]

Guys 'di ba? (Guys, isn't it?)~ (Date): 8-7-12 nag-umpisa ang pagbaha.. (when the flood started..) Basahin mo sa BibLe or search mo (Read this is the Bible or search it) Genesis 8:7-12 it's about Noah's Ark We think that maybe it is the reason why all of this is happening today. Even PAGASA says that: There's no storm detected... Nangyari talaga ang nasa Bible.. (What was told in the Bible had happened..) - Maybe God wants to remind us about our faith for him. Especially sa mga nakakalimot na diyan.. (Especially to those people who had forgotten..) if GOD is IMPORTANT to you.. Spread this message.. (to) as many as you can. Please..

Whoever read the message will think the Bible verse is about the flood sent by God to destroy the face of the earth, but actually it isn't.

Genesis 8:7-12 (KING JAMES VERSION) (7) And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro , until the waters were dried up from off the earth. (8) Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; (9) But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her , and pulled her in unto him into the ark. (10) And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; (11) And the dove came in to him in the evening ; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. (12) And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

The verse talks about what happened when the rain stopped and the sun shone. Though, it talks about the flood, but many people will misinterpret it.

I also ask myself, what about the other books in the Bible, what could be the message if you use the 8:7-12? And here's the other verse that interest me:

Isaiah 8:7-12 (New International Version) (7) therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River-- the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks (8) and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel !" (9) Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! (10) Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. (11) This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: (12) “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.

Well, the rivers in Metro Manila overflowed which caused flood, and brought plenty of water in every city that reaches higher than the Filipino's height. Not only Metro Manila was flooded by the Habagat, but also the other provinces north of National Capital Region.

Sources:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/kjv/genesis/passage.aspx?q=genesis+8:7-12
http://www.biblestudytools.com/isaiah/passage.aspx?q=isaiah+8:7-9

Mary Cherry Chua

Mary Cherry Chua (commonly known Mary Chua) was a high school student of a popular all-girls school in Quezon City, Metro Manila. She was in second year when she was raped and killed by the janitor of the school, killed by strangling her with her necktie. The year when she was killed was in 1972. Some sources depicting her life and death mentions that the school was St. Mary's College, but I am not certain if it was really the school where she studied. Her story became popular because of the book True Philippine Ghosts Story of PSICOM Publishing Corp. The year when the story first circulated was 1992, but still it was uncertain.

According to some stories, Mary Chua was a simple, beautiful, kind, intelligent, young girl popular in her school. They also described her with long black hair, creamy white skin and chinky black eyes.

Her story found its way to urban legend because of the rumors and stories that whoever sits on the bench, which was standing in the very same place where she was killed and was near St. Joseph Building, will be possessed by her, putting the possessed person (usually a girl) in her shoe and letting that individual feel and experience her pain and struggle while being raped by the said janitor. But according to some people, it was not a bench but a drinking fountain water which in some time, instead of water it was blood coming out from the fountain.

Story

[Taken from Internet:]

One day, Mary Cherry had to stay late in school because of an activity. It was near dusk already when she said goodbye to her classmates. Later that night, the frantic parents of Mary Cherry called her classmates one by one asking if they had seen their daughter, since the girl has not arrived home yet and this was very unusual since Mary Cherry diligently goes home after school. However, not one of Mary Cherry's classmates were able to say where she was. The following morning, Mary Cherry's body was found behind a shrubbery in the school's spacious yard. She was strangled to death with her own necktie, her skirt all the way up to her chest and her panty was found below her ankles: clear indication that she was raped. Her mouth was still open, evidently she struggled for breath as her assailant choked her. Her grieving, outraged parents of course cried justice for their daughter. It was a huge scandal at that time. The school had to do damage control because what happened would not only put a black mark on the name of the school, if they wanted to keep their students (which I mentioned were all girls), they have to catch the culprit and they have to do it fast. It was the school's good luck that the rapist went forward on his own accord. It turned out to be the school janitor who was recently fired because of being caught sleeping on the job. He decided to rape a student because he knew that it will reflect negatively on the school and he just chose Mary Cherry because she was the one of the most popular girls there. He felt really guilty after doing his crime and since his conscience continued to plagued him, he decided to surrender. The janitor was put into prison and to serve as a token to Mary Cherry's memory, the school administration erected a stone bench on the exact spot where she her body was found with the words "In Memory of Mary Cherry Chua" engraved on it. However, the story doesn't end there. According to the students of that school, those who dared to sit on that bench will be possessed by Mary Cherry Chua. She will be made to feel how Mary Cherry felt during her last minutes in the world. Some of those who happens to pass that stone bench during dusk sometimes sees a figure of a young girl, crying nearby, perhaps crying because her bright future was taken away from her...

For whole real-life story of Mary Cherry Chua in series, click the following:

Wattpad.com - The Case Unclosed Story of Mary Cherry Chua

Pinoy-horror-stories.blogspot.com - Mary Chua

I found her friendster profile in a forum website which scares some of the people. Click Here. But some speculated that this account was created by some people who just wanted to make use of her scary story.

There was another rumor that she actually did not die of being raped and murdered by the janitor but because of her illness. Well, no one want to believe on that datum because they assume that those who spread the said information just want to hide the true story of Mary Chua.

Sources:
http://pinoy-horror-stories.blogspot.com/2011/05/mary-cherry-chua.html