Manila Film Center Tragedy

This is not really a legend since it actually happened. But the story about the haunting is the legend. It was told that Imelda Marcos had the grandiose notion of turning the Philippines into the Cannes of Asia by starting an international film festival. They decided the venue to be held beside the Cultural Center of the Philippines and had a date set for January 18, 1982. Despite the downhill trend of the Philippine economy, Imelda plodded along with her grandiose schemes. She also ignored some bad omens. When she first decided to launch her International Film Festival, she had built a huge building that was designed on the lines of the Parthenon.

As usual with her last-minute projects, the building was still under completion when it was nearing time for the festival, and construction was rushed, round the clock. The cement was not given time to dry properly. On November 17, 1981 shortly before 3:00 a.m., an entire floor collapsed and caved in on the floor below. According to the Marcos-controlled press, 28 workers were killed in the accident. Rumor had it than 168 had died. 

Betty Benitez (wife of Imelda’s Assistant Minister, Conrado Benitez), who was in charge of the project for the First Lady, was called to the scene. The mothers and wives of the men who died had come to claim the bodies. But the building was due to open for the festival, and Betty ordered, “Pour the cement.” The bodies of the dead workers were thus covered over so that the relatives could not claim them. The women put a curse on her.

A few months later Betty Benitez was herself killed in bizarre accident. She was a passenger in a car driven by O. D. Corpus, a former president of the University of the Philippines. They were on their way to Tagaytay at night. (It was never made clear why they were out driving in the middle of the night away from their respective spouses and families.) Betty was killed instantly when the car ran off the road on a curve and smashed into a tree. Corpus survived.

Manilans soon said the film festival building was haunted, and many refused to work there or go inside to see films. Imee Marcos called in a medium, who was said to be able to communicate with the dead, and brought him to the film festival building. The medium went into a trance. Normally, he spoke only in his native dialect. But in the trance, he suddenly spoke on in English: ‘Now there are 169,’ he intoned. ‘Betty is with us.’ 

Source: http://palaisip.blogspot.com

Lucy Torres-Gomez is a ‘kleptomaniac’

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Storyline: Stealing has long been linked to poverty so when news broke out about a shoplifting incident involving Lucy Torres-Gomez, the entire nation was shocked. The blind item first appeared in the political section of The Manila Standard’s February 2004 issue. It then made it’s way to text messages directly naming Lucy Torres as the subject of the scandal. The shocking story also revealed that Lucy was already seeking psychotherapy at St. Luke’s to treat her condition. Evidences including a “surveillance tape” were said to be in possession of some prominent ABS-CBN broadcasters.

Moment of truth: Lucy kept mum on the issue for a while, saying that she “would not dignify the rumor with an answer”. But when a local celebrity talk show explored more on the issue and even suggested the existence of a real “surveillance tape”, the couple decided to step forward. Lucy denied the issue once and for all while Richard did his own investigation to disprove the nasty rumors. Rustan’s Department Store officially released a statement telling the public that there’s no truth in the alleged shoplifting incident and that Lucy is a “customer of good standing”. On the other hand, Douglas Quijano, then Richard’s manager, said that the urban legend might be politically-motivated because Richard was planning to run for senator at that time.

Source: filipiknow.net

Ariel Ureta and his “bisikleta” joke

Storyline: Over the years, some Martial Law stories have turned out to be part history and part legend. Such is the case with comedic icon Ariel Ureta and his alleged “bisikleta” joke. Rumor has it that during the height of Marcos dictatorship, Ureta mocked the New Republic’s slogan “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan” by twisting it into “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, bisikleta ang kailangan”. Enraged with the political joke, Marcos took matters into his own hands and ordered Ureta to bike around Camp Crame grounds up to the point of exhaustion. Or so the story goes.  

Moment of truth: During one his most recent interviews, Ureta–now in his early 70’s–confirmed that the myth started while he was still hosting Noontime Matinee. But contrary to popular belief, Ureta first heard the joke from a help and then later shared it to his colleague, Bong Lapira, while they were hanging out at the Channel 7 canteen. In other words, it was just a harmless joke made even more colorful perhaps by people terrified with Martial Law. To set the records straight, the Umagang Kay Ganda segment host also revealed that he actually worked with Imee Marcos in Metro Magazine almost three months after the rumor started. This won’t happen if there was ever a rift between him and the Marcoses at that time.

Source: filipiknow.net

A Doppelganger Of My Classmate

It was Saturday morning. Some of our classmates, including me were task to go to school to finish our "Beautification Project". We were done exactly at 11:00 am. All of our classmates (excluding Trisha, Karen, Ariana, and me) went home. Ariana told us to wait here at school while she will go and buy something to eat (She didn't eat breakfast). We agreed so we waited for her.

Since there's nothing much to do, we decided to go on "Ghost Hunting". We went up to the second floor and began filming all around us with Trisha's phone while walking. As we passed by the Library, we all felt a very cold wind around us. Trisha screamed "Takbo!" (Run!), then we ran outside the gate and we saw the guard. The guard is very angry with us and told us to go home. 

We text Ariana to go to my place after she is done eating. At my place, we replayed the video. As the film passes by the library's glass window, we saw "Karen's reflection wearing a blue t-shirt" in front of Trisha. Trisha was so shocked and said "Diba nasa likod ka Karen? At diba nag-susuot ka ng puting T-shirt kanina?" (Wait! You're at my back, right? And are you wearing a white T-shirt back there?) Karen said "Oo, ba't naman ako nasa harap... Diba ikaw yung palagi nasa harap? At Oo, hanggang ngayon nagsusuot parin ako ng puting T-shirt!) (Yes! Why will I be in front? Clearly, you're the only one who is in front, right? And I'm still wearing the exact same white T-shirt) We tried to replay it again and again and still the same. 

Is this really a Doppelganger of my classmates? Please, I really need help. Any suggestions or advice guys?

Source: yourghoststories.com

Haunted Office

Year 2003-2006, I worked as a Data Encoder in one of the oldest building in Binondo (so called Chinese community) when I had most of the ghostly experiences in my life. I was new at the company and very excited because it was my first job. My shift starts at 8:30am-5: 30pm. I used to go to the bathroom and fixed my self first before going to my cubicle and do loads of work until my shift ends. In this case, I don't have any time for spooky encounters or to listen to what my office-mates usually do.

Let me give you a short description of the bathroom, before you reached the bathroom area, you need to pass a small hallway and at the front door, there's a plant that was given by the famous NOSTRADAMUS OF THE PHILIPPINES-JOJO ACUIN (My boss's friend). We had a single bathroom and the door was kind of transparent that you can see the form of the person outside of it. Once you enter the bathroom, at left side, there's a big oval-shaped mirror, sink and there's a toilet bowl facing the door, on the right, there's a faucet and a pail, at the top is the shower. (really small).

Now, my first encounter was around 5:30-5:45pm (bathroom area), I spent 15 minutes after my shift to the bathroom just fixing my self! Hehe! But that day changed my bathroom routine. While I was peeing, I heard a knock outside and I saw a human shadow about 5'9" tall. At first I thought it was one of the receptionist, since she was the tallest of us all. I said "Wait Ma'am Evs, I am peeing!"...No one answered. Then, another knock. I got irritated and said "Wait, I'm not done yet, wait for your turn, ok!".

Then the knocking stopped, still, there's the shadow outside and somewhat, waiting for his/her turn. Then, my moment was done, I opened the door and no one was there, only the plant! Well, I'm not scared because I thought she got bored and waited for me outside instead or maybe it's just the reflection of the plant but the KNOCKINGS gave me a second thought. So, I went to the reception area and asked her, "Ma'am, are you the one who's been knocking in the bathroom?" She replied "No; I'm here at my desk, never moved!". Then, I asked the rest of the employees, I also got the same answer, "No one has moved to go to the bathroom since were not going home yet". That's when I got spooked and asked them, "Then, who's the tall person who knocked me there, 2 times?"...They just smiled at me.

De Lasalle University

The story I was about to tell is you is not mine, but my sister's.

She worked as a photo shoot staff for different universities. During this time, she had so many student friends. One of these was a girl who died from choking during the photo shoot before the graduation day. On that night, she had to extend her working hours in the school just to finish arranging each of the photos for different colleges/courses. Around 7pm, all of the students on that department had left. She was alone.
The story I was about to tell is you is not mine, but my sister's.

She worked as a photo shoot staff for different universities. During this time, she had so many student friends. One of these was a girl who died from choking during the photo shoot before the graduation day.

On that night, she had to extend her working hours in the school just to finish arranging each of the photos for different colleges/courses. Around 7pm, all of the students on that department had left. She was alone.

While sitting on a big table with pile of pictures, her computer at the other corner of the room opened automatically and the graduation song played. She was horrified to think that she was alone in the room and she never turned on the multimedia player. She then went to the computer and turned it off. She went back to her desk and continued with her work.

After awhile, the computer again, turned on itself and played the graduation song. This time, she ran out of the room and went to the guard's station, reported the incident and went home. At the house, she realized that maybe the ghost who played the graduation song was the girl who died that day.

Cat - As the Main Ingredient of Siopao

Fact

Cat meat is eaten as part of uncommon cuisines of Cantonese in China, Vietnam, and some rural Swiss cultures. In desperate times, people of other areas have been known to resort to cooking and eating cats. Cat meat was eaten, for example, during the famine in the Siege of Leningrad. In 1996, a place that served cat meat was supposedly discovered by the Argentine press in a shanty town in Rosario, but in fact the meal had been set up by media from Buenos Aires.

Legend

In the Philippines, there is an urban legend (and also considered a "joke") that some vendors use cat meat to make siopao (steamed bun), leading some Filipinos to name their pet cats "Siopao". The story tells that one of the restaurants in Quiapo, Manila City was caught throwing cut heads and body parts of street cats at the back. Some versions also said that they actually saw them cooking it. This urban legend began way back during the Japanese time when there was a scarcity of meat and lots of cats on the street.

Interpretation

The urban legend is just a kind of business technique of winning customers' favor over the said restaurant above, thus they told false stories circulated in the city.

Sources: http://philurbanlegends.blogspot.com

2nd Floor Lodging House

These experiences happened last year 2012 one of the lodging houses in Iligan City. I know the name of the lodge but I will not tell since the lodge might lose its publicity. It was Friday night at 8pm of the evening my cousin JR and I decided to take a couple of drinks in a bar with my girlfriend Clarisse and his girlfriend Mercy.

We were having much fun and we didn't notice the time, when I looked up in the clock it was already 10:30pm and my transportation to get home is very difficult. The last trip (JEEPNEYS) for the terminal is until 9pm only. So I decided that we take a lodging house in the city to let the night pass by.

Pure evil (google)

Itong susunod na kwentong ito ay ang pinaka-nakakatakot na naranasan ko sa buhay ko. Nangyari ito sa mga taon ng aking Kolehiyo. Kasama ko ang Pamilya at Kaibigan ko sa bakasyon. Ang Nanay ko at ang Ate ko ay kasama ang ma matatanda ng pumuta sila sa probinsya para magbakasyon.

We would meet them half way to our grand parent’s house the next morning where we planned to visit the old folks.

Within the confines of my room, surrounded by religious icons, I felt safe. Nasa kwarto ako kasi ang mga Kaibigan ko ay nag-eenjoy sa Preskong hangin sa labas. Nakatayo sa taas ng bundok tumitingin sa gabing puno ng bituin ay tunay nakakalulo sayang lang kasi pagod ako at mas pinili kong magpahinga sa loob.
Nakaupo sa kama, ine-enjoy magbasa ng libro para kahit papano makalimutan ko ang mga problema sa school. Simula na ng makaramdam ako ng presensya papunta sa kwarto.

Hindi ko masabi kung ang nararamdaman kong enerhiya ay buhay o hindi. Sa umpisa pinabayaan ko lang ito at itinuloy ang pagbabasa ko ng libo. pagkatapos ng ilang minuto, nakarinig ako ng tumatawag sakin. It sounded like a soft caring voice. Pamilyar ang boses na ito sakin, kaso hindi ko malaman kung sino talaga ito. Alam ko na hindi talaga ito normal, tumatagos ang tunog ng boses niya sa bawat sulok ng kwarto. Naka-amoy din ako ng Sulfur sa hangin.

The Robinson's Half-Human Half-Snake

The belief of a snake twin is very old, way back 17th century, when Fray Ignacio Francisco Alzina's 1668 "History of the Bisayan Islands" mentioned about it. Remember Amaya - the main character in GMA Channel 7's TV series entitled Amaya? The idea of snake twin of Amaya came from him.

While for Chinese, snake is a good-luck charm for businesses, that's the reason why some of them keep snakes in their house, more especially in bodega. Well, animals should be fed. (You'll know what I mean.) 

Jobert Sucaldito hospitalized after an accident with ... a cucumber?

Jobert Sucaldito hospitalized after an accident with ... a cucumber?

Showbiz talk show host Jobert Sucaldito is recovering at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City after a successful emergency surgery to remove a large piece of cucumber that got stuck in his rectum, according to reports.

Sucaldito, one of the hosts of ABS-CBN's The Buzz, reportedly met with the accident Sunday night and was rushed to the hospital after complaining of extreme pain in his bottom.

X-rays subsequently revealed that a broken piece of cucumber, about five inches in length, had gotten lodged into the lower end of his large intestine.

It was not immediately clear how the cucumber got there. 

Urban legend

An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's veracity, but merely that it is in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it.

Despite its name, an urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban area. Rather, the term is used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in pre-industrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term contemporary legend. Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"; so often, in fact, that "friend of a friend" ("FOAF") has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story.

Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations. One example is the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. More recent legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anesthetized, and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation (a story which folklorists refer to as "The Kidney Heist").

Origins and Structure

The term “urban legend,” as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968. Jan Harold Brunvand, professor of English at the University of Utah, introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981. Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales.

Many urban legends are framed as complete stories with plot and characters. The compelling appeal of a typical urban legend is its elements of mystery, horror, fear or humor. Often they serve as cautionary tales. Some urban legends are morality tales that depict someone, usually a child, acting in a disagreeable manner, only to wind up in trouble, hurt, or dead.

Source: wikipedia