Most Haunted Places in the Philippines

If the walls of Philippine historical buildings could speak, they would have been telling us, until now, a tapestry of bloodcurdling tales that occurred many years ago–the country’s rich history from pre-colonial times, the Spanish and American colonial periods, as well as the Japanese occupation. In the second world war alone, the country bore witness to a million Filipino deaths.

Behind the beauty of our pristine beaches and lush forests are stories of suffering under colonizers as well as tyrants. Urban legends claim that the tired wandering souls of soldiers and victims of war still walk the Earth. Who knows, maybe there’s one walking you home at night.

Top 10 Most Haunted Places in the Philippines

1.   Diplomat Hotel (Baguio City)

Wonder what this Diplomat Hotel looks like way back?

The Dominicans built the Diplomat Hotel in 1911 as a seminary. Then  it was converted into a school,  eventually ended up as a hotel. Rumor has it that when the Japanese conquered Baguio, the nuns and priests who helped Filipinos to flee were all killed and brutally decapitated. As years go by,  residents and visitors report hearing screams and seeing ghosts with headless bodies.

To add to the scare, the hotel’s manager, Tony Agpaoa, is a known psychic healer who performs operations on his wide awake  patients using bare hands , no tools, no anaesthesia. I recall watching some tv segments about it which seems to be doubtful.

Showing people that he can take away the tumor by his bare hands and the flesh wherein he digs in with his fingers and will suddenly heal as he touches. He died in that place,  from a heart attack. I wonder? Hmmm, a real ghost appeared holding his heart?

2. Fort Santiago, Intramuros (Manila)

Dare to roam to a historic site that turns into something spooky at night?

Before the country was liberated, Fort Santiago was the center of both the American and Spanish colonial governments. The city’s historic walls still stand tall and proud during the day, but when evening crawls, they take on a dark, spooky air.

Those walls seem to be the haven of some relentless spirits. There have been reported sightings of ghosts of Filipino soldiers in the area. Locals also claim to hear screaming and echoing voices from the dungeons. This isn’t surprising, given that the Japanese tortured and killed countless Filipino soldiers and guerillas here during World War II. 

3. Manila Film Center (Pasay City)

Have you heard this story when you were young? About this film center that was built and morethan dozens were buried alive. There were people practising offering chicken blood mixing it with cement. Duh? Let’s take a step inside, and see why people think this would strengthen their walls, where did they get those creepy ideas. What would you do if you were watching films and something cold brushed on your neck? Will you run? Scream? Waaa!

Imelda Marcos was the first lady during that time; she envisioned having a Parthenon-style cinema center built for the 1st Manila International Film Festival in January 1982. The construction of the Manila Film Center was reportedly rushed by hiring 4,000 laborers to work around the clock.

One eerie night, the film center’s ceiling caved down around 3 a.m. on November 17, 1981, trapping dozens of workers beneath its rubble. No one seems to know  whether all workers were rescued or retrieved, not even the film center or the Pasay City police. Lots of people believe that the building is haunted by the ghosts of construction workers who died in the rubble as work proceeded on the Film Center in order for it to be completed on time.

One survivor claims that many workers were unaccounted for and supposedly buried alive in wet cement. There was even a tell tale from old folks that you need blood to beef up the walls of your house.  Many doubt project contractor Eliodoro Ponio’s claims that he and his team were able to recover the remains of each victim.

4. LAPERAL Mansion (Baguio City)

Before it was owned by Lucio Tan, the now known site of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation’s Ifugao Bamboo Carvings Exhibit, the Laperal White House was shrouded in mystery. Caretakers reported seeing a woman dressed in white staring outside, Sadako is that you? and a small child standing on the steps of the stairs. Same like the Grudge?

It was built by the Laperals during the American occupation.

Then Japanese reportedly used the mansion as a torture chamber, a garrison, during World War II. Countless Filipino women were abused in the bedrooms, while spies were tortured in the living room. A worker reportedly even lost his sanity and committed suicide.

This is enough reason for caretakers who claimed to have seen apparitions several times to stay vigilant while inside the house.

Even cab drivers and passers-by avoid travelling down Laperal Mansion’s road at dark because of the uncanny sightings which caused a lot of road mishaps. Imagine you’re driving and there you suddenly had a glimpse of a woman in white staring at you from the window. Would you dare to pass by?

5. Lambusan Public Cemetery (San Remigio, Cebu)

As a public cemetery, it is reportedly a favored haunting place of the dead. When the family members of the departed can no longer afford to pay the rent on the graves, their loved ones’ remains are placed in a communal space, or much worse in a sack.

It’s known as one of Northern Cebu’s most desolate and depressing cemeteries. It’s impossible not to see skulls and bones just scattered in the area. This one, most likely similar to the rest of graveyards here or any part of the country, remains of those tenants whose relatives are no longer interested to pay the fee, are placed inside a sack. Imagine your loved ones placed inside a sack. That’s why I prefer to be cremated, imagine my head and  body not together.

6. Bahay na Pula (San Ildefonso, Bulacan)

A field in Bulacan still bears the ruins of the so-called “Ilusorio House”. The blood-colored mansion once stood witness to the Japanese forces’ cruelty during World War II. In 1944, the Japanese razed Pampanga’s Barrio Mapanique to the ground, murdering all the men. The Japanese troops then enslaved the women, ordering them to carry their loot to the Ilusorio House, which was converted into a military prison.

They dragged women from all over Pampanga and Bulacan to the Ilusorio House to rape and enslave them. If any woman refused, she would be subjected to torture or be executed with bayonets There are apparitions of wailing women and men who were burned alive. 

Most “comfort ladies” of those times who survived are already gone, but their trauma, along with those of the Bahay na Pula, will carry on for generations to come. Remembering the women and men who suffered, bahay na pula will be one of the world war relics that embodies pain and agony.

7. Balete Drive (Quezon City)

Do you like road trips? Don’t go wandering alone or even in groups in Balete Drive. Why?

Some routes, like Balete Drive in Quezon City, should not be driven alone, not unless you’re a triathlon athlete, or you want to have  a joyride with a woman in white.

All countries have their own version of an urban legend about a ghost lady dressed in white. In the Philippines, the most famous is the White Lady of Balete Drive. Some think the white lady often seen there is the ghost of a young girl who died in a car accident, while others believe it was a young lady who died during the Spanish colonial era. Another story says it was a girl raped and dumped on that area.

Balete trees or strangler figs are a type of fig that begins by entangling itself around trees, eventually taking over and killing the host tree. Imagine a tree killing a tree. In  Filipino superstitions, the cutting down of Balete trees brings bad luck, and sometimes even death, because they are the dwelling place of supernatural beings such as tikbalang, a half horse half human puffing cigars and diwata.  You might have seen Trese, both in the comics series and Netflix’s adaptation, they are often the site for magical rituals.

8. Malacañang Palace (Manila)

For some, having a paranormal experience at the Palace is more of a luxury than a haunting. It is alleged that several staff have reported seeing a kapre and a faceless ghost while on duty. Some people also think that the spirit of the late president Manuel L. Quezon haunts the palace.

While others have reported seeing a lady clad in black peering out of a window. Is it just a playful imagination or a teaser to attract more visitors?

9. Clark Air Base Hospital (Angeles, Pampanga)

The building that now sits abandoned was once used as a military hospital during World War II and the Vietnam War. Residents and paranormal investigators claim that the place is haunted, with reports of hauntings and sightings of soldiers’ ghosts. First floor was a pedia ward. At night, guards heard babies’ agonizing cries and apparition of towering dark figures over walls.

Bizarre Most Haunted Places in the Philippines

If you would dare to visit, you need to secure a permit because of the dangers you will encounter inside. The place was covered with ashes and had been abandoned for decades. Possibility that it may collapse anytime or you might have nightmares after the visit carrying the negativity of the place through your home.

10. Balay Negrense (Negros Occidental)

Thanks to the locals’ preservation efforts, this historic home is both a tourist attraction and a museum. But if your visit is purely for leisure or education’s purpose, here’s a word to the wise: don’t go looking into the mirrors because you might catch a glimpse of something more than you asked for.

Mirrors are portals of the unknown so don’t you dare unleash the negative energy inside. Seeing yourself in the mirror with an image behind might surprise you! Ooops, Happy Halloween everyone!

Cover photo from freepik.com