Ativan Gang

Criminal gangs are known with their distinct way or technique or method (Modus Operandi) of robbing someone or a business. Some of them are fearless. They attack their victims as if they don't have any plans. While others have plans for an attack to a person or a business to ensure that none of them will be caught.

Thanks to CCTV cameras. Knowing the identities of the criminals become much easier. However, as time passes by, they become much more dangerous compared to those criminals in the previous years.

Anyway, the Ativan Gang is not only a mere urban legend which only sprouted from rumors of the people. They actually exist, and I don't know if they still until now. Like what I always say, not all urban legends are unreal. Some of them originated from real sources, or the story itself is real. However, they are altered because of the way how it circulated through the tongues of tsismosos and tsismosas.

They became an urban legend because there are e-mailed stories spreading in the cities where the Ativan Gang is the main subject. No one knows if these said stories really happen. One thing's for sure, the incident is told by a 'friend-of-a-friend', making it doubtful. These e-mails appear as a warning, but, for me, these are good warnings though. They make Filipinos aware of what's happening.

Ativan Gang

According to real sources, Ativan Gang is one of the oldest gangs in the Philippines. Their members invite or befriend unsuspecting foreigners (usually male tourists) to eat and drink (or should I say 'bond') with them. They are using the advantage of the known Filipino attitude - hospitality. As they finally got you in their hands, they will put an ativan pill in your food or drink. As you ingested it, you'll feel dizzy and drowsy, then you find yourself asleep suddenly. The time you are unconscious, they will start robbing you - get your belongings and left you alone somewhere.

One of their tricky modus operandi is by attracting the victim using a beautiful Filipina, which is one of there member. As they were engaging in sexual activity, the girl will secretly put the drug in the drink to knock the tourist out of consciousness.

Because of them, there's this expression Filipinos used to say: Na-ATIVAN - meaning 'you are victimized by the Ativan gang' and/or 'you accidentally ingested an ativan pill'.

According to some sources, the gang started to operate in the late 70's or early 80's.


By the way, we've been talking about this Ativan Gang, but some of us don't have any idea what an Ativan pill is. So, what is it?

Ativan Drug

The last time I hear the word 'ativan' was in a news about a drug syndicate, who not only produce illegal substance but also smuggle prohibited drugs from overseas to the Philippines.

As of now, the DOH (Department of Health) and BFAD (Bureau of Food and Drugs) prohibited the selling and importing of the Ativan drug in the country. According to the same news, this drug is commonly used by criminals to rob or harm people. They might be refering to the Ativan Gang.

The generic name of the Ativan drug is lorazepam.

Ativan is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. It affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.[4] Often times, this drug is used to treat anxiety disorders.

Ativan should not be taken if you have allergies to eat. It may cause difficulty in breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. There are also serious and mild side-effects when you take this drug, namely:

confusion, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;

hyperactivity, agitation, hostility;

hallucinations; or

feeling light-headed, fainting.

Less serious side-effects:

drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness;

blurred vision;

sleep problems (insomnia);

muscle weakness, lack of balance or coordination;

amnesia or forgetfulness, trouble concentrating;

nausea, vomiting, constipation;

appetite changes; or

skin rash

That's the reason why the government forbade this drug in circulation. Aside of the reason that some people may abuse this drug, it is also dangerous.

The Rumor

[Taken from E-mail:]

Carlo waited for weeks for the showing of the latest James Bond movie. Since all of his friends were occupied that day, he decided to see the movie alone. Before he bought his ticket, he went to Burger King to get himself a burger and a coke. Like what he always does, he didn't put ice on his soda. He entered the movie house at 5:30 pm. While nibbling on his burger, he placed the cup of coke in the armrest. After taking a few sips, he suspected something very wrong with his coke. There is now ice on it. Akala nya nainom nya yung coke ng katabi nya (He thought he had sipped the coke of the someone beside him) but there was nobody seated beside him. He lifted the cup to get a closer look. Surprise, Surprise!!!! He found powdery substance floating on the soda. He also realized that the cup is now "Jollibee" and not Burger King. He immediately run for the restroom for he knew that he was 'na-ATIVAN'. He spit all fluid that he has taken in. In no more than 2 minutes, he felt dizzy. He hurriedly left the mail. He didn't know how he did it but he was able to find his way home. By the time he reached the doorstep of his house, he was already asleep. When he woke up, it was already 8pm of the following day.

This is only one of the e-mails circulating in the internet. No one knows if this really happened. I can't say this isn't true.

Others

On February 2012, a Belgian national was victimized by two women who were allegely a member of Ativan gang. The Belgian woman was a 52-year-old veterinarian. On her trip to Malate Church, two women befriended her and invited to go to Tagaytay the next day. The two also asked her if she wanted to travel to Northern Philippines, and they said they are happy to accompany her. She replied yes.

On there trip to the north, the two also brought two more women and one man. They first went to Dagupan City, then Baguio, Banawe, and after three days, to Cabanatuan City.

On a hotel in Cabanatuan, where they stayed for the night, she woke up feeling very dizzy and her companions were gone. At first, she didn't realized what actually happened to her. She was still thinking why her companions just left her alone without telling her. Upon arrival to Manila, she finally realized that here pouch is empty - her 15,000 Euros are gone. She checked the pictures on her camera, but those were deleted. Luckily, she retrieved them and printed a copy. The authorities concluded that the six criminals are members of Ativan Gang.


The reason why I said that the warning is good, and somehow helpful, because it reminds us one thing:

Don't talk to strangers.

That's a very simple reminder whenever you are in a place you are not familiar with.

Sources:
[1]http://www.drugs.com/
http://3stars-sun.blogspot.com/2008/03/philippine-gangs-and-criminal.html
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/03/06/12/belgian-loses-p1-m-ativan-gang

Image Source:
http://www.philippinen-reisen.com/aktuelle-info/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/06-ativan-gang-2.gif

The Black Nazarene

Have you watched what happened in the Black Nazarene Festival this year 2014? The aerial view of GMA Channel 7 displays how many people joined the procession. It only shows how Filipinos love this sacred image.

The Black Nazarene (Filipinos call Him Poong Itim na Nazareno) is a life-sized ivory sculpted image of Jesus posing the scene of His passion and suffering - carrying the cross. This statue was transported by Recollect friars from Acapulco, Mexico to Philippines on May 31, 1606.

The image is about 5 ft. tall and weighs around 50 kilos, having a dark wig hair made of dyed abaca or jusi with a golden thorn crowns. The cross the image is carrying is about 8 feet long. Oftenly, the Black Nazarene is dressed in a maroon tunic with golden floral or plant emblem designs embroidered on it, and with lace trimming on the collar and cuffs. A golden plate with His name on it encircles its waist. No one knows who sculpted the image. Probably, he is a Mexican because it originated there.

Survival

Traditionally, it was believed that the original complexion of the Black Nazarene was fair not black, as what it is now. However, it turned black because of an incident.

According to stories, in 17th Century, there was actually two statues scuplted from pure ivory aboard the ship. As the friars transported the images from Acapulco, Mexico to Philippines, a fire broke out on the galleon ship carrying it. The other one was hardly burnt and left in the destroyed ship. This tragedy caused the statue to turn black. Hence, earning the name Black Nazarene.

It was only in January 9, 1791 when the image was given by the Recollect priests to the Quiapo Church upon the request of Manila Archbishop Basilio Sancho, who also blessed the image in the 18th Century. On January 15, 1791, the chuch was engulfed in fire but the statue survived.

In 1863, a great earthquake struck Manila and partially destroyed the Quiapo Church.

On October 30, 1928, the church was caught in fire again and was almost completely destroyed, but then, it survived.

In 1945, World War II during the Liberation of Manila, the copy of the statue kept by the Recollect friars were destroyed. That copy was the older copy and the most famous. However, the other one survived.

Miracles

When we say miracle, it is when something occurred unusually or almost impossibly to happen to someone who didn't expect it to happen. Miracle appears to be contrary to the law of nature, and because of that, humans refer it as an act of God.

For some people who suffers a serious illness, they tend to believe to something impossible just because there were others who succeed on it. They do the most peculiar and outrageous thing to please the miracle or God to give them what they really wanted or needed. Philippines is not an exception for a country full of people who believes in miracle. Some mimic the sufferings of Jesus - from carrying a heavy wooden cross to being crucified; some dance in a festival for almost an hour just to have a baby; and some do everything so their towels or handkerchief touch the sacred statue. For non-believers, these people are fanatic, extremist, and more common - stupid.

Anyway, I can say, the Black Nazarene is one of the most miraculous images of Jesus Christ in the whole world. Obviously, it is because of the devotees - not only one or two devotees, nor a hundred or thousand but more than a million of them.

At some time in the past, I considered the belief of Black Nazarene as a miraculous thing as a mere folklore and even an urban legend. Now, I consider my belief wrong. How can you say it's not true if your opponent for that opinion is more than a million individual believers? How can you prove it's not true if you yourself didn't experienced going there?

I wanted to include here an example of this thing they called miracle through Black Nazarene. But I think, I don't need to put one here. Why? Because there are millions of stories of miracles that happened to individual person - from a simple wish of having a happy family to healing the most serious disease. I also wanted to put here examples of wishes that didn't come true, but I have no right to do so. God moves in mysterious way. No one knows, aside of Him, when the wish will be granted.

Afterword

I've never joined the parade of the Black Nazarene ever since. As you can see in TV shows, it is very dangerous especially to those people who have no enough strength and determination. I am also not a devotee of the image so I don't bother going there. The truth is I don't like the festival. Maybe some of you would think the same way as mine. Why will you sacrifice yourself just to touch and kiss this wooden-made black image of Jesus Christ carrying a black cross if you can pray peacefully in any church for miracle? I am very sure it's not only me who questions the same way. Like what the bible verse said, "You should not create any sculpted image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven, earth or water. You should not bow to them, nor serve them. I, the Lord your God, am a JEALOUS God . . . " (Exodus 20:3-5) In my opinion, statues are created to inspire each and everyone of us to live the same way as them, not to praise them.

But as a Filipino, I am not ashamed of what my countrymen do in the festival. Yes, I am not in favor of it, but how can you explain their extreme devotion? They are willing to do everything for the sake of faith, and that made me say, "I'm proud being a Filipino." Well, even though the TV screen shows you a ruinous mob, you will not see even one person who looks angry and irritated. All of them have a smiling or courageous face. Some of them fainted and hardly injured but if you will talk to them and ask them personally if they still wanted to go back, only a small percent of people will say 'NO'. In my estimate, zero to five percent of them will answer that. One factor that affects my estimate is the continuous rise of number of people who joins the procession annually. Every year almost twenty to fourty percent adds to the previous number. The ambiance of the venue is not beautiful, but the fact that people love what they are doing is astonishing.

My professor once told me this, "Filipinos are religious, but not spiritual." At first, I don't know what she mean with that, but as I became more rational I now understand her. For me, she's partly right and partly wrong. Yes it's affirmative to say Filipinos are religious, because they are faithfully devoted in religious belief like the Black Nazarene Festival and the Voluntary Crucifixion in Pampanga every Holy Week. But aside of it, what they (and my professor) didn't know is that the Filipinos are also spiritually affected. They somehow change some of their normal ways to make their lives more positively good enough. Their faith also expands largely.

Source:
www.inquirer.net/newsinfo/?id=560493
www.solarnews.ph/news/metro/2013/01/09/brief-history-of-the-black-nazarene
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Nazarene
Image Source:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/167628_495676934795_5334487_n.jpg

The Ghost in CCP and Metropolitan Theater

Old buildings are always associated with terror - that all of them have cruel past and unwanted memories of people who once lived there, but that is not absolute. As those buildings are also connected with ghosts - ghost of those people who really loved the place, it only mean that they didn't want to depart on the structure because of its dear significance.

Not all buildings can be compared or synonymously be pointed to the Manila Film Center, whose past became so tragic that the dead still haunts the place for vengeance and justice.

One of our readers gave me an idea about the ghost living in the Cultural Center of the Philippines.[a] As I was finding information about the CCP ghost, I found one story about the Metropolitan Theater. So I thought, it could be much useful if I combine both old theaters in Metro Manila. Thanks to the stories created by Luce and Clarence Tuvera in Yourghoststories.com. They gave me enough history of the ghosts.

So let's get started . . .

The Manila Metropolitan Theater

Before the creation of the CCP, artistic performances were held in public places around the country. The Manila Grand Opera House, which was constructed in mid-19th Century, housed the stage plays, operas and zarzuelas and other important events in Manila. Then, there came the creation of Metropolitan Theater (or MET as what others call it).

The Manila Metropolitan Theater was the first theater created before the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It houses the Braodway of the Philippines - an Art Deco building of Manila. It was constructed in 1931. Juan M. Arellano is the Filipino architect who designed the MMT.

During the liberation of Manila by the United States and Filipino forces in 1945, the theatre was severely damaged, losing some of its roofing and destroying some of the walls. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s. In the following decade it was meticulously restored in 1978 but again fell into decay.[3]

The Cultural Center of the Philippines

The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government owned and controlled corporation established for preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture. It provides local and international productions with stage performances and exhibitions. In addition to it, the CCP is also the venue for festivals.

Leandro Locsin was the designer of the structure. It was originally planned to be constructed in Quezon City when the Philippine-American Cultural Foundation (PACF) raised fund for this new theater. However, First Lady Imelda Marcos persuaded the PACF to relocate the plan to Roxas Boulevard in Manila. Executive Order No. 60 was issued by Pres. Marcos for formalization of the project.

The construction was objected by Senator Ninoy Aquino because the money used came mostly from public fund and it didn't have congressional appropriation, and the institution was branded for the elites.

Story

[Taken from Internet:[1]]

Who's that Girl? By: luce [ . . . ] That day, during dad's shift, their crew were informed that the president's first lady, Imelda Marcos, will be watching the play. The Presidential Security Group (PSG) thoroughly swept the place for anything and anyone suspicious. After that, my dad and the sound technician (let's call him Roy), went up to the control room behind the stage (it's elevated, think two story backstage) and started checking their equipment to get ready for the play. Their area allows them to see the stage without being seen by the audience. Imagine the recording studios with the glass panel - that's pretty much how it looks like. On the first level across them (still behind the stage) are two PSG men, stationed in that area. The play started without a hitch but during the intermission, the two PSG guys came running inside the control room. My dad and Roy got a little worried - during that time, getting in trouble with the Marcoses either mean torture or death. One of PSG guys spoke up and asked whether someone went through the room. My dad and Roy told them they haven't seen anyone go through the door. Unconvinced, the PSG guys pointed to a door on the right. Roy said that door has been locked for a long time but gave them the key anyway so they could check it themselves. They did and found the tiny room dusty and empty (no trap doors or anything). For a couple of tough guys, they started looking a little shook up. They told my dad and Roy that just a few minutes ago, before the intermission, they saw a lady with long hair and white clothes entering the room--running, then disappearing. My dad and Roy looked at each other, shrugged and told the PSG guys that it happens a lot there (the whole CCP in fact). Here's another tale I want to share with you guys about that place. In class, during high school, our teacher in English was discussing the details of our upcoming project. She then started sharing the woes of our upperclassmen (or women since I studied in an all-girls school) with their thesis. I stopped listening at this point, deciding to scribble doodles on my notebook but a picture being passed around piqued my interest. My teacher said it was taken in one of the hallways of the CCP (the hall with the huge mirrors). I can't remember if it's 3 or 4 of her students, but I can remember seeing 3 unwelcome images - one of a lady with long hair and a boy between 2 of her students, and a head of a man in front. The lady and the boy were in the mirror. Their images like smoke. The man in front is less discernible at first glance, it looks like it was super imposed. All in 35 mm of film. No, I don't have a copy of that picture. I was a broke high school student (remember, 'tis the age of nice old film cameras) and was not a huge fan of the supernatural back then.

Another story which gave me much interest is The Dame by Clarence Tuvera.

[Taken from Internet:[2]]

The Dame By: Clarence Tuvera [ . . . ] . . . Artistic Director Rolando Tinio received the invitation to join the festival, he gladly accepted it, taking it as an act of good will on the part of the CCP. He decided to mount his Filipino translation of Will Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night (Ikalabing-Dalawang Gabi), featuring his actress wife, the dame of classical theater in the Philippines, Ella Luansing Tinio in the role of Viola. A week before the start of the actual festivities, however, Ella Luansing suddenly died due to a tragic car accident. We half expected to receive a call from director Tinio saying he will withdraw his company's participation from the festival, but he didn't. He did call to inform us that his daughter, Victoria Tinio will be taking over the role of Viola, and that we were to make the necessary changes in the list of cast for the official festival program. I know many of the people in TP. I have worked with them backstage in at least two productions, one of which - Will Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (translated as Ang Trahedya ni Hamlet, Prinsipe ng Denmarka) - was when they were already at the MET. I went to visit them two days before their Technical Dress Rehearsal, partly on official business (Director Tinio was supposed to deliver a lecture on Stage Management to festival participants, and I came over to inform him of the exact venue of the lecture), and partly out of nostalgia. Even the whole stage design was tweaked to reflect the company's state of mourning, as shown by the black and white veils that hang from the battens and falls ever so gracefully down to the stage boards. An extra character was also incorporated into the performance - a lady in black, laced evening gown whose face is covered with a thin black veil - appearing at certain scenes on stage. This extra character was played by TP resident actress, Divina Fabrique Cavestany who bears a striking resemblance to the late Ella Luansing Tinio (same facial features, same piercing eyes, same posture, though younger by a decade.) This character was to appear whenever the actors on stage would recite a soliloquy from other plays that Tinio incorporated into the script. These soliloquies were from characters in other plays that the late Ella performed in. Needless to say, the rehearsal that I witnessed, as a whole, was creepy and depressing (considering that Twelfth Night is supposed to be a comedy of manners). Nevertheless, some of us who have worked with the company in the past decided to see the play on closing night (it ran for three weekends, excluding the actual festival week). That was to be TP's final performance, as Rolando decided to finally call it quits after 17 years of translating and producing classics of world theater for Filipino audiences. His main disciple and creative partner, Ella, is gone, and so he figured there was no more reason to continue. All TP alumni, on stage and back stage, were invited to a quiet dinner afterwards. During final performance, however, as Divina's character weaved in and out of scenes, something extraordinary happened. Another lady in black appeared on stage, much to everyone's horror. The face was veiled, and yet there was no mistaking those eyes that pierced through the thin fabric. Divina actually stopped her entrance from stage left, then walked right back out, as the other veiled figure stood at stage right. Being the professionals that they were, the actors proceeded with the performance as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. The audience, many of whom were regular TP fans and Classics of World Theater enthusiasts, was in complete silence: everyone knew the late Ella enough to recognize her presence. If it was a bad joke, it was done in poor taste. The apparition appeared several times that night, often stopping Divina on her tracks. At one point, it made an entrance while Divina was already on stage. Everyone saw the two women in black on the stage at the same time. It was unnerving. At curtain time, however, only Divina came out in her costume, sans the veil to take her final TP bow. As the curtain fell for the last time, the unnerved audience stepped out of the theater in such a hurry you would have thought there was a fire somewhere. I don't know if many of the cast and TP alumni stayed for the dinner after the performance. I know I didn't. [ . . . ] TP: Teatro Pilipino

Note: The stories above are summarized for briefing the whole original story. You can visit the source websites.

Afterword

The second story is proven true by the author himself. Though the incident happened in Metropolitan Theater, the ghost seemed similar to the CCP ghost. But I don't mean the Met ghost is the same ghost in CCP. What I mean is, ghost like them have unfinished business. Ella Luansing (the Met ghost), if she didn't die, she should have been one of the characters in the play.

Note: Try pointing your cursor on the underlined words or letters for an additional information or definition.

Sources:
[1]http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=12344
[2]http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=18857
[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Metropolitan_Theater
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Center_of_the_Philippines
Image Source:
http://www.renegadetheatercompany.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ghost_light-palace_theater.jpg

Malabon City's 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

January 24, 1998 Aswang News in Caloocan City

Lung ailment, not aswang killed baby, says doc ASWANG, in the city? Not really. The Caloocan City police assured terrorized residents of Dagat-Dagatan yesterday that the area is not infested with aswang, the human flesh-eating creature of Philippine folklore. The statement came following reports that an old female aswang devoured a newborn baby boy residing in the area early Wednesday morning. Police investigators clarified that the immediate cause of the death of three-week-old Dave Nagawa is broncho-pneumonia, the inflammation of the lungs. Dave was found by her mother Leonor already stiff at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday inside their house at Block 39, Lot 7, Sabalo Street, Kaunlaran Village, Dagat-Dagatan. Leonor, 21, said she could not explain why her baby's mouth and nose were oozing with blood. Lumps were also found in Dave's head, neck and left shoulder. "We were shocked; he [Dave] was a healthy baby. He did not even get sick from the day he was born," Leonor said. Her husband Edwin added that Leonor had even played with Dave the night before he died. "But when we woke up early [Wednesday] morning, he [Dave] was already stiff," he said. The baby's death remained a mystery because the couple has yet to receive the death certificates, inflaming the superstitious beliefs of the neighbors, most of whom hailed from the allegedly aswang-infested provinces in southern Philippines. But some' neighbors claimed having proof. A girl alleged seeing a fierce-looking old woman at the roof of the Nagawa's house during the early morning that Dave died. Reports quoted a certain Roselle Echano, nine, as describing the old woman as having very long hair, wrinkled skin and reddish, glowering eyes. These descriptions aptly fit the portrayal of the supernatural being in Philippine folklore. Moreover, when some neighbors scaled thereof, they reportedly discovered blood-stains that led to a small opening in the couple's room. "The aswang could have sucked the baby's blood," the neighbors said. Leonor herself recalled that their neighbors used to say during her pregnancy that an old woman was frequently seen on their roof every night. "But I did not buy it, I thought it was all hearsay," she said. Still, intense terror gripped the residents that barangay tanods kept watch the night after the incident occurred. So intense it failed to escape media attention. Too intense that city police chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao ordered his investigators to "verify" and present feedback on the incident. Investigators Senior Police Officer I Romeo Onte and Police Officer I Joel Aquino dug into the mystery only to find out that nothing mysterious surrounded the baby's death. The policemen discovered . that Dave di'ed.of naturals causes, particularly of broncho-pneumonia, as verified by' Caloocan City Medical Officer 4 Dr. Isidore Ayson. Ayson furthered that the lung disease caused the baby's bleeding. Aquino said the Nagawal couple also "verbally denounced" the reports, claiming that their son was not a victim of a "witch." Moreover, a certain Rodelia Echano, 14, the victim's neighbor and probably Roselle's sister, said that she saw not an old woman but a big cat on the roof of the couple at around 2 a.m. Wednesday. End of the story? Not quite. Some Dagat-Dagatan residents just refuse to bury the issue, claiming that there is indeed an aswang in the area. Not a few residents have been buying extra garlic, the alleged aswang repellent. Sharon Lansangan, 15, the victim's aunt, is sure that her nephew was killed by the aswang which lingered about on their roof. "Before Dave died, I heard noise on the roof. It could not be a cat or anything as it squeaked 'ik, ik, ik' [the "patented" sound of the aswang]," she said.

Source:
http://www.margarita-station.com/newsclippings/nc98_1a.html

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 original building of the university was actually in Intramuros, then they transfered in Sampaloc (the present location of UST).

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.[1]

The Legend

[Taken from Internet:[2]]

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 [Arch] of the Centuries towards the Main building, you will see unexplainable [inexplainable/inexplicable] languages, words, and symbols being etched at the side [in the walls] 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 [need] to order those Dominican priests to build this kind of passageway? What's inside this passageway, and what does it contains [contain]? How come that this passageway has been able to be kept for almost nine millenniums without the knowledge of our fellow university men? [How did they hide this passageway for almost nine millenniums without the knowledge of our fellow university men?] What does [do] the codes mean? Does the positioning of the University or the above photo* of the university can give us hints? [Can the position of the University or the above photo* give us hints?] Does [Do] 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... *I don't have the photo the author was talking about.

Findings

As written above by the original author of the narrative, it was a "popular 'myth'". Thus, many people knew it.

One of our readers noticed something, about St. Thomas Aquinas. He (the original author) said that the Saint planned and ordered the construction of the 'secret passageway.' However, St. Thomas had died earlier (on March 4, 1274) before the main building of UST started its construction (in 1924). Even though the university was founded in 1611, it's still too late; and the European (esp. Spaniards) even came in the Philippines in 1521.

The author also claimed that (s)he personally saw those symbols or languages inscribed in the walls of the said hallway (Arch of the Centuries towards the Main building). (S)He considered the symbols to be a puzzle that may reveal the way to the secret passageway.

The Arch of the Centuries (s)he is talking about was originally erected in 1611 at Intramuros.When UST transferred in Sampaloc, the Arch was also carried piece-by-piece and was re-erected at the present Plaza Intramuros in 1954. The original Arch which faces the Main Building was the main doorway to the university building before it was destroyed during World War II when it was at Intramuros. A newer arch faced España Boulevard, which is a reconstruction of the original arch.[3]

While the Main Building, its construction was handed over Fr. Roque Ruaño, a Spanish Dominican who had graduated at the top of the first graduating class of the UST's Faculty of Engineering in 1912. He conducted a research about earthquakes of the country.[4] Thus, the main building was built as an earthquake proof.

(S)He also mentioned the Quadricentennial Square. Ramon Orlina’s sculpture, “Tetraglobal”, is the centerpiece of it, which signifies the various stakeholders of the university represented by four figures: Two students, one male and the other, female; a professor; and a Dominican priest.[5]


Being the oldest university in Asia, it is possible that such school may hide some doorways beneath its buildings. Even the old monumental buildings (esp. Castles) in Europe contain secret passageways that may lead you from here to there. My first impression with this legend is, the author considered the university campus like that of Hogwarts. Well, I can't blame him/her. I admit, I also love mysteries and discovering places not been discovered.

It made me remember the stories my uncle told me about the province where he grew up. I am eager to go there.

Sources:
[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas
[2]http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=160579
[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_the_Centuries
[4]http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/artsandbooks/artsandbooks/view/20110131-317554/The-history-behind-USTs-National-Cultural-Treasures
[5]http://www.ust.edu.ph/index.php/landmarks/839-quadricentennial-square.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas
Note:
The above story in the box is unedited. The 'I' on it is not the author of this article himself but the original writer of the story. The italicized words were inserted to make it clear and understandable for the readers.

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.

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

Village in Manila City Bears The Mark Of The Beast

I didn't know there's a Barangay (Village) in Metro Manila that bears the number 666 as its official name. As the news below says, that its the only barangay in the Philippines which has the mark of the beast.

By the way, this isn't an urban legend. I just wanted to share this news I found in internet.

The News

[Taken from a News Website: October 31, 2012, 10:10pm]

Almost a month ago, a 21-year-old man committed suicide by hanging from a balete tree located in a compound where the Barangay 666 Hall is located. Stories recounted by witnesses revealed that prior to the man’s suicide, the man named “Angelito” used to talk every night to someone unseen, who allegedly lives underneath the small fig tree. But in an interview with MB Research, “Diablo” just dismissed such stories as fictional, citing that “Angelito” had earlier been diagnosed with a mental disorder, which probably led to his self-murder. “Diablo” also doesn’t believe in ghost stories, even if his village has long been synonymous with the mark of the devil. “Diablo” is Felix “Mac” P. Macapagal, the incumbent chairman of Barangay 666, Zone 72 in Ermita, Manila. Macapagal has been fondly tagged “Mac Diablo” because he has long been serving as head of Barangay 666 since he was first elected in 1989. He has lived in this residential community since the 1970s, during his growing-up years, and in his recollection, he has never experienced any frightening incidents in his bailiwick. The number 666 is specifically mentioned in the Holy Bible’s Book of Revelation as the mark of the beast. Chapter 13:18 of Revelation quotes: “a certain wisdom is needed here; with a little ingenuity, anyone can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a certain man. The man’s number is six hundred sixty-six.” “It forced all men, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to accept a stamped image on their right hand or their forehead. Moreover, it did not allow a man to buy or sell anything unless he was first marked with the name of the beast or with the number that stood for its name,” Revelation 13:16-17 further states. Macapagal said that there is nothing special or extraordinary with their barangay, aside from coincidentally having the beast’s mark. He emphatically clarified that no beast has ever existed in their area. “We are not like the other cities that have names for their barangay. In Manila, number is the basis for every barangay. It’s just a coincidence that our barangay is 666,” said Macapagal. He noted that Ermita has four other barangays aside from 666, which are 667, 668, 669 and 670. Out of around 42,000 barangays in the Philippines, National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) official Fernando Regalado certified that it is the only village in the country that bears the name 666. Officer Arlene Ramos of the Department of Interior and Local Government-National Barangay Operations Office (DILG-NBOO) affirmed that even if the National Capital Region (NCR) still has cities with numbers as name, it is only Manila that has the unique Barangay 666. “Our barangay is 666, many are scared, but we don’t believe in it because we don’t feel that 666 is unlucky. Actually, it seems lucky because we never get sick and my body is doing good,” said Macapagal. Located at the heart of Manila, the nation’s capital, Barangay 666 covers a large land area, where an estimated 1,400 people live in houses and condominiums. The compound, where their barangay hall stands is a 10-minute walking distance from the Manila City Hall. It also houses a small school for the children. Interestingly, Barangay 666’s jurisdiction includes famous landmarks in Manila like the Rizal Park, Qurino Grandstand, United Nations Avenue, Padre Burgos Street, Manila Ocean Park, and even the United States embassy. “What we’re talking about are the primary duties of the barangay, which is what we are doing. Like the business permit clearance, there has to be a barangay chairman who will give it. So even if it’s a national park, which is under the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), there is still a barangay that manages it,” said Macapagal. NPDC Marketing and Events Specialist Florizza Buclatin confirmed in a separate interview Macapagal’s statements that as for the coverage of the entire Rizal Park, Barangay 666 starts from Taft Avenue, to the Relief Map of the Philippines, leading to all the parks, gardens and other attractions, to the famed ‘Kilometer Zero’ and execution site of Jose Rizal, up to Quirino Grandstand and Manila Ocean Park. Barangay 666 also covers various government offices in the vicinity, like NPDC, the Department of Tourism (DOT), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the National Library and the National Museum. Macapagal and Buclatin clarified, though, that management of barangay officials only comes in terms of small issues and affairs, like minor feuds among people within the area that need to be settled first at the barangay level. “If there are barangay matters that they can’t handle, it will be brought to us, like disputes of the guards, which should be taken care first by the barangay [officials],” said Macapagal. But ghost stories in the area and offices covered by Barangay 666 remain to take the spotlight in the village. Buclatin said that although she hasn’t experienced anything unusual yet, stories, like toilets suddenly flushing without someone using it, seem to take over most of their scary conversations inside their workplace. Allan Mangahas, janitor of the National Library, in another interview, seconded Buclatin’s claims that many students had told her about eerie tales like seeing ghosts inside the reading room and comfort rooms of the library. Mangahas added that sometimes, he is afraid when left alone at the ground floor, but he clarified that “it still depends on the people’s strong faith, because [even if I’m scared,] I haven’t experienced anything.” However, Macapagal insisted that such stories are only for kids and should not be considered anymore by adults. He added that ghost stories were used back then just to convince the young ones to sleep early at night. Divina Villacarlos, lady guard of the National Museum, also believed that there are no ghosts, since she hasn’t experienced yet such supernatural beings. She said that as a security guard, she has been assigned to different floors of the museums, but she has never seen anything scary. Macapagal revealed there are other things that seem scarier than ghosts or beasts in the barangay. “Those live ones are whom we have to be afraid of, since dead people can no longer come back,” said Macapagal, as he noted the increasing number of snatchers, holduppers, and riding-in-tandem gangs in the metropolis. He also mentioned the problems of increasing street children in his barangay, especially now with the onset of the holiday season. With proper coordination of the police force and social workers, Macapagal said they can continuously cope with the different issues in their community. Macapagal also boasted one ‘special’ landmark in their barangay, aside from the usual markers found at the Rizal Park. “We have the Luneta Hotel, a century-old hotel, which is being renovated. It is perhaps the only building in the Philippines which has a unique structure fixed at the exterior walls of the building,” he said pointing at the winged lizard and monkey-like structures built as part of the hotel’s designs. According to the chairman’s research, a Spanish architect-engineer had built the hotel, which is now being preserved by the government. “We think that there is someone protecting the building. Nobody has ever been hurt every time an accident occurs in the area, specifically when the designs are damaged or suddenly falls. That’s why we think Luneta Hotel is unique,” said Macapagal. Meanwhile, Macapagal no longer aims to change the name of his barangay. “Our barangay is happy, even if it is 666. It will be tedious to have it changed because it will have to undergo Congress. Since it is destined to become our [barangay] number, we have already accepted it [though] we are not devils,” Macapagal said.

Sources:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/379526/manila-barangay-bears-the-mark-of-the-beast#.UNNBaJGxNk4

The 1972 Great Flood of Luzon and 2012 Habagat has similar cause?

Bagyo is the common word for tropical cyclones or mainly called typhoons in the Philippines, which actually came from the name of Baguio City when the said place was stormed on 1911 recording 46 inches of rainfall for 24 hours. PAGASA (which in English means Hope) or Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is an institution studying, monitoring, forecasting and providing data and warnings about the future and present weather, flood, sea waves, meteorological, astronomical and climatic activities, and etc. Habagat is the Filipino term for South wind, while Amihan is for North wind.

Well, we're not discussing everything about storms in this country. So, let's proceed on the main topic - the urban legends behind the 1972 and 2012 destructing rainfalls.

The 1972 Great Flood of Luzon

In 1972, time of Marcos' administration (or should I say, dictatorship), the whole Luzon sunk in flood caused by non-stop rainfall. They said, the reason was the disappearance of Sto. Niño of Tondo on July 14, 1972. The rainfall lasted after 40 days and 40 nights just like the biblical story of Noah. First Lady Imelda Marcos, hearing this as the reason, ordered to find the said image, as well as Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, her husband. They set large amount of peso as reward to whoever will find it and point out the thief who stole it.

According to Fr. Lorenzo Egos, parish priest of Tondo that time, the Sto. Niño de Tondo vanished when ... the thieves hid in the church when the doors were bolted at 8 p.m. the night before. He also told the police that he suspected peoples attending the Mass days before.

The image was described as being: two feet tall, a wooden body with ivory parts, adorned with accessories of gold and silver. To the faithful, the image was priceless, but for police purposes a P500,000 price tag was provided.

Three days after the disappearance of Sto. Niño de Tondo, the suspect was arrested. He is Reynio Rivera. The image was found separately in Balagtas Street (the wooden body dumped in a canal near Rivera?s house, the left arm, a silver scepter, a golden cross, and a bronze crown), and was sent to Malacañang Palace to put them together. By the way, the other parts were recovered from Eugenio Milan (as he bought the gold cross for only P43, and became the accessory of the crime), and some others was sold in the art gallery in Vito Cruz. Dr. Eleuterio Pascual, the owner of the gallery, presented to Mrs. Imelda Marcos the other parts.

It turned out that the said 40 days and 40 nights of non-stop rainfall was not really true. A thanksgiving was held in Palace when Pres. Marcos read the English and Tagalog version of the ephistle, while the devotees were waiting outside to escort their patron. The image was brought back in procession to Tondo on August 2, 1972. That same time, the weather improved and the flood subsided. The procession became emotional.

Well, after the said event, churches' treasures and important artifacts were brought back to the specific church were they came from.

The 2012 Habagat

Here, the reason behind the said rainfall, which lasted for almost one week non-stop of rainfall, was the disappearance of the gold-plated monstrance in St. Peter's Shrine along Commonwealth, Quezon City. It was actually stolen by someone, till now, no one who he/she was.

Monstrance is a vessel that displays the consecrated host. It is placed inside the adoration chapel where people can see it and pray silently. According to research is not only used by the Roman Catholic but also by Old Catholic and Anglican churches.

In this case, the monstrance was not brought back, however the Habagat faded deliberately. So, it was strange, and on the other hand, it was obviously not real.

PAGASA's Explanation why it happened

The reason of almost non-stop raining was the typhoons that struck the Philippines almost consecutively.

The Bagyong Edeng passed first. It landed in the Philippines.

The Bagyong Gloring next. Even though it didn't land fall in the Philippines, yet it strengthened the Habagat (Southwest Monsoon) which flowed in the country leading 214 deaths. It happened on July 17 and 21.

Then the Bagyong Huaning and Bagyong Isang.

Just recently, Habagat struck the Philippines, which was strengthened by Bagyong Gener. This typhoon was formed in southeast of Metro Manila. It sunk half of Pampanga, some cities in Metro Manila, Bulacan and other neighboring provinces of the latter.

Still, I'm wondering if the 1972 incident was true or not, but the reason might be Filipino's are searching for reason or who should be blamed of the strange happening.

Sources:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20091007-228764/Flooding-and-the-Sto-Nio-de-Tondo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoons_in_the_Philippines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Pacific_typhoon_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Pacific_typhoon_season
http://watchamacallit-claa.blogspot.com/2012/07/church-burglaries-on-rise.html
[Picture from:]
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3298/3331662297_568f5ff052.jpg

The ghost of the Manila Film Center

This is not really a legend since it actually happened. But the story about the haunting is the legend.

About

The Manila Film Center is an abandoned auditorium by Manila Bay in the Cultural Center complex. A Korean company is currently making efforts rehabilitating the image of the center with a transvestite Las Vegas-like act. Now housing the "Amazing Philippine Theatre," the massive building is patronized nightly by dozens of Korean honeymooners who pose in front of the kitschy Egyptian Pharoah figure above the doorway before entering to enjoy the performance by the "country's prettiest gays." Most of the couples are completely unaware of its ghostly reputation, if one doesn't consider Filipino males with long hairless legs as apparitions.

It is haunted by the ghosts of angry construction workers. People hear cries and moans, see apparitions as well as bleeding walls and arms sticking out from under doors.

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.

Unfortunately, it appears that both Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, began to change the building plans while the structure was being built, forcing construction delays. As a result, the center was being completed as quickly as possible in time for its inaugural film festival.

On November 18, 1981, shortly before 3:00 a.m., scaffolding and wooden support gave way while cement was being leveled on the sixth floor of the half-finished Manila Film Center, killing 26 construction workers and injuring 36 others. However, according to the Marcos-controlled press, 28 workers were killed in the accident, and some says 15 only. 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, therefore it was said that instead halting the project for a rescue attempt and digging out the workers, Betty ordered, “Pour the cement.”, thus, the bodies and some of the still alive people were burried on the spot in a rush to finish the building for Imelda Marcos' film festival and the Miss Universe pageant.

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.’

In a 2005 documentary produced by GMA Network Channel 7: i-Witness, all 169 workers were traced and the records show that not more than a dozen died. Furthermore all the bodies were retrieved and were given a proper burial.

Legend

Of course with a tragedy like this, there are going to be restless souls attached to the building and some of these ghosts have been spooking guests of nearby buildings.

In one story, a stranger approached a passer-by, who gives him a calling card and asked him to telephone his family and tell them that he was all right, and that he would be leaving soon. When the passer-by made the call, a startled voice explained that her husband was dead -- his body was one of those encased in the film center.

Source:
- Beth Day Romulo, Inside the Palace: The Rise and Fall of Ferdinand & Imelda Marcos. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1987: 167-68.
http://blogs.gmanews.tv/sidetrip/blog/archives/42-The-Manila-Film-Center-mystery-A-ghostly-place-or-an-urban-legend.html
http://asiaparanormal.blogspot.com/2009/12/haunting-in-manila-film-center.html

Manananggal in Tondo

Manananggal, aswang and kapre are the common Filipino mythical creatures that somehow reached the urban city to plague and terrorize the people. These creatures are the famous subject for an interesting and goosebumping stories that stimulates the imagination of ones' mind. Until now, people still think that they're one of us, and sometimes, they are pointed to cause an inexplicable happening.

For this article, we'll be talking about manananggal. This frightening creature, according to legend, has the power of separating his lower body with his upper part only at night, then rejoin them back before dawn. It is also considered as a vampire because it feeds with human flesh. (For more about it, click here.)

The Story

According to some rumor, this manananggal had been on board a ship en route to Siquijor. But, for some reason, she got stranded in Manila. In some accounts, the ship that she was on got wrecked. Well, that's not the real story how the monster got in the city.

[Taken from the Internet:[a]]

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It was the presidential election month (May) in 1992, when people of Tondo, Manila was terrorized by a monster. They reported seeing a female manananggal roaming at night, hunting for a victim. This news, which was published in a tabloid, almost replaced the news updates about the election day. Filipinos, that time, are interested in both stories.

The story started to spread after a news paper (Daily News) published an article with an interview with a local woman of Tondo about the monster. Her name is Martina Sta. Rosa.

She told the reporter of the said newspaper, “She attacked me. I was just lucky I was able to get free. I saw half of her body. It was naked. She had long, scraggly hair, long arms, nails and sharp fangs.”

Her neighbor (Mr. Alfonso Bernardo), corroborated the tale stating, “We saw it fly away from her house.”

The woman named Teresita Beronqui was believed to be the said hideous monster. Her home was attacked by angry local people accompanied by a television crews. ABS-CBN reporter interviewed the elderly woman who through a veil of tears pleaded her innocence. The woman even claimed that she herself had been attacked by the monster and tried to prove this by showing the missing toes from one of her feet. However, a said vampire expert, after interrogating her, stated in a national television, the she was lying.

Another vampire expert was called to comment on the Mananaggal attack. According to him, the woman who was accused of being the monster was indeed a vampire, but she transformed back to her normal self after the last attack. However, when she was asked to explain the missing toe of the woman, he affirmly stated that she had failed to shape-shift back completely!

Another interview was conducted to bring out the truth if she really is a vampire or not. The reporter, named Cesar Soriano, produced a dried stingray tail. Well, Filipino knew that stingray tail is an effective weapon to repel monsters, especially if they (those monsters) are touched with it. But when the accused woman touched it, she never felt anything, except of course its roughness. If she really is a vampire, then she should have felt something bad on it.

Fact check:

People panicked over the thought of a manananggal in the city. Sociologists pointed out that the manananggal story is often used to keep people in line. In the Spanish era, it was used to persuade people to be more pious. In the 1950s, according to an essay by Jessica Zafra, some sources pointed out that Americans encouraged the spread of the manananggal story in the countryside by telling people that strangers wandering into their barrios could very well be manananggals. Thus, they had to report the presence of these strangers. In reality, it was said to be a strategy to identify rebels. Thus, the "presence" of a manananggal in Tondo actually made sense, as fear of her would help curb the nightly brawls that were rampant in the neighborhood. Even tough guys prefer staying home than encountering a creature that wants to have them as midnight snack.[b]

Aside of that, because the story rose in the midst of the election month, it might be a way of making people focus on the other much interesting story or be distracted on the political upheaval.[a]

Sources:
a. http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2010/07/neil-arnold-terror-of-tondo.html
b. http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/41192/urban-legends-that-drove-pinoys-crazy