A Girl's Rear View Reflection

"Kung makikita mo ang sarili mong walang ulo sa salamin o sa litrato, malapit na ang araw ng iyong kamatayan."
[Whenever you see yourself headless in the mirror or picture, the day of your death is near.]

That's one example of a Filipino pamahiin or in English - superstition. Pamahiin is an irrational belief explicating a natural and/or supernatural action or incident that may lead to good or bad luck.

I was still in high school when I first heard this pamahiin. At that time, reading ghost stories were popular to students in our campus. We really love that hobby, and because of that, I became interested in everything mysterious, aside of my professor's influence.

Anyway, I also learned the only way how to reverse the effect of the said pamahiin.

Kailangan mong sunugin ang damit na suot mo noong oras na nakita mong wala kang ulo.
[You need to burn the clothes you wore the time you saw yourself headless.]

Doing that is a must, because there are no more other known ways to counter the pamahiin.

Speaking of this pamahiin, there was a story spreading about a girl whose taxicab driver saw her headless in the rear view mirror. The driver told her to burn the clothes immediately after arriving to her house.

The Story

[Taken from Internet:[1]]

A woman gets off work late and takes a jeep home. She is a little unnerved as she is the lone passenger but she's in a hurry to get home so she doesn't want to wait for another jeep. The driver keeps glancing at her through the rear view mirror. After what feels like forever, the jeep starts. The driver keeps looking at her and, horrified, the woman notices that he's trembling and sweating. She moves to the back of the jeep just in case the situation escalates. To her relief, they reach their stop. What the driver calls out after her turns her blood cold, though. "Miss, pagka-uwi mo, paki-usap sunugin mo mga damit mo. Nung nakita kita sa salamin, wala kang ulo." [Miss, as you arrive home, please burn your clothes. When I saw you in the mirror, you're headless.]

[Taken from Internet:[2]]

Isang gabi habang nagmamaneho ako ng Jeep may pumara sa'kin na College Student. Sya lang ang pasahero ko, gabi na kasi, mga 11;00 na. "Manong sa Q.C. lang po ako". Sabi nung babae. "Sige". Sagot ko. (pagkadating nmin sa Q.C) Manong sa kanto na lang po. Sabi niya. (tinignan ko siya sa salamin, tapos kinilabutan ako, iniba ko yung direksyon kung saan sya bababa.) "Manong dun po sa kanto, san po kayo pupunta?" tanong niya sakin na parang kinakabahan siya. (Ibinalik ko na lang yung direksyon ko knina. dun sa kanto kung san siya bababa.) "Manong dyan nalang po. " Sabi nya. "Pagkapasok mo ng bahay mo, sunugin mo lahat ng damit mo, wala kang ititira ha? wag ka munang lumabas ng bahay nyo." Sabi ko sa kanya, "Manong anong sinasabi nyo?" Kinakabahan niyang tanong.

[Taken from Internet:[3]]

Jeepney Ride It's funny when certain events in our lives occur and we blame it all to bad luck. What's funnier is the things that we do to counter the flow of bad energy that causes these so called bad luck or bad events. At least at that time I thought it was funny, until my friend shared her unlikely experience. This story is about my friend and her scary jeepney ride going home. For those of you who don't know what jeepneys are, they are a popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are well known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. My friend went home late after finishing their school project, now since she lives within the vicinity of the U.P. Diliman campus (University of the Philippines) it was perfectly safe for her to take the jeepney instead of taking a taxi in going home during late hours. It was about midnight when she took the ride home, and she could not help but notice the driver kept glancing at her through his rear view mirror and then he would turn to her. (Now all jeepneys have their own route and do not take any turns and they have to stick to their route or else there is a big chance that they would run into some cop trouble). What's odd about this jeepney ride besides the eerie glances that the driver gave from time to time, he was also taking turns in corners that he was not suppose to. Afraid of what the drivers plans are, she was even more afraid of her surroundings because it seemed as if she was in the middle of nowhere already. So instead of going down, she just stayed on the jeep. On the last turn that the driver made, she noticed that they were back on the route that they were suppose to be in the first place. Before reaching the end of the terminal, the driver turned to my friend and said, "Im sorry if I scared you or startled you! It was not my intention".. "Could you do me a favor and BURN all your clothes when you get home".. Wondering why my friend asked why he was acting very strange. The driver explained, "The reason why I kept glancing was because your head was not attached to your body when I looked through my rear view mirror." "That is why I changed my route awhile ago, hoping we could get away from the bad energy present in that area, and that's why I want you to BURN your clothes when you get home because I think its still with you." Upon arriving home, still shaking from fear, my friend took all her clothes off and burned them as quickly as she could. A few days later she found out on the news that the jeepney driver died a day after the incident. It turned out the warning was not for her but for the driver.

Variations and Similarities

Urban legend stories almost always have variations. Even though they have the similar type of story, there is still difference.

Among the three stories above, I don't know which is the original. However I believe the third one is much close to the real story.

- The first story tells about a woman who got off from her work late at night. The second one (which I think is a self-reconstruction of the author's own version) says that it was a 'college student', while the third mentions the school. All of the stories also tell an identical gender - a female.

- Though I don't have a story that tells about a taxicab instead of a jeepney, still there were other stories spreading uses taxi. The above legends use jeepney.

- The female passenger felt uneasy because of the frequent glances of the driver. All of the stories say the same.

- Both the second and third stories suggest that the driver took wrong turns before reaching the destination of his passenger. The first didn't mention that.

- All of the stories mention about the drivers caution to his passenger and explained to her the reason why he acted very mysteriously. However, the last one revealed that the incident was a warning to the driver himself not to the passenger. That's also the reason why I believe it was the original story.

About

It was alleged that the urban legend started in the University of the Philippines. I don't know if it is true, but all the stories I found suggest UP Diliman as the setting of the legend which made it the origination. Others didn't mention any place.

Sources:
[1] http://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1g18fh/filipino_urban_legends/
[2] http://www.wattpad.com/10990260-jeep-horror
[3] http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=105

Image Source:
http://puugaownz.deviantart.com/art/headless-woman-192734883

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.

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 White Lady in the Balete Drive

A White Lady is a type of female ghost reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with some local legend of tragedy. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fiancé. They are often associated with an individual family line or said to be a harbinger of death similar to a banshee.

There were lots of white lady stories in the Philippines, some of them haunts old houses, old bridges, caves, rivers, and many more. But the most popular of the haunting grounds of these white ladies is the Balete tree. Filipinos believe that such tree is the home of wandering ghosts, paranormal beings and mythical creatures. Well, the reason is its scary and rooty characteristics. Whenever you look by a chance or stare at it very long, you'll imagine some figures or even feel scared. The most famous Filipino white lady of all is the White Lady of Balete Drive.

The White Lady of Balete Drive in the Philippines, according to the people who had seen this, she is a beautiful lady with long hair (sometimes it covers her face), wearing a white flowing dress (somewhat like that of a gown or just like a loose Sadaku's dress) slightly covered with blood stains or just simply a dirt, sometimes having a blank face or with face bathed with blood.

By the way, the Balete Drive is located between Aurora Boulevard, a few blocks away from Gilmore Avenue and St. Paul University. The east side exits near St. Luke's Medical Center and the west side exits near GMA-7 and Tomas Morato Avenue. The central intersection of Aurora Boulevard is the EDSA-Cubao shopping center built in the 1970's.

Variations

The White Lady of Balete Drive has many variation of stories from its origination to its appearances to drivers. The reason is the legend is quite old and very famous. So its impossible for the original story to be maintained and not altered. You can say that tale-tellers added something or excluded some details just to make it interesting and much scary.

Variation of Originations:

First version of origination:

According to some people, a woman was raped at the same spot at Balete Drive by Japanese soldiers in the time of World War II. Being not justified till now, the woman's ghost remain to avenge her death.

Second version of origination:

According to legend, she was driving in Balete Drive when she crashed her car resulting to her death.

Third version of origination [3]:

The White Lady whos appearing at midnight between Bougainvilla and Mabolo Sts. was a student of the University of the Philippines. While on her way to Balete Drive from her school, she was raped by a cab driver and her body dumped in this area. She appears to most cab drivers because she allegedly wanted to seek revenge.

Variation of Appearances:

[Taken from Unsolvedmysteries.com [1]:]

One night a taxi driver is halted by a woman wearing a white, flowing dress (I'm not sure if she was white herself or what). The curious driver picks her up and she directed him to a lonely, dark, tree-lined road in New Manila called Balete Drive. They stopped in front of a house. When the driver turned around to see her get off, she had disappeared. Shocked and bewildered, the driver knocks at the entrance of the house, but the occupants tell the driver that the woman was actually dead, and that it was not the first time that this had happened. :shock:

---

[Taken from Wikipedia.org [2]:]

In other instances it is said that when solitary people drive by Balete Drive in the wee hours of the morning, they tend to see the face of a woman in white in the rear view mirror for a split second before the apparition disappears. Some accidents on this road are blamed on the White Lady. Another story tells about a taxi crossing the dreaded Balete Drive and a very beautiful woman was asking for a ride. The taxi driver looks behind and the woman looks like her face was full of blood and bruises. The taxi driver escaped from the taxi from fear.

---

[Taken from Internet [3]:]

Some taxi drivers said a pretty teenage girl in white used to ride in their cabs, asking them to take her near Morato Avenue. She would then tell the cab drivers about her sad love story while traveling along Balete Drive. The drivers said that whenever they ask the girl where the guy was, her image would disappear from their rear view mirror. And when they looked at the back seat, the girl would no longer be there

Conclusion

Those stories have one similarity - both drivers of a taxicab or a car saw the white lady in the Balete Drive. It's very obvious actually. But the question is - WHY? Why did she often appear to them? Perhaps, the most credible version of her origin might be her death through car crush. Because, she might be, at that time, waiting for someone to help her, that's why she often halts the driver for a ride. For the first version of her origin, it became unbelievable because if she wants revenge then why would she halt drivers for a ride and never made harm on them. The accidents happened on the Balete Drive was thought to be done by the ghost. But it doesn't mean, she made revenge through that accident. The third one was more detailed than the other that's why I included it here. However, the cause of death is similar to that of the first version.

For Japanese readers there, the reason why there was a version of them is because, some time in the past, Manila was conquered by Japanese Troops during the Second World War. At that time, there was this term for Filipino women - Comfort Women, and similarly, the Japanese Era in the Philippine Hisrtory is the Dark Age for them. That's one of the reasons why Japan paid a lot of money to the Philippine government. I don't like that topic, so if you wanted to know everything about that, make a research for yourself.

Composed Stories

[Taken from A book [4]:]

Balete Drive Experience By: jason One night in 1993, my parents were driving home and they passed Balete Drive. It was 1 or 2 in the morning and my mom was asleep in the passenger seat. My dad saw 2 houses that looked like they were built in the 50s. They were facing each other and both had their gates open. Their lights were on and saw a lady in a white nightgown. He assumed that there was a party there and that the lady was about to cross, my dad slowed down. When he got close, she hadn't moved from the sidewalk. Thinking that she was letting him pass first, he accelerated. That was when she jumped directly in front of the car! Her face was directly in front of him but her facce was blurry, like when a camera's out of focus. Instead of cursing, my dad just said, "SORRY!" Then poof! The lady disappeared. "Wake up. I think I just ran over someone," my dad told my mom as he shook her awake. They both got out of the car and looked everywhere - under the car and beside it, but there wasn't anybody there. After the incident, my dad always tried to look for the two 50s style houses. He never found them again. Maybe they went back into time?

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[Taken from Internet [5]:]

Three men and a white lady This isn't the first time Mike, Steven and Jerry visited the Philippines. In fact, they have been in the country at least twice when their parents used to work there for a time. The three friends spent the first few days visiting tourist spots, beaches, and generally roamed the places that get crowded with fellow foreigners. In between that, they hung around with their acquaintances and hosts who entertained them with stories and anecdotes. Among the stories that were exchanged was the one about the White Lady of Balete Drive. All three of them listened in silence as their hosts described the urban legend for the first time, none uttering so much as a whistle. When the discussion broke up, and they headed to the room they shared, Jerry, with a mischievous smile, suggested that they take a drive down Balete Drive one night to see if it was true. Both Mike and Steven, not exactly fans of the paranormal, looked at their companion with skeptical expressions on their faces. The matter seemed to have been forgotten as the days went by, until one evening .... The three friends left the party ten minutes before midnight, and staggered to their car. Steven, being the most sober among them, since he never drank anything with alcohol content, got behind the wheel. Mike got into the front passenger seat, and Jerry slid into the back seat. As soon as Mike pulled the car out of the parking area and into the street, Jerry was already fast asleep, snoring loudly. After approximately five minutes, Mike noticed that they were along what is famously known as Balete Drive, with the huge Balete trees towering above them on both sides of the road. As he drove along, he muttered under his breath : "Well, Mike, Jerry finally got his wish ... too bad he's not in shape to enjoy it.." "Yeah," Mike replied, jerking his thumb at their sleeping companion, "too bad for him ... " At that moment, Steve had chosen to sneak a glance on his rear view mirror to check on his friend's condition. What he saw shocked him. Seated beside Jerry is a figure in transluscent white, looking ahead calmly, without any expression. Returning his gaze towards the road, Mike muttered in a low voice : "Man, I think you gotta drive faster ..." "Why ?" Steven replied. "Trust me, man ... or if you don't, why don't you take a look at the rearview mirror ?" Mike countered. At this, Steven stole a glance at the rear view mirror and saw her .... Steven : "I think you're right ..." Mike : "So ... what do you say ?... we haul ass outta here ?.." Steven : "Yeah ..." The three friends are quite fortunate that there was little traffic that night in that area ... They were back at their place in little over an hour, and bundling their semi-conscious friend into the house with them, Mike and Steven shut the door behind them and secured it. The next morning, both Mike and Steven related their encounter with their hosts, who told them : "Well ... at least you did have an experience of a lifetime, right ?" At this, all three were dumbstruck.

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[Taken from an article [6]:]

HAUNTING ON BALETE DRIVE(Rudy) This is a story which appeared in the newspapers in Manila for quite a spell in the early 50's (around 1951 or 1953). It was a popular rumor at first among taxi and bus drivers, until it spirited up to the minds of the newspaper editors and the local radios. There was a street named Balete Drive (the name has changed) which connected downtown Manila and the next city north from there, Quezon City. A major street (named Gilmore at the time) crossed this street at an intersection closer to downtown Quezon City. Not too far from this intersection was a well-known school and college for girls. I'm not sure now whether the school was north or south of this intersection, but anyway it was in that area. This was the place where the sightings had been reported. A cab driver picked up a woman passenger at around 8:00 in the evening near the said school. She was young, pretty, wearing a white party dress and perfume. On closing the door, the driver of course waited for direction as he started driving. He got direction and everything would have been just like any other night, but he noticed something strange. The woman's voice he heard seem not to have come from the passenger but from inside his ears. Weird, but then he doubted himself, may be he was wrong, who else could have spoken? So he continued driving. It didn't take long and the driver glanced at his rear view mirror just as any cab driver would do especially when the passenger is pretty, beautiful, gorgeous and what not. There was no passenger within view of the mirror. He turned his head to look at the passenger. The passenger seat was empty. The common argument when this rumor appeared was the woman probably jumped out the window. You be the judge. The school in the area I earlier mentioned was and still is to this day a private school and college for girls and young women who belonged among the wealthy, prestigious families in the country. They have come and gone into all sorts of destiny, from successful politicians and prominent professionals and business entrepreneurs down to prostitutes and the mentally ill. Some are now dead, by natural death, accidents and some by fatal crime. The last one probably brought about the haunts on taxi and bus drivers. The preceding is a fictional, but possible idea of what happened at the Balete Drive. Criminal activities are not frequent, but not impossible in places such as this. Formal or wild parties are one of the excitements which propel the energies of some of the young women at school - needless to say. What happens before or after the culmination of these excitements is what pushes this young women into any kind of fatal crime possible. Kidnap, rape and homicide are the typical crimes. Before or after the party at around 8:00 pm, an unfortunate young, pretty, high school or college woman in white party dress and perfume could end up dead from this type of crime, probably committed by a sex maniac driving a taxi. She would be missing and the news about her would invade the local news and even TV and radio for a while, then nothing. Isn't this very common? What would be left for this unfortunate victim who probably had young, ardent ambitions, dreams and plans for her life and her future? Something supernatural and/or paranormal would be all that is left so she can send a message about her unexpected, unfortunate death and may be even equally punish the criminal. Hence the hauntings. The hauntings ended towards the latter part of the 50's perhaps after whoever the criminal was (may be a cab driver and beyond) had met awesome punishment(s) from the reality beyond fantasy where the young, pretty woman wearing a party dress and perfume would materialize and appear at the Balete Drive under a specific occasion.

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady_(ghost)
[1]http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm540224.html?t=Urban%20Legends
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady_(ghost)#Philippines
[3]http://haxorfreek.15.forumer.com/ [jake- 02-12-2009; Island Scares 2; Submitted by: Jose G. Paman]
[4]True Philippine Ghost Stories Book 8. Reginald Ting Ed. PSICOM Publishing Inc. 2004. Quezon City, Philippines.
[5]http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1108486-THREE-MEN-AND-A-WHITE-LADY
[6]http://www.true-ghost-stories.com/Phillipines.html