Psyched for the Spooks: Top 5 Underrated Scariest Places in Manila
November 3, 2015 11:40AM
by: Kathreen Joyce Abaya
WHAT BETTER way to celebrate Halloween than to visit the eeriest places in the Metro? The City of Manila offers not only its rich and colorful history since the Spanish colonial period, but it also has its chilling stories that would surely make the hairs on even the toughest person's skin rise.
Aside from the usual hotspots for paranormal activities such as the Manila Film Center, Manila City Hall, and Metropolitan Theater, brave souls can indulge on an infant burial site, a haunted restaurant, and a 100 year old chapel in the middle of a cemetery. Dare to visit these top 5 underrated scariest places in the city alone... or with your barkada if you truly need it. 1. Paco Park
Although most of the niches have been emptied a long time ago, Park Caretaker Sonny Agmana said that the remains of hundreds of Cholera victims are still unearthed below the grounds of the park. He shared seeing apparitions of human shadows quickly passing by him during his alone time. He also believes the viral video recently featured in Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho to be true, he told The Paragon Press.
The video was taken by twin girls who recorded themselves dancing in front of Osario, a burial site for infants located inside the park. A few minutes into the recording, the ghost of a young boy could be seen running from the gates of Osario behind the two girls. 2. Intramuros: Barbara's Restaurant and White Knight Hotel
Due to where Barbara's and White Knight Hotel are located, it is not much of a surprise that tourists would experience the chilling remnants of the Second World War. Creepy stories like pianos playing by themselves, unplugged speakers playing old Spanish love songs, and bloodied ghosts of soldiers wandering about are only three of the long list of terrifying experiences hotel staff and guests have shared over the years. The most known apparitions in the vicinity are the wandering spirits of a mother and her child. Adrian, one of the hotel's tourist guides, shared with The Paragon Press the story of two security guards chasing the spirits separately, only to end up meeting one another on one of the hotel verandas with no mother or child in sight.
3) Escolta
Escolta, Manila used to be the city's crowning glory in the 19th century until the late 1960s when business started to decline. Built in 1594, the once-famous street got its name from the Spanish word, Escoltar, which means, "to escort". Escolta is located in between former downtown Binondo and Sta. Cruz Plaza. It also runs parallel to the Pasig River. Today, the street serves as a mere memory of a grandiose district that was once dubbed as the Paris of Asia.
a. First United Building An Art Deco building and popularly known as Perez-Samanillo Building, the First United Building was completed in 1928. The structure was designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro, son of famed painter Juan Luna, and used to be the tallest structure in Manila. Security guard Oliver Revilla, who has been watching over the place for over 10 years, said his colleagues are usually the ones who have a sight for bad spirits. He added that many of them appear every 1st of November, All Soul's Day. One of his co-workers even saw a white lady walking down the spiral staircase at the end of the hallway and vanished into thin air.
b. The Old Philippine National Bank (PNB) Building The 50-year-old PNB building was designed by renowned architect Carlos Arguelles and not only housed the bank but also the City College of Manila. On January this year, the abandoned building suffered greatly from a 15-hour fire believed to be caused by faulty wiring. According to Mang Mario, who lives beside the structure, the building has a dark and heavy aura inside it. He shared to the Paragon Team sightings of a female ghost wandering the ground floor, and a woman crying inside the empty building. He added that one of the spirits believed to be roaming the area at night is that of the former president of PNB. It also does not help that Mang Mario's pet dogs constantly howl in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.
c. Syvel's Built in the 1960's by National Artist for architecture Leandro Locsin, the five-storey building was once a high-end shopping store in Escolta. Many people used to flock the shop just to buy classy and imported shoes. But similar to its neighbors, The Heakock's and the Aguinaldo Department Store, Syvel's bowed down to emerging power and popularity of SM and Robinsons Malls. It has been 20 years since the store closed and it remains to be an empty shell of what it used to be.
Mang Rodel, who has been looking after the abandoned building for 4 years now, simply brushed off the fear brought about strange occurrences in Syvel's, saying that they are normal and do not bother him anymore. He recalled seeing the ghost of a young girl outside the building, and voices coming from inside Syvel's. A tragic tale he shared however, was the death of 3 siblings who drowned in the basement of the building long ago. He said that they were the former caretakers of Syvel's who only visited the place but unfortunately met their untimely death. 4. St. Pancratius Chapel in La Loma Cemetery
A lot of horror stories have been circulating the 19th century chapel ranging from apparitions of white ladies, dogs howling at it at night, and voices emanating from the inside. Aling Baby, a street vendor inside the cemetery, shared that she and her friends would hear other voices join in on their conversation or laughter. She also added hearing something heavy drop from the ceiling inside the chapel to its floor, even though it is closed and there are no people inside. Coincidentally, several workers narrated the ill-fated accident of a construction worker who was fixing the chapel's ceiling and then slipped and fell to his death. Aling Baby also told the chilling tale of seeing a bright light shine from inside the chapel in the middle of the night, and women wearing veils lined up outside, slowly walking towards it.
5) University of Santo Tomas, Main Building
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest Catholic University in Asia; it celebrated its 400th year back in 2011. It was founded on April 28, 1611 by Manila Archbishop Miguel de Benavides. UST also prides itself by being the only university in the entire world to be visited by three popes, four times: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Francis. The university was originally located in Intramuros but later moved to Sampaloc, Manila after Japanese forces burned it down in 1944. In the early 20th century, UST inaugurated the Main Building to accommodate the growing number of students, but it was turned into an internment camp by the Japanese during World War II.
|
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions of the students do not reflect the views of the University of Santo Tomas. All content are by the staffers unless otherwise stated. |
© Copyright 2015 theparagonpress.weebly.com | All Rights Reserved