8List.ph
  • Lockdown Diaries
    • Updates
    • Good News
    • Life Under Quarantine
    • Humor
    • Health Tips
  • News
    • Opinion
    • People
  • Pop
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Showbiz
    • Geek
    • Sports
    • Retro
    • Weird
  • Life
    • Health
    • Nest
    • Life-Hacks
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel
    • Style
      • Beauty
      • Inspiration
      • Shop
      • OOTD
  • Videos
    • Filgood
    • Isabuhay Ang Panata
    • #8MinutesWith
    • Pagsubeks
    • 8list Plays
    • 8List Asks
    • 8List Explores
    • 8List Presents
    • 8secs
    • 88 Seconds
    • YOUth DECIDE
    • Str8 Up with Delamar
    • Toughest Job 2016
  • Comics
    • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • #YOUthDECIDE
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph

 

 

 

8List.ph is published by ID8, Inc.

Subscribe
8List.ph
8List.ph
  • Lockdown Diaries
    • Updates
    • Good News
    • Life Under Quarantine
    • Humor
    • Health Tips
  • News
    • Opinion
    • People
  • Pop
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Showbiz
    • Geek
    • Sports
    • Retro
    • Weird
  • Life
    • Health
    • Nest
    • Life-Hacks
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel
    • Style
      • Beauty
      • Inspiration
      • Shop
      • OOTD
  • Videos
    • Filgood
    • Isabuhay Ang Panata
    • #8MinutesWith
    • Pagsubeks
    • 8list Plays
    • 8List Asks
    • 8List Explores
    • 8List Presents
    • 8secs
    • 88 Seconds
    • YOUth DECIDE
    • Str8 Up with Delamar
    • Toughest Job 2016
  • Comics
    • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • #YOUthDECIDE
  • Pop

Darkness Falls on the Palace: Ghost Stories from Malacañang

  • Posted on Oct 18, 2016Oct 21, 2016
  • 0 minute read
  • Karl R. De Mesa and Pao Hernandez
Total
46
Shares
46
0
0

malacananghorrorstories_headera

Via wikimedia.org

Darkness Falls on the Palace: Ghost Stories from Malacañang

By KARL R. De MESA and PAO HERNANDEZ

Moments from Volleyfriends UAAP Volleyball Kick Off SHAD

Everybody who works in Malacanang Palace and its grounds knows not to linger past 5p.m.

It’s not a reluctance to do overtime (government has no such proviso for rank and file employees) or a desire to catch the shuttles that the OP (Office of the President) offers for those who wish to avail of their routes to each compass point of the metro; rather, this habit has got most to do with psychic survival.

See, Malacañang Palace has stood for more than 140 years. Which also means more than a century of ghosts past inhabiting the structures along Jose P. Laurel Street.

Stories of these unwelcome guests abound in pages online. There’s the famous headless guard, captured in a photo beside the presidential Christmas tree; Mr. Brown, or Malacañang’s resident kapre, as described by Presidential Museum guide Louie Esquivel in an interview with Philippine Star’s Tanya T. Lara; and the wraiths of presidents past still about their noble service to the public, like the ghost of President Manuel Quezon spotted by Imee Marcos.

Paranormal researcher and author Jaime Licauco has declared in a press interview that, in 1982, then-President Ferdinand Marcos asked him to go to Malacañang to ask him about paranormal activity and faith healers.

Presidents Quezon, Laurel, Osmeña, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, and Arroyo have all resided in the palace, with its huge sprawl of 9,000 square meters and 60 rooms (including the bathrooms). The USA’s White House is just approximately 5,000 square meters. The main palace house itself has been “Exorcised not once, but twice!” stated historian Ambeth Ocampo. A lot of the stories come from the children of the Marcoses; not surprising, since they did live in the Palace for 20 years.

After he was elected, President Duterte said he would not sleep with the Palace “ghosts,” citing the place’s creepy ambience.  “Nandoon lahat ng multo na dumaan sa Pilipinas. Maglalakad sila, magkokomperensiya, eh di sila doon. Tutal, past tense naman tayo. They’re still there and sometimes they’ll hold a conference. We’ll let them,” President Duterte said in May 2016.

Here are some first-hand accounts of ghostly sightings and supernatural experiences from those who’ve worked in Malacanang.

8. Musical Chairs

malacananghorrorstories_p8

Via indiohistorian.tumblr.com

Chairs, especially swivel chairs that are normally issued to heads of departments, are easy game for the poltergeists. At any given time you can see swivel chairs slowly moving left or right, and heavier chairs being pulled or pushed out of place. “Sometimes you just leave to go to the bathroom for a minute and then come back with your chair out of place without anybody having touched it,” narrates Nicely Rom.

 

7. Eaten by Fear

malacananghorrorstories_p7a

Via kawalingpinoy.com

There was heard a crackling of chicharon in the other room, the pantry, as a cabinet assistant secretary was working late. “Hey, let me have some, please!” he shouted. He heard the chewing clearly, again and again. He was frustrated that nobody was answering him. Pretty soon he stood up and went to the pantry and discovered that he was alone.  He packed up his laptop and got the hell out of there.

 

Advertisements

6. The Hanged Man

malacananghorrorstories_p6

Via wikipedia.org

It is said that a public servant hung himself in one of the Director’s offices ( this was said to be during the Marcos era) on the third floor of Mabini Hall. The staff found him the next day. The past administration had a couch in that refurbished office. Everybody who took a nap on the couch would consistently have nightmares, from bad to extremely horrifying.

 


5. Café Hell

malacananghorrorstories_p5

Via gov.ph

There is the former place of slaughter that was transformed into a cafeteria in the basement of the NEB Building, during the Aquino administration. It was once a billeting place for the Japanese, that was eventually set on fire when it was attacked. The atmosphere is so thick with weirdness and dread and hurt that nobody wants to eat there.

Pages: 1 2


1 2Next page
Total
46
Shares
46
0
0
Karl R. De Mesa

Karl R. De Mesa is a journalist and writer who co-hosts the combat sports podcast DSTRY.MNL and the dark arts and entertainment podcast Kill the Lights. His latest book is "Radiant Void," a collection of non-fiction that was a finalist in the Philippine National Book Awards.

Pao Hernandez


Previous Article
  • Life

The 8 Struggles People with FOMO Go Through

  • Posted on Oct 18, 2016Oct 18, 2016
  • Therese Aseoche
View Post
Next Article
  • Travel

Taipei in 8 Short Bursts of Adventure

  • Posted on Oct 18, 2016Jan 29, 2018
  • Wincy Aquino Ong
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Pop

‘Pass, Walang Red Flag’: Netizens Give Reasons Why They Don’t Want Vico Sotto for President

  • Posted on May 16, 2022May 16, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

8 Most Unlikely Places Where Supporters of Leni Robredo Have Campaigned

  • Posted on May 6, 2022
  • Meryl Medel
View Post
  • Pop

These Filipino-Am Students’ Modernized Tinikling Dance Gets Lil Nas X’s Attention

  • Posted on May 3, 2022May 3, 2022
  • Meryl Medel
View Post
  • Pop

‘Demon Slayer,’ ‘Spirited Away’: Somebody Give DOTr’s Social Media Team a Raise

  • Posted on May 3, 2022May 3, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

‘Puro Nalang Half-Blooded’: The Internet Sounds Off About Celeste Cortesi as the New Miss Universe PH

  • Posted on May 2, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

‘Worst Preliminary Competition’: Pinoy Pageant Fans Didn’t Hold Back Criticizing the MUPH 2022 Prelims

  • Posted on Apr 29, 2022Apr 29, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

Uhh… The Tinder Swindler Just Invited Everyone to a Birthday Party in BGC This April 27

  • Posted on Apr 27, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

ICYMI: All the References President Nadine Lustre Made in Her Witty Endorsement Video for VP Leni

  • Posted on Apr 26, 2022
  • Kyzia Maramara
1 comment
  1. Pingback: မကၽြတ္လြတ္ႏိုင္တဲ့ဝိဉာဥ္မ်ားစြာနဲ႕ ဖိလစ္ပိုင္သမၼတအိမ္ေတာ္ Malacanang Palace - For Her Myanmar

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the l8est delivered right to your inbox.

8List.ph
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph
Your daily dose of entertaining, useful and informative lists.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.