ARE THERE GHOSTS AT MANILA CITY HALL?
MANILA, NOVEMBER 1, 2010 (BULLETIN) By CZARINA NICOLE O. ONG – Was it by merely coincidence or a carefully thought of building plan that the Manila City Hall, when viewed from above, is shaped like a coffin?
Some believe that it is because of this shape that ghosts are said to be haunting one of the most prominent historical structures in Manila.
Many paranormal believers think that the Manila City Hall, having stood there since 1939, is inevitably a place where spirits would dwell.
But for the thousands who visit the building week in and week out, there seems to be nothing peculiar about the place.
On a normal weekday, the City Hall is almost always teeming with people from morning till afternoon with the rush of people panning its cheery yellow walls.
Still, when government workers bid their desks goodbye for the day and all but silence sets in, there are some people who swear that ghosts roam its halls.
Take 33-year-old Jun Reloban's story, for example. One Saturday afternoon, while he and the rest of the government's maintenance group were doing the weekly general cleaning, he suddenly felt a chill that sent goose bumps all over his body.
"Walang tao sa ground floor, mag-isa lang ako naglilinis malapit sa Manila Health Office (Nobody was on the ground floor,I was cleaning alone the floor near the City Hall health office)," he recalled. "Wala naman ako nakita, pero bigla lumamig ang katawan ko, tapos tumaas ang mga balahibo ko (I did not see anybody but I felt cold)."
One week after, Reloban recalled, a roving security guard also sensed a "presence" in the same area. The guard was startled when he saw a white figure passed by, and he pulled out his gun and fired.
The bullet hit a trophy case, but the white lady he said he saw was gone.
Though the ground floor had people whispering of mysterious sightings, the mainstays at City Hall point their fingers at the fourth and fifth floors, as well as the clock tower, as the creepiest places in the building.
Clock Tower Technician Rogelio C. Botano Jr., 46, assures that there are no ghosts to be seen.
"Hindi ako natatakot, kasi wala naman, (I am not afraid, because there are no ghosts)," Botano said.
"Dati nga, gusto ako interviewhin ng taga-TV tungkol sa mga multo, pero wala naman ako makukuwentong nakakatakot. Ayaw ko din naman magsinungaling at magimbento ng storya. (There was someone from TV who wanted to interview me about ghosts before, but I have no scary experiences to share. I did not want to lie and make up stories)."
Botano guards the clock tower every day and, most of the time, he is alone up there. But since he started in 2004, he has never encountered a "supernatural presence."
However, his companions' experiences prove otherwise. "May janitor sa fourth floor sabi may nakikita siyang babaeng nakalutang 'tuwing madaling araw at hindi niya talaga makita ang paa ng babae, (There was a janitor in the fourth floor who said that he sees a floating lady every early morning, and he really cannot see her feet)," Botano said. "Sa Clock Tower naman, dati maraming paniki dito kaya siguro natatakot ang ibang tao, pero wala talagang multo rito. (As for the Clock Tower, there were many bats here before and that's probably why some people are scared, but there really are no ghosts)."
"Siguro imahinasyon lang nila 'yun, (Maybe it's just a product of their own imagination)," he said.
----------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright, 2010 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
