Two horror stories made rounds on social media during this year’s Halloween season.
Halloween is an annual occasion that is celebrated every October 31.
It is said to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
Despite being a largely Catholic nation, Filipinos also traditionally join other countries celebrating Halloween.
The Manila City Hall
Former Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso last bared that there are ghosts in his former office at the Manila City Hall.
Domagoso shared this in response to a Facebook user in the comments section of his post on October 17.
In his main post, Moreno joked that he missed sleeping in his former office.
In the comments section, a Facebook user asked if there are ghosts in the old building.
“La ba multo doon yorme?” the Facebook user asked. Yorme is a street slang that his supporters use to address the former mayor Moreno.
“Nako po. Meron po, may maririnig kang kadenang hinihila,” he replied.
The former city chief executive also admitted that he is scared of ghosts but had to man up for the job.
“Takot ako sa multo talaga kaso kailangan mag sakripisyo para mabigyan ko po ng kapanatagan ang mga kababayan kong Manileño na may gobyernong umiiral 24 oras,” he said.
His comment garnered 4,100 reactions. Of these, 1,700 are heart reactions, 1,600 are likes and 544 are laugh reactions.
The Manila City Hall building in Ermita, Manila has long been considered one of the most haunted places in the Philippines.
Designed by Architect Antonio Manalac Toledo, it features a hexagonal clock tower that was recently inaugurated as a museum. Its construction was completed in 1939.
READ: Philippines’ first clock tower museum to officially open its doors soon
What made the structure a mystery to some people is that it looked like a giant casket when viewed from above.
A ghost student
Award-winning author Joselito Delos Reyes, on the other hand, shared on October 26 a “secret” tale about ghost students in his classes.
Delos Reyes initially said that back when face-to-face classes were still the norm, he used to implement an alphabetical seating arrangement by surname to his students.
“May sekreto ako. Noong face-to-face pa ang klase, alphabetically arranged ang pagkakaupo ng mga estudyante ko. Hindi raw nila nakasanayan sa ibang prof na umupo according to last name,” he said.
Delos Reyes said that he told the students that this seating arrangement helped him remember their names. However, it was just an excuse.
“Sabi ko, mahina ako sa pagtanda ng pangalan. Mas madali kong matatandaan kung sunod-sunod ang apelyido. Besides, madali kong malalaman kung sino ang absent kapag may bakanteng upuan. Tinanggap nila ang ganitong katuwiran. Pero may sekreto nga ako,” he added.
May sekreto ako. Noong face-to-face pa ang klase, alphabetically arranged ang pagkakaupo ng mga estudyante ko. Hindi raw nila nakasanayan sa ibang prof na umupo according to last name. Sabi ko, mahina ako sa pagtanda ng pangalan.
— Joselito D. Delos Reyes (@JoselitoDDelos1) October 26, 2022
Back when he was still new at the University of Santo Tomas, Delos Reyes recalled allowing students to sit anywhere they feel comfortable.
One male student, however, suddenly stopped showing up in his class for two weeks.
“Nakaupo siya lagi sa likod. Lalaki. Matangkad,” Delos Reyes described.
“Baka nag-drop. Sayang ang ipinasok. Tumatawa pa naman sa jokes ko,” he added.
When he asked one of his students who also used to sit at the back of the room, the veteran professor got an unexpected answer.
“Ha? Sir, wala po akong katabi dito simula nung pasukan,” the student told him.
“Twice ito nangyari sa magkaibang klase,” Delos Reyes pointed out.
The writer’s posts on his social media channels gained traction.
Delos Reyes’ tweet garnered 13,600 likes, 2,096 retweets and 1,128 quote retweets while the Facebook post got 11,000 reactions, 234 comments and 5,100 shares.
