October 30, 2019
How the Philippines Celebrates Halloween
by: Sandra Paredes
Sit down, kids! Time to learn about Undas!
Here in the United States, we have the wonderful, spoopy day of Halloween, but what do they celebrate this time of year in the Philippines?
Well aside from their Christmas which lasts for several months (no one’s complaining); you have All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s day respectively the first and second days of November, also known as ‘Undas’ or ‘Kalag-Kalag’ in other regions near Cebu!
Now being a country where the majority religion is Roman Catholicism, the Philippines uses this as a holiday to commemorate the “faithfully departed” or the Holy souls of our deceased relatives and ancestors. In addition we celebrate all saints, especially those uncanonized and without their own feast days. ChurchYear describes this time as, “the communion of saints...and a Catholic teaching that all of God’s people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification (Purgatory), are spiritually connected and united.”
These days of observance are similar to La Día de los Muertos in Mexico, another fellow and former colony of Spain! Celebrating the holiday involves cleaning loved ones’ graves (your Lolos don’t want no spiderwebs on their flowers), and then decorating these graves with an assortment of things they would like, ranging from traditional floral arrangements to candles to cherished objects of value! (My own family makes a habit of adorning altars with foods and incense sticks).
Masses are also held throughout the day, which gives us the chance to not only gather and remember our loved ones, but celebrate their lives and pray for their souls in Purgatory (typically followed by a Novena).
Quick History!
All Saint’s Day originates back to ~AD 610:
Pope Boniface introduced the feast day after dedicating the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Martyrs. At this time, the Pantheon had been reformed to a Christian Church.
Based on a True Story
by: Alpheus Llantero
TRIGGER WARNING: BODIES/CORPSES, DEATH/DYING, RAPE, SUICIDE
Unfortunate Infrastructure
Manila Film Center
Throughout the 60s to 80s, then First Lady Imelda Marcos initiated a number of projects including the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theater), and the Philippine International Convention Center. Building on her efforts to make the Philippines a cultural powerhouse in Asia, she wished to speed up construction of the Manila Film Center, that would house her Philippine International Film Festival. Unfortunately, due to prompt and crude changes in the plans, delays for the construction arose. Marcos was unhappy and pressured workers to expedite the construction.
On November 18, the scaffolding collapsed on the sixth floor of the film center, killing 26 workers and injuring 36. The Marcos-controlled press gave conflicting accounts, although some sources now say that number goes all the way up to 168. Betty Benitez, the manager of the project, determined that the time needed to claim the bodies would halt construction for too long and that that the opening of the film center in time for the film festival would be delayed. She ordered, “pour the cement”. The bodies were buried and mummified in the walls of the Manila Film Center.
The center has now since been repurposed to house a Las Vegas-style transvestite show. It is said that the sounds of construction work can still be heard through the walls. One story goes that a stranger approached a passer-by to call his family to inform them that he would be leaving work soon. The family informed the passer-by that the stranger was dead, killed in the accident.
Ozone Disco Club Fire
It was graduation season in the Philippines. On March 18, 1996, shortly after midnight, with all of the senior-year celebrations, a fire broke out in the O-Zone Disco. Survivors recall sparks emanating from the DJ booth, which were mistaken as a planned part of the show. After 15 seconds, the electrical systems of the disco were shut down, and panic ensued. The majority of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading up to the exit. The doors were pull to open, and with the growing crowd pushing against the door, they were locked in, waiting to be charred by the encroaching flames. 162 were killed.
The burned shell of the O-Zone Disco stood many years after the fire. Passersbys report hearing faint sounds of the music, laughter and the taps of feet dancing. It is said that the spirits of the victims of the O-Zone disco fire still remain on the lot, accompanying their still-living relatives in their grief.
Personal Experience: Today, the O-Zone Disco is now a diner chain, Good-Ah. My dad’s was a few years out of college, at the time of the fire, and also was nostalgic for Good-Ah, which he tells me was more popular during his day. We visited Good-Ah on Tomas Morato Avenue. There was a mellow calm, the patrons were more hush than what you’d usually expect at any other diner. Our order was taken, the food was being cooked. I smelled something burning. The smell was rotten.
World War Woes
Clark Air Base Hospital
The Japanese heavily and routinely bombed American bases during World War II, Clark Air Base, being one of the primary targets. On Christmas Day of 1941, the Japanese commenced a bombing operation, killing those celebrating with family at the Home Plate canteen.
It is said that sounds of swing music are often heard in the early hours of the morning near the canteen. There is a museum within the complex, where an Air Force pilot who committed suicide to avoid captured allegedly appears from time to time. Screams are heard, as well as the strobes of light associated with the party.
Malinta Tunnel
Gouged through Corregidor’s mountains, Malinta Tunnel served as a fortress to protect soldiers of the Philippine and United States Army, as well as nurses and aides. The tunnel was of particularly strategic use during the Battle of Corregidor, where over 900 Japanese and 800 American and Filipino soldiers were killed in the crossfires; over 1.8 million pounds of explosives were dumped on the island in only 5 hours. The Japanese captured the tunnel, using its strategic location to their benefit for the rest of the war.
General MacArthur fled, not without making his ever famous promise “I shall return”. He did return, and after five months, Americans retook the island on the night of February 23, 1945. Over 3000 Japanese defenders committed mass-suicide, setting off all their explosives in the tunnels. Their souls still roam.
Undead Universities
PIPAC, Ateneo de Manila University
There is a building that is off-limits to students of the Ateneo, the Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC), which is not officially part of the university. Outside is a sign advertising the building’s capability to clean the air. It is rumored that the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) seals and drains the building of air at night, and that a janitor who got accidentally locked in, was found dead of suffocation one morning.
Merciless Mad Men
The White Lady of Balete Drive
Perhaps one of the most famous Filipino ghost story is the White Lady of Balete Drive. According to witness accounts, the white lady is a beautiful young lady with flowing hair, wearing a white gown. Some accounts report the dress covered with blood or dirt, and a face dripping with blood.
There are a number of origin stories, though there are two popular ones that are often retold. Some claim the white lady was a woman raped along Balete Drive by Japanese soldiers during World War II. The white lady walks along Balete Drive, waiting for her aggressor, wishing to avenge her death. Others claim the white lady was a University of the Philippines student, who on the way home from school, was raped by her taxi driver. She appears to taxi drivers in the area, seeking her aggressor.
📷The Ghost of Pepsi Paloma
Last May 29, 2018, Senate President of the Philippines Tito Sotto requested the Philippine Daily Inquirer to remove three articles from their website: “The Rape of Pepsi Paloma”, “Was Pepsi Paloma Murdered”, and “Tito Sotto Denies Whitewashing Pepsi Paloma Rape”.
The rape of Pepsi Paloma is a strange case that still haunts and mystifies Filipinos to this day, with precedents set for entertainment, politics, and a great number of conspiracy theories.
“Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan?/Sa gintong salamin/di ko na mabasa/pagkat merong nagbura (What did Enteng and Joey write? At the golden mirror, I can’t see, because it was erased)”. Spolarium by Eraserheads details the rape and cover-up of Pepsi Paloma’s rape.
Pepsi Paloma at the time was a 14 year old Filipino-American “bold star” (softcore porn star). She was often featured on a popular, still ongoing noontime variety show, Eat Bulaga, hosted by Tito Sotto, Joey, Vic Sotto, and Richie D’Horsie. In June 1982, she made a guest appearance on the comedy show Iskul Bukol starring Vic, Joey, and Richie. After the taping, the trio ripped her blouse, taking turns kissing her. Later that evening she was brought to the Sulo Hotel, where she was drugged and gang-raped.
Tito Sotto defended his brother and the trio voraciously, discrediting Paloma at every turn, “how could you rip a pair of jeans so easily?” or “the story looked sensational, no wonder the press picked it up; imagine Vic Sotto, [who acts like a gay], raping a woman?” Joey remained unapologetic. At a preliminary arraignment, he wore a t-shirt with “Coke it is” alluding to Pepsi Paloma’s appearances in numerous soft drink ads. He pressed Paloma to “tell the truth”. Tito Sotto continued his harassment of Paloma, yielding a gun to her head as to force her to sign an affidavit clearing the trio’s names. A year later, an obscenity case was filed against her.
On May 31, 1985, her body was found. She was 17. Her diary revealed financial reasons as a possible reasons for her death. However, her manager disputed the angle that she was struggling with depression, as she was at a particularly high point in her career, being fully booked for performances, preparing for her debut, and adopting a four-month-old son named Chuck. There was no forensic investigation carried out in order to verify the diary, or the suicide note. The mystery surrounding the investigation of her death led many to speculate that she was in fact murdered by the trio.
The lack of transparency as well as the incomprehensive investigation left the case open to interpretation. The trio are still on Eat Bulaga which has more viewers now than ever before, and Tito Sotto is second in line to the presidency. Her ghost still lingers, awaiting vengeance on the powerful.
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions represented in this post are personal and belong solely to the author as indicated by the byline and do not represent an official endorsement by the Rutgers Association of Philippine Students of the aforementioned views or opinions of the author. Any views or opinions expressed by the author are not intended to malign any person or organization. The Rutgers Association of Philippine Students is a nonpartisan student organization.
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