By Kristelle Bechayda and Jesica Pag-Iwayan
In terms of stories, our country is rich in the paranormal. This sometimes begs the question: How true are they? Manila Bulletin partnered with the V2 Project, headed by Professor Adam Reyes. We visited different places of interest to unbox the mysteries behind the urban legends there.
Balete Drive
For decades, Balete Drive in QC has been haunted by different versions of a beautiful lady in white. One says that she is seen hitching a ride on the side of a road while other accounts narrate her appearing and disappearing when drivers look in their rearview mirrors.
Upon arriving there, the V2 team split into three groups, each assigned to a different location. They used EMF (electromagnetic field) meters, thermal scanners, kinetic bells, and even a Ouija board. They didn't pick up anything. Reyes then smoked and tracked the direction of the air. “It is not paranormal.
It is physics. There are different airflows in this particular midpoint section that causes vapor to hover at a certain point instead of going upward. It gets pushed downward toward the street, which looks like a white lady," he explains. “It is a healthy place. If the lady of Balete Drive were malevolent, the trees in the area would not be as healthy and the animals here at night would be distraught.”
13th Street, New Manila
The number 13 is associated with bad luck and evil spirits. So it was no surprise to us when we heard the spooky story about 13th Street in New Manila, Quezon City. V2 paranormal expert Hazel Joy Tabalno personally experienced a ghostly encounter on the said street a few years ago. The whole team visited the area to investigate. With the use of their equipment, they carefully studied the location’s temperature and the electromagnetic energy.
The team found that the street has a downward slope and some of its parts have high electromagnetic energy because of the power transmitter present there. “Yung mga tall buildings, they will amplify the sound waves and vibration, so it could also be understandable why some people, when they pass through, will feel jumpy. It's not because there's something paranormal. It's actually because of the sound waves bouncing left and right,” Reyes says.
Mt. Cristobal, Laguna
Also known as the “Devil’s Mountain,” Mount Cristobal is notorious for strange accounts. According to some locals, some hikers who trekked up the slope are reportedly still missing. They believe that there are supernatural creatures that reside in the area that lure and kill.
Fortunately, V2 Project has already conducted an investigation there, and they shared their findings. There is said to be a part in the mountain where hikers tend to get lost, but Reyes says what actually happens is these hikers inhale hallucinogenic spores in the area. “Para kang humithit ng marijuana.
You will get high and when you continue climbing higher, you will start seeing things differently because you are already under the influence of the spores” he explains.
Balete Drive
For decades, Balete Drive in QC has been haunted by different versions of a beautiful lady in white. One says that she is seen hitching a ride on the side of a road while other accounts narrate her appearing and disappearing when drivers look in their rearview mirrors.
Upon arriving there, the V2 team split into three groups, each assigned to a different location. They used EMF (electromagnetic field) meters, thermal scanners, kinetic bells, and even a Ouija board. They didn't pick up anything. Reyes then smoked and tracked the direction of the air. “It is not paranormal.
It is physics. There are different airflows in this particular midpoint section that causes vapor to hover at a certain point instead of going upward. It gets pushed downward toward the street, which looks like a white lady," he explains. “It is a healthy place. If the lady of Balete Drive were malevolent, the trees in the area would not be as healthy and the animals here at night would be distraught.”
13th Street, New Manila
The number 13 is associated with bad luck and evil spirits. So it was no surprise to us when we heard the spooky story about 13th Street in New Manila, Quezon City. V2 paranormal expert Hazel Joy Tabalno personally experienced a ghostly encounter on the said street a few years ago. The whole team visited the area to investigate. With the use of their equipment, they carefully studied the location’s temperature and the electromagnetic energy.
The team found that the street has a downward slope and some of its parts have high electromagnetic energy because of the power transmitter present there. “Yung mga tall buildings, they will amplify the sound waves and vibration, so it could also be understandable why some people, when they pass through, will feel jumpy. It's not because there's something paranormal. It's actually because of the sound waves bouncing left and right,” Reyes says.
Mt. Cristobal, Laguna
Also known as the “Devil’s Mountain,” Mount Cristobal is notorious for strange accounts. According to some locals, some hikers who trekked up the slope are reportedly still missing. They believe that there are supernatural creatures that reside in the area that lure and kill.
Fortunately, V2 Project has already conducted an investigation there, and they shared their findings. There is said to be a part in the mountain where hikers tend to get lost, but Reyes says what actually happens is these hikers inhale hallucinogenic spores in the area. “Para kang humithit ng marijuana.
You will get high and when you continue climbing higher, you will start seeing things differently because you are already under the influence of the spores” he explains.