of Corregidors Ghosts

Of Corregidor’s Ghosts

I expected a great time when I won an overnight Corregidor Cruise on a blogging contest at http://celdrantours.blogspot.com. Sponsored by Carlos Celdran, a popular tour guide in Manila, I was jumping for joy. What I didn’t realize was that I would be jumping from fright surrounded by ghosts and red-eyed crows.

Being a certified wimp, I can’t sleep for weeks just from watching a trailer of “Sixth Sense” so what am I to do when the free tour includes ghost hunting at the hospital ruins in the dead of night?

Go. Of course.

We set sail from the CCP ferry terminal at 8 am. Operated by Sun Cruises, the ferry was clean, registration organized and staff in complete gear. Upon docking, we scrambled on our tranvias. Corregidor Inn, the hotel of choice (The only one in the island) welcomed us with its creaky corridors. Despite being old, the rooms are quite comfortable and the service warm. Safes are available at the counter but we needn’t worry much about thieves. Why? Corregidor has zero residents. So really, the only permanent residents here are the ghosts. And they don’t need your ATM card.

We started with a casual walk that Carlos peppered with bits of history. Find out about why the stones in Corregidor mysteriously turn blood red after the war. Learn about the wildlife in the island famous for its monkeys and birds, especially the creepy red eyed crows.

The tour guide from Suncruises, Armando is just as good. A funny chap, he got his history right and his jokes down pat. Onboard the tranvia, guests get to visit the Mile Long Barracks, the Pacific War Memorial, The Batteries and the Spanish light house and the Museum. It was like a school field trip – Minus the exams. The evening tour however is another story. We had two choices – The Malinta tunnel where the Japanese soldiers committed a mass hara kiri or the Hospital where the residents of Jabidah massacre lived in.

The island is pitch black at night. No streetlights at all. Kudos to the driver for managing the rough roads. I was practically waiting for a manananggal to come out of the trees. And then the guide started telling the Jabidah Massacre. In 1968, President Marcos organized a secret mission to take over Sabah from Malaysia by recruiting Moro youths from Sulu and Tawi Tawi. Tagged as “Operation Merdeka”, they were trained in Corregidor. When the soldiers found out about the mission, they refused killing their fellow Muslims. To cover it up, the men were all massacred at Kindley Field. One man, Jibin Arula, shot at the leg was able to escape by jumping off a cliff. Fishermen discovered him three days later hanging from a tree below. If Arula didn’t survive, there would be no one else to tell the tale.

This may not be told in history books but here in Corregidor, the tale is relived over and over again. And in the hospital, ghost reported sightings are always the same. – three nurses sitting on the steps. The spirits are not the typical mananagal but rather spirits who haven’t realized that they are dead. Sometimes, tourists claim that the pictures taken show shadows or orbs floating around. Whether its just human imagination, computer effects or the real thing, we will never know.

Regina, my friend told me to relax. “Its not like we are going out of the bus” That is until they started handing out flashlights and leading us up to the hospital’s old ruins. The grass was tall thick and scratchy on my slipper soled feet. We gingerly went up concrete steps wet with rain and rust . The graffiti on the walls echoed the voices of the dead like calls of remembrance. Winged bats circled over our heads and balete tree roots ran amock on the walls and floors intertwining and tripping us if we don’t look out. As we moved from room to room, all I wanted to do was pee in my pants. But the only toilet left was the remains of the hospital and I definitely don’t want to go there. We entered the biggest room – an open air square where Carlos told us all to close our flashlights. We did. And as we stood still, the night sky blazed a million stars enveloping us in grandeur. And then you realize that it is not so scary after all.

For suncruise tours, contact : Kristine Castro 5268888 loc. 9502 or anyone from the Reservations Department of Sun Cruises for more information and current rates. For Carlos Celdran tours call(63 – 2) 484 4945 or(63) 920 9092021. Email the author at wandergirl28@gmail.com