MANILA – Historical buildings are often hounded by stories and tales of paranormal events, and Malacañang Palace is no exception.
Several hair-raising ghost encounters inside the centuries-old executive office were experienced by no less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. himself during his younger years.
Marcos Jr. recalled these incidents in his vlog uploaded on Halloween day, Oct. (Tuesday).
“These stories, I have not told my children yet, because they might be scared,” Marcos said, with his son Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos sitting beside him.
“Since Undas, Halloween naman, kukwentuhan ko muna kayo ng mga karanasan ko dito, lalo na nung kabataan ko,” the chief executive said.
In a 2022 interview, Marcos Jr. said he was only seven years old when his family moved into the palace shortly after his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., won the 1965 presidential election.
Ghost hunting
Marcos said that back in the day, he and his friends used to go ghost hunting in Malacañang.
“There were instances when I was with my friends — I think we were six of us — and we went to the dark area here. We went ghost hunting. We were undaunted since we were a group,” Marcos recalled.
“One of my friends was about to open a door, but before he got a hold of the door knob, the door opened on its own. Oh, we screamed,” he continued.
Their “adventure” at 2 a.m. left them terrified that they turned on all the lights and blasted loud music in their room, according to Marcos.
Moving chairs
Marcos also narrated several instances of his uncanny experiences. He witnessed chairs and chandeliers move on their own, and felt an unshakeable eerie feeling that someone was watching him from behind.
He said his terrifying encounter with moving chairs in the Palace guest room left him screaming.
“Minsan, gabing-gabi na, umuuwi ako eh sinasara ko lang ang pintuan mula sa kwarto ko. Pagbukas ko biglang gumalaw ang mga upuan, eh di nagsisigaw ako dito at tumakbo ako. Sinumbong ko sa security sinabi ko ‘may multo, may multo’,” Marcos said, adding that the security personnel attributed the incident to a certain “Father Brown.”
Swaying chandeliers
There was an instance when a chandelier in the Palace swung by itself, leaving him perturbed.
“You see, the chandeliers here in the palace, when we see it moving, we sometimes think that there is an earthquake,” Marcos said.
“But there is an instance when only one of the many of the chandeliers moved. There is no window, it could not be reached by anyone, so it’s a mystery as to how it moved,” he added.\
‘Somebody’s watching’
The chief executive also recalled several encounters with a watchful presence in the palace.
“Sometimes at night, and when [I] was alone, when [I] reach front door, the formal stairs to the palace — actually this happened to me a few times — upon climbing I really felt that someone was watching me from behind,” he said.
“Paatras tuloy ako na aakyat dahil nakakatakot, alam niyo naman kung minsan, kapag naglalakad ka, mararamdaman mo kapag may nakatingin sayo eh, may sumusunod sayo eh, ganoon ang pakiramdam ko,” he added.
“Kukuha na lang ako ng condo sa malapit,” Sandro said after hearing his father’s paranormal experiences. (John Eric Mendoza © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
