Spirits at Corregidor

                Paranormal activities (not the movie) aren’t new to me. In fact I have an open “third eye” since I was 3. My first experience, I saw a striped (black and white) lady in our cousin’s house here in Nasugbu. Since then it never closes, but I got used to it as years passed by.  Seen a lot from lost spirits to some enchanted creatures. But I never capture any “thing” on film not until August, 2005.

                It was our educational trip to Corregidor, and I’ve heard a lot about the place. Corregidor is a small rocky island in the Philippines about 48 kilometers west of Manila which is strategically located at the entrance of Manila Bay. This island fortress stands as a memorial for the courage, valor, and heroism of its Filipino and American defenders who bravely held their ground against the overwhelming number of invading Japanese forces during World War II.

(Clockwise) Spanish Lighthouse, Malinta Tunnel,
Cine Corregidor, Eternal Flame,
Mile Long Barracks,  Battery Way

Today, the big guns of Corregidor are now silent and the ruins of buildings, structures, and tunnels in the island tell a very moving story of a war that has claimed so many lives.

So many lives indeed! And that’s the reason why it is one of the favorite places for adventure seekers and ghost hunters. It has been featured to a lot of Halloween TV specials in the Philippines. Many even captured some lost spirits on film. And here's one:

Just ignore the white silhouette, it's just me..;-) This was taken in front of the Mile-Long Barracks. Anyway I only noticed something strange in that photograph when I uploaded it to my computer. I don't know if it's just a product of my imagination or lighting or whatever it was but I can see a running soldier on that picture. Here's another one:

This one was from the Malinta Tunnel during the Lights and sounds show of what happened during World War II at Corregidor. It's optional for Corregidor trip packages but it's a must see. It’s called the “Malinta Experience.” Scripted by national artist and film director Lamberto Avellana and sculptures made by national artist Napoleon Abueva. Anyway I saw a standing "head-less" (Japanese?) soldier near the center of the picture. Imagination? Illusion? I don't know. But personally I saw a lot of bloodied soldiers inside the Malinta Tunnel. The most number of "spirits" I saw in one place. The good thing, we were about 50 students inside the tunnel so it felt less scary. Though I wanted to experience the Night Tour of Malinta Tunnel. It's not included in a regular day tour and can only be availed if you stayed overnight at Corregidor. It's much creepy since you will have the chance to explore some blown-up laterals of the tunnels where many Japanese soldiers committed suicide just prior to the recapture of the island by the American Forces.

Someday, I will experience that night tour, especially now that they're offering a lot more activities. They've opened up some more Japanese tunnels to be explored by visitors. And maybe some more new spirits of the dead? Happy Halloween everyone...;-)