The Philippines has its urban legends as creepy as the slender man or the Loch Ness monster. Filipinos are predominantly Roman Catholics and Muslims, but one would think the Filipinos don’t tell spine-chilling and hair-raising stories. For instance, one story was about the disappearance of children back in the ’70s. Allegedly, some people kidnap kids and mix their corpses with cement to build stronger bridges. Another was about a cult (“kulto”) member who murders people who left their footwear by the door outside their house. Many believe that our elders invented such stories to trick the children into behaving. Even after outgrowing some of these stories, the Philippines has many stories, especially urban legends and places. Here are two chilling urban tales that you might have heard of growing up.
1. The Filipino Urban Legend About A Snake Man in Robinson’s Galleria (Mall)
Anyone who has lived around Metro Manila in the early 2000s might have heard of this Filipino urban legend. The legend surrounds a snake-man living in the Robinson’s Galleria mall walls. Many believe the “snake man” is half-human and half-snake. Lucky charm, adapted into a movie, spying in fitting rooms. Rumor has it that it is one of the twin daughters of John Gokongwei. Others say that the businessman keeps it a lucky charm as snakes symbolize luck in the Chinese culture.
Furthermore, some say the snake-man spies on dressing rooms of the department store through a one-way mirror. Then, when chance allows, it grabs the people in the dressing rooms and eats them. In other versions of this Filipino urban legend, the snake man causes the disappearance of children and some workers.
2. Romblon Triangle, A Filipino Version of The Bermuda Triangle
Most might have heard of the Bermuda Triangle, where ships and airplanes disappear from the face of the earth. The Philippines has the same local version – the Romblon Triangle, a location in the Visayas region in the Philippines. Like the Bermuda Triangle, this particular Filipino urban legend lives on and refuses to die out. Moreover, it includes the Romblon island itself and is infamous for the disappearance or sinking of some ships.
According to legends, mermaids and curses fill the place. Still, the most famous story consists of Lolo Amang and the “Flying Dutchman of Romblon,” the Filipino urban legend version of the Cape of Good hope ghost ship. Onlookers onshore describe the vessel as shiny and full of lights. And it was said to be hosting a party, which was said to attract seamen and cause the incidents.
