Trouble in The Office

The Plaza

A couple of years ago, the Office moved into our current building-- the Plaza, one that used to house an oil company during the Martial Law period. We were the only tenants at that time occupying the 6th to 11th floors. The other floors, Ground to 5th, were still being renovated for new tenants, who were set to move in after about six months.

It had been years since the last occupant, and the Plaza started to build a reputation for being a haunted building. It was even featured on “Magandang Gabi, Bayan” for their Halloween specials. The owner started to drop rent price to each potential client, but no one wanted to take a chance on a building that had restless spirits roaming in it.

Except the Office, of course. We happened to have very brave financial officers.

The first months of occupancy were quite scary. Employees who had a “Third Eye” had sightings of “spirits” in black especially, at nighttime. They said the “black spirits” show up at around 8 in the evening, usually near the elevators. (Waiting to hitch a ride?)

Another story involved employees hearing a persistent “Pssssst….” sound, and then feeling a prodding on the shoulder (can you translate kinakalabit?). When they turn around, nobody’s there. A manager who used to work for the Oil Company said that a secretary, who used to take orders of banana Q by making kalabit, died while at work. She was purportedly on her way from buying banana Q’s when she got run over by a car.

The scariest that I have ever heard was the one told to us by a planner, Cling. Cling was passing by the basement parking exit when Jen, another planner, drove out of it. She saw what looked like a man seated next Jen on the passenger seat. Cling was surprised, since Jen didn’t have any boyfriends or boy friends in the vicinity. The next morning, Cling excitedly asked Jen who the fellow was. Jen said, “What guy? I was alone.”

The explanation of one psychic officemate, who consulted a Spirit Questor, was that the Plaza became a gateway, a black hole for lost souls. It even sucks in spirits who could have died as far as Alabang. The basement was believed to be the seat of black spirits, opposing the hotel right across ours, which was the seat of the white. Since our moving in, there were numerous “exorcisms” and Catholic masses in the building to rid it of unwanted elements.

It’s been two years and two additional tenants since then. The “sightings” has been less now. (Although lately, there was a story told by a brand manager about her night-trip up the elevator with some Creatives. They returned to the Office to get their stuff, and so they boarded the elevator and pressed the button to stop at the 7th floor. When the doors opened and closed on the 2nd floor, they heard someone, a girl, wail from the outside.

“Narinig mo yun?” tanong ni BM to a gay Creative.
“Nope. Ikaw ba yun?” looking at the third person in the lift, who was a girl.
“Hindi, a,” said girl.

Instantly, they were pale with fright; they just stared at the floor indicator above, and avoided looking at the doors and walls, which had mirrors on them. The wailing girl was still at it from 3rd to 7th floor. It was the longest elevator ride of their lives. When the doors opened on the 7th, all three burst out it, scared and screaming!)

You should visit our building sometime. :-)

posted by Elyss @ 1:02 PM