In its 158 years, Ateneo has been no stranger to the series of horror stories that are passed on from generation to generation. From the eerie Old Communications building to the historic hallways of the Ateneo Grade School, there are accounts of ghost sightings and paranormal hauntings.
Vantage takes a look at some of the tales of students, old and new, who have heard of or even personally witnessed some supernatural presences during their time at Ateneo.
“There is a story about a [Grade School corridor] where a kid [wearing an Ateneo uniform] would be seen late at night. Teachers would be the only ones to see the kid since they leave the school at night. One time, a teacher was walking along the hallway when he heard the sounds of a kid crying in one of the rooms. He went inside to find the crying kid. When he came in, he saw the shadow of the kid from behind which led him to leave the room and run away from it.” - Marco Pua, 1 AB COM
“My barkada and I were sitting on the leftmost part of the stage [during Under The Stars], near the food stalls. Later [on], some of my friends went to get stuff from ISO, so me and a few other people were left alone. In between sets, I looked towards Berch because it was where my other friends went to use the CR. I saw a figure on the 3rd floor. It was pure white and flowing. It looked like it was floating towards the CR. I didn't say anything to my friends because I know na they don't like ghost stuff.” - Milo Sorreta, 3 BS PSY
“Every time I pass by Bellarmine at nighttime, jogging or in a car, I always get the creeps. There's something about it that just makes it seem so haunted or creepy. People say that if you pass by Bel at night and look at it, a lady will appear waving at you. The thing is you have to wave back at her. If not, in the blink of an eye, you'll see her face right in front of you.” - Anonymous, 3 BS PSY
“A few months back, we were rehearsing for our OrSem gig [at] around 6:00-7:00 PM, [in] the FA theater in Gonzaga. I asked our choreographer if I could go down to drink. After, I went inside the bathroom and I noticed one of my co-performers enter. He was wearing a blue dri-fit, black shorts, and was pretty tall, so it was hard not to notice him. I said hi, but he didn't answer back and went inside a stall. It was silent for a few minutes, but I didn't think of it much so I went back up to the theater. To my surprise, he was already there! I asked him how he got there so fast, since I didn't notice him leave the bathroom before me. It turns out, he never went to the bathroom and whoever/whatever was there, wasn't him at all. It was really weird, considering how it wasn't a regular school day and that we were the only ones in that area. After that experience, I never used that bathroom ever again.” - Anonymous, 2 AB PH
“Back during my grade school days, we had an overnight event called Class Night. After the program, the students went out ghost hunting. At some point they walked to the LS. My friends and I chose to fool around and stalk the class while wearing monster/demon masks. As they walked, we followed, scaring [anyone] who [was] behind the line. As we were having fun we couldn't shake off a certain feeling of dread. When we were near the covered courts, black figures crossed our peripherals. We paid no heed because we were busy having fun. When the hunt ended, we went back to our classrooms to sleep. But as I shut my eyes, the black figures once again showed up, but this time they had faces and they were looking at me as I slept. All I could do was lie there and hope I see the sun.” - Anonymous, 3 AB PSY
“I was in Grade 7, and I had to come early to school with my brother because he was having a field trip that day, and their call time was 5:00 AM. I walked to my building with no other students around and hardly any lights, and the sun was far from up. I crossed the building all the way to the far end where my classroom was, and sat down. No lights were on in the building either. There was nothing else I could do so I just sat on the bench. A few minutes later, a light at the completely opposite end turned on. I stood up and stared at it. It turned off, then the light [in the next] classroom turned on. This time, [there was] a younger student inside from what I could tell. He was just standing, but it was so far, I even squinted but couldn’t see any features, but there was something wrong with his uniform. Again, the light switched off, then on again at the next classroom, but this time the student was running towards me. The light turned off, and the next one was two classrooms closer, but this time I saw that the student’s white uniform was tattered and covered in blood. The running grew louder and I couldn’t move. Finally, the light of the last classroom from me switched off, and the footsteps were at their loudest. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst, but as I kept my eyes closed, the sound of the footsteps ran past me. When I felt I could move again, I got my bag, went downstairs, and sat outside the faculty room under a light. The rest of the day went on normally, but I didn’t tell anyone else about it.” - Augusto Adre, AB COM ‘17
Although not everyone might believe in these ghostly encounters--regardless of how real they might seem--recurring stories of supernatural encounters show that we may not be the only ones that wander these halls.
Photos by Gabriel Medina, graphics by Angelica Bacungan and Patricia Sangalang.