TALES OF TERROR

Real Ghost Story: Manila Film Center: Tragic Theater (Philippines)

The Manila Film Center is a national building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay City, Philippines.

Accident:

An accident occurred around 3:00 a.m. on November 17, 1981 during the construction of the Manila Film Center. Its scaffolding collapsed, and at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement. A blanket of security was immediately imposed by the Marcos administration, and neither rescuers nor ambulances were permitted on the site until an official statement had been prepared. The rescuers were eventually permitted to go inside the accident site 9 hours after the collapse.

Urban legend:

The Manila Film Center is said to be haunted due to the accident that took place in the construction of the structure. It has been speculated that due to the 9 hours that passed before rescuers were allowed in the site, some of the workers were entombed alive and that the bodies were left in the hardened concrete slabs. In a 2005 documentary produced by GMA Network's i-Witness, all 169 workers were traced and the records show that not more than a dozen died. Furthermore all the bodies were retrieved and were given a proper burial.