Scary Stories 4

Export Bank Chronicles

2 years ago, I resigned from my previous job in Ortigas and decided to find another job na medyo malapit sana sakin. I live in Makati. Sakto naman, I saw this job posting in FB around Ayala. Jackpot! Aside from malapit na nga sya and the price is right, wala pa masyadong chechebureche, they hired me on the spot and offered me a job.

Our office was located in Export Bank Tower. Chino Roces corner Gil Puyat. It looks normal naman on the outside pero once you get in, mapi-feel mo na sobrang tanda na ng building (if you're used to working in modern buildings like sa Ortigas or BGC, putsa bulok itong building na ito or luma, basta old school). No fancy lobby, no modern architectural design, hindi mabango. Basta prehistoric yata. So ayun na nga, I worked in one of the Call Centers there.

Training days.
There's this one time na me and my wavemates are talking about our requirements. First time kong maranasan ito and I swear I'm not hallucinating. This is how our convo went.

Girl1: Nakakuha ka na ng Police Clearance mo? (talking to me).
Me: Di pa nga e, sabi ni XXXX mahirap daw kumuha diyan sa munisipyo eh.
Girl1: Hindi ah, sobrang bilis lang kaya nung sakin.

We are falling in line that time, waiting for our trainer to call us para pumasok sa training room. This lady I'm talking to, nakapila sa likod ko and because alam ko yung boses nya at sya lang ang may boses na ganun, hindi ako tumingin sa kanya 'coz I'm also reading our training materials. So I answered:

Me: (still, not looking) Weh? Sige ita-try ko bukas. Wait saan ka ba kumuha? Dun din ba sa kinuhaan ni XXXX?.

She didn't answer. So I looked at her and asked her again.

Me: Huy! Saan ka kumuha? Dun din ba? Kasi iba chika nila sakin, sobrang tagal daw.

Girl1: Ha? Anong sinasabi mo? Di pa rin ako kumukuha. Di ko nga alam san ako kukuha eh.
Me: What? Sabi mo mabilis lang nung kinuha mo yung sayo? Like 10 seconds ago! Hala sya oh!.
Girl1: Baliw ka ba? Nananahimik ako dito e. Ikaw nga tinatanong ko.

Tumigil na ko. Nagmukha na kasi akong tanga. And binuksan na din kasi ung door sa training room. So pumasok na kami. And this lady I'm talking to, I asked her again like 2 days after if she really didn't say anything. Sabi nya wala daw talaga siyang sinabi na ganon.

My Trainer.
When I met my trainer, I knew right away that we will become friends. She's kikay, maputi, mahilig mag-make up, mahilig sa lahat ng kaartehan, may pagkabakla, just like me (babae ako, ok) so to cut the story short, naging close kami. There are times like our lunch time or break time, I'd rather stay in the training room to talk to her, makipagbaklaan with her, sometimes, she would go with us and eat somewhere (our favorite place was the street sa malapit, I just forgot the name. Residential sya and there was a DIY carinderia but I swear the foods are super sarap).

One time, nagkukwentuhan kami ni trainer sa training room. She said.

Trainer: Alam mo ba, ang tagal ko ding hindi pumasok sa training room na ito. Like 2-3 months yata.
Me: Seryoso? Bakit?
Trainer: Kapa wala kasing training, dun lang kami sa floor gumagawa ng reports, nagko-coaching, nagsu-support minsan sa office naming mga trainers.
Me: Ah okay.. (I thought that was it).
Trainer: Wait lang hindi pa kasi tapos. So itong training room, ito yung hideout namin nung isa pang trainer. Dito kami lagi nag-i-stay pag burnout na kami sa workload. Nakikinig kami dito lagi ng music kasi malakas speakers dito.
Me: So? (I had a feeling na this is something scary)
Trainer: E di eto na nga mamsh, alam mo ba yung kantang Let it go? Yung sa Frozen, kay Anna at Elsa?
Me: Oo naman
Trainer: Nung sobrang sikat nun, para kaming baliw naka-repeat yun sa playlist ko. Tas etong si #%#%%#(yung isa pang trainer), nili-lip sync nya pa yun like She's Elsa with actions pa. So eto na nga. Nagpapatugtog kami ano, nagulat nalang ako may sumasabay sa kanta. Lumalakas pag dun sa chorus na. Pero sobrang lalim nung boses na parang paos. Kikilabutan ka talaga. Nagla-laptop ako nun. Then napatingin ako kay #%#%# kasi akala ko sya yun. Pagtingin ko, nakatingin din pala sya sakin and NARIRINIG NYA DIN YUNG NARIRINIG KO. Kaming dalawa lang ang nasa training room ah!

She was crying when she's telling me this. Naiyak na sya sa takot.

Me: So, what did you do?
Trainer: Nanakbo kaming dalawa! Iniwan na namin laptop namin dito tas pinakuha nalang namin sa utility kasi di na namin keri pumasok pa dito. At never na namin pinag-usapan yun. Pina-bless pa nga ako ni mama sa simbahan samin eh. At saka never ko na pinakinggan yung let it go.

After she told me that, I realized yung encounter ko. Hindi ko nalang kinuwento sa kanya kasi baka kung ano pa isipin nya.

Jealous Guy.
Si Trainer ko pa rin ito. Hindi nya ito sakin kinuwento but to the entire class na kasama ako. This happened bago pa man ung Let It Go incident. Same location, training room. She said, her boyfriend back then used to pick her up from work. So, si jowa, while he's driving, tried calling her to see if she's all ready. It was a Saturday morning and she's just finishing all her works and wrapping up for the weekend. She answered and put her phone on speaker so she can finish whatever she's doing on her laptop.

Jowa: Hello Love, ready ka na ah, malapit na ko.
Trainer: Huh, wait lang Love tapusin ko lang ito. Daan ka muna gas station baka need mo magpa-gas, basta mabilis nalang ito. Diyan ka lang, huwag mo munang ibababa.
Jowa: Ano? Choppy ka. May kasama ka ba diyan?
Trainer: Jusko naman huwag ka namang manakot. Matatapos na nga. Baka signal mo lang yan.
Jowa: May kasama ka ba? Sabihin mo huwag ka i-interrupt di kita maintindihan.
Trainer: Pu*angina naman please. Wag mo naman akong pag-trip-an di ka nakakatuwa.
Jowa: Love, di ako nagjo-joke. Parang every word mo may kumukuha ng phone tas sisigaw. Ire-record ko ito pakinggan mo mamaya.

This time, she lost her chill and took the phone off speaker and talk to her jowa on the phone.

Trainer: Oh ayan, malinaw na ba? Tinanggal na kita sa sp.....

Jowa: PU******MO KUNG SINO KA MANG NILALANG KA, LAYUAN MO GIRLFRIEND KO! WAG MO SYANG SASAKTAN DEMONYO KA! LUMAYAS KA!

She then grabbed her bag and laptop and run as fast as she could to the elevator. Alam na that there is really something her jowa is hearing. When her jowa arrived, she was at the entrance of the building crying already. Days after that incident, when she regained courage to listen to the recording, it was worse that what she expected.

Jowa: Hello Love, ready ka na ah, malapit na ko.
Trainer: Huh, wait lang Love arrghhh! ko lang to. Daan ka SSHSHSHSHSHSHHS baka need mo magpa-gas, basta mabilis nalang ito. BWAWAAAHHHH SHHH SSHHH SSSHHH mo muna ibababa.
Jowa: Ano? Choppy ka. May kasama ka ba diyan?
Trainer: Jusko naman huwag ka SSHHH SHHSSSHH SSHHH. Matatapos na nga. (Growling) GRR GRRRR GRRR mo lang yan.
Jowa: May kasama ka ba? Sabihin mo huwag ka i-interrupt di kita maintindihan.
Trainer: Pu*angina naman please. Wag mo naman GRRR VOOOSHH OOOHHH SSSSSHHHH.
Jowa: Love, di ako nagjo-joke. Parang every word mo may kumukuha ng phone tas sisigaw. Ire-record ko ito pakinggan mo mamaya.

This time, she lost her chill and took the phone off speaker and talk to her jowa on the phone.

Trainer: (mas malakas) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH GRRRRR GRRRRR Tinanggal na kita sa sp.....
Jowa: PU******MO KUNG SINO KA MANG NILALANG KA, LAYUAN MO GIRLFRIEND KO! WAG MO SYA SASAKTAN DEMONYO KA!! LUMAYAS KA!

I only stayed there for 4 months. I remember, every time matutulog ako sa sleeping quarters namin dun, lahat ng panaginip ko weird and nakakatakot. Like I would see myself sleeping on the exact same bed where I slept. And everything was too dark. Minsan pag sa top bunker pa ko natulog, napanaginipan ko na nandun din ako sa same spot, pero may mga bata daw akong sinasaway na huwag mag-akyat-baba kasi may mga natutulog sa ibang bed at baka sila malaglag.

Huling balita ko, tinanggal na lahat ng BPO sa Export Bank, government na daw ang may-ari ng building and they're planning to put all the offices of government agencies dun.

-jopay-