MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has recalled sensing an unexplained presence during his childhood visits to the Baguio Mansion House.
Also known as the official summer residence of the Philippine president, the mansion is shrouded in eerie tales of unexplained encounters shared by visitors and its caretakers.
“When we were children, we used to go there during Holy Week. Maybe it was just our imagination, I don’t know, but we really felt a presence,” Marcos said at Radio Television Malacanang’s The Baguio Mansion House Horror Stories.
He said such experiences were not limited to visitors, as the mansion’s caretakers had also shared accounts of unexplained sounds and occurrences.
“Those who lived there, especially the caretakers, would tell us themselves that they experienced strange sensations, heard things, and witnessed events they could not fully explain,” Marcos said.
Marcos said these unexplained experiences could be linked to Baguio’s history during World War II, when intense fighting in the city claimed the lives of numerous American, Filipino, and Japanese soldiers.
“Many people died there during the war, when the fighting in Baguio was intense, particularly during the advance toward the city. Many soldiers were killed there, including Americans, Filipinos, and Japanese,” he said.
“Perhaps some of them never left Baguio and still visit us whenever we go there,” he added.
The Baguio Mansion House was originally built as the summer headquarters for governors-general during the American colonial period before becoming the official summer residence of the Philippine president.
On Sept 8, 2024, the Baguio Mansion House reopened as the Presidential Museum, welcoming visitors to the historic site in the country’s summer capital. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
