Junjun, the kid in the call center

"Aha, may bata!"

The boy seemed to be trying to catch Mark Ababao's attention while he was busy at his work station, the 25-year-old call center agent told "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" for this year's Gabi Ng Lagim.

Mark was staring at his monitor, talking to a client on the other line when he noticed a kid running inside their production area. New to the job, he did not know if kids were permitted in the place.

Mark said the boy was peeping at him as if wanting to play.

"Nakikita ko sa peripheral view ko na may sumisilip na bata, so parang na-caught 'yung attention ko dun. Pagtingin ko sa gawing kaliwa ko, sabi ko, 'Aha! May bata!' So bigla siyang nagtago," Mark recounted.

He stood up, followed the kid's movement with his eyes, and saw him running away from the work station.

As curiosity hounded his mind, Mark asked his supervisor, "Kanina ko pa kasi nakikitang tumatakbo 'yung batang 'yun eh, ano 'yun nakikipaglaro?"

"Kanina mo pa siya nakikita?" the supervisor asked.

"Kanina ko pa siya nakikita," Mark replied.

To his surprise, his co-workers made a dash for the lobby upon hearing his words. Mark, still clueless, asked them, "Ano bang meron? Bakit kayo tumakbo?"

The supervisor revealed, "'Yun na 'yung Junjun... Siya na! Siya si Junjun!"

Headcount

Mark had his first encounter with Junjun during his training period. Aside from his colleagues' welcoming him with creepy stories about the kid, there was an instance when there were originally 25 trainees, but during the headcount, the number became 26.

They realized that Junjun was there too.

Mark described him as a faceless kid, wearing a white shirt and black shorts.

One time, he went to his supervisor's work station, where Junjun was always seen running.

He noticed that the place, stationed in a dark corner of the office, had an eerie feeling. Mark said there were rumors that a call center agent died there. The staff avoided it as they also believe it to be Junjun's favorite spot in the office.

Another one

After the horrifying experiences, Mark quit his job and joined another company.

Everything was fine—at least, until...

"Dalawa kami ng kaibigan ko na pumasok sa loob. Siya ang unang nakaramdam, unang nakarinig. Tinanong niya sa akin, 'Narinig mo ba 'yun or nakikita mo ba 'yun?'" Mark said.

Out of curiosity, he went to the area and saw nothing. When he turned his back, he suddenly heard sounds as if someone was typing on the computer and banging the mouse on the table.

They were sure that no one else was there. Mark said, "Itong batang 'to, itong batang 'to, parang laging galit..."

"Hindi namin maintindihan 'yung ugali kung nagagalit ba siya, nagre-revenge ba siya or nakikipaglaro lang siya. Binabagsak niya 'yung... minsan may nakapatong na salamin sa station, binabagsak niya 'yun," Mark said.

This new Junjun was way different from the previous one, as the boy would also hit some of Mark's colleagues, leaving red marks on their skin.

"Itong Junjun na 'to is solid na itim, walang mukha, walang damit, para lang siyang usok na alam mong korteng tao. 'Yun yung itsura ni Junjun and this time, may mga physical na siyang ginagawa, nagpaparamdam," Mark recalled.

Why the office?

There were rumors that Junjun's mother, a call center agent, once brought him to their office for an event.

He was not allowed to enter the event's main venue, so his mother left him in the lobby and let him play with his ball.

"Since na hindi pwedeng mag-akyat ng bata sa taas, pwedeng iniwan siya sa may lobby, and then, siguro nakita niya yung elevator, na-amazed yung bata, pumasok siya.  Tapos it's either naipit siya or na-stuck siya sa loob ng elevator, 'yun ang ikinamatay ni Junjun," said 23-year-old Ryan Bayuta.

Since then, said the call center agents, Junjun has stuck around the office.

"According to call center agents, kapag tinanong sino nagpaparamdam sa office nila, sinasabi nila si Junjun," Ryan said.

Mark also encountered disturbing and spooky incidents inside the elevator and sleeping quarters.

During his break time, Mark stayed inside their sleeping quarters, hoping that he could relax. But, he was wrong.

"Ramdam na ramdam ko na 'yung grip, strong, and malamig yung kamay. Imagine-in mo 'yung lamig sa loob ng opisina at may lalamig pa sa certain part ng katawan mo na hahawak. Ako mismo nakakita na entity, bata, itim, tumagos sa dingding, parang hindi kapani-paniwala eh," Mark said.

The entity in Baguio City

Gemma Alsiso, another call center agent, was resting inside their sleeping quarters when she felt two little hands on her forehead.

Then suddenly, she felt hands strangling her, making it difficult for her to breathe.

"Hindi ako makahinga ng husto. Posibleng 'yung nanay niya 'yung sumakal sa akin tapos 'yung bata 'yung humawak sa noo or sa ulo ko," Gemma said. "Sa may ulonan, dun ako hinila. Feeling ko may humihila paloob sa kama."

When she woke up, she found herself under the bed.

"Pag gising ko bakit ang lapit nung... ewan ko kung ceiling 'yun pero paggising ko ang lapit nung parang wall or something. And then, na-realized ko nandun na ako sa ilalim ng kama," the 23-year-old said.

Gemma recounted stories from her dad, saying that their office was previously a factory in Baguio City. It was greatly affected and damaged by the deadly 1990 earthquake, which killed hundreds in the region.

Meanwhile, spooky incidents continue to haunt call center agents, as an unusual voice joins their conversations with clients on the phone and ghosts reveal themselves on photos.

"Sounds like you got your little one on the other end," a client once said to an agent.

Could this voice be Junjun trying to engage in conversation? — BM, GMA News