KMJS Gabi ng Lagim explores Baguio Teachers' Camp's century-old history, eerie encounters

For more than a century, Baguio Teachers’ Camp has opened its doors to teachers, students, tourists, and visitors.

But beyond its historical significance and role as a popular destination in Baguio City, the camp has also become the subject of eerie stories passed down through generations.

On Sunday’s Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’s Gabi ng Lagim XIV, several visitors and residents shared their alleged encounters with unexplained figures, strange sounds, and unusual experiences inside the historic compound.

A mysterious figure caught on video

In 2019, Arjay Leano and Timothy Ada attended a seven-day national conference for high school students at Teachers’ Camp.

While other students were attending an activity, the two returned to their room at Quirino Hall with a friend who was supposed to edit a video.

They said some of their friends followed them and repeatedly knocked on their door, but they did not let them in because they were not given permission to enter.

After the knocking stopped, Arjay went outside to check if their friends were still there. As he turned back toward their room, Timothy's phone camera allegedly captured a small, dark figure quickly crossing the doorway.

Timothy described the figure as a child who was around three feet tall, with hair but no visible eyes.

The two said there were no children accompanying their group during the conference, and they did not hear footsteps despite the wooden floors that would normally make sounds when someone walked across them.

The experience left them frightened, with Arjay recalling that they even pushed their separate beds together every night afterward.

Residents recount encounters with strange figures

Malou Alacquiao, who lived inside the Teachers’ Camp compound for six years, also experienced several unsettling experiences of her own.

She said she would often feel uneasy while passing between Benitez Hall and Abada Hall, particularly near a pine tree along the residents' usual route.

She also claimed to have repeatedly seen a woman dressed in white peeking through the windows of a cottage.

One of her most frightening experiences happened in 2022, when she was walking home with her children and a friend after attending Panagbenga.

As she passed the pine tree, she felt something cold touch her back, as if someone had put an arm around her.

When she looked behind her, she allegedly saw a dark, faceless figure approximately four feet tall.

Malou said her friend also saw the figure, which appeared to follow them until they reached home.

Frightened by the encounter, she bought salt from a nearby store and scattered it over herself.

Meanwhile, security guard Rolando Guiyab, who had worked at Teachers’ Camp for 12 years, shared his experiences from his nightly rounds.

He said he would sometimes feel his body become heavy while walking through the third floor of Roxas Hall, particularly around midnight.

He also described feeling as though something was pulling him and preventing him from leaving.

Christian Manalastas, a van driver who regularly traveled to Baguio, also shared a photograph that allegedly showed a woman dressed in white peeking through a window at Guest House 10.

He said he and his passengers noticed the figure while checking their photos.

One of his clients also recalled hearing footsteps repeatedly walking along the second floor of Escoda Hall around 2 a.m. before someone allegedly tried to open their room's doorknob.

Paranormal researcher investigates the camp

Paranormal researcher Ed Caluag investigated the different buildings and areas mentioned by the witnesses.

During his visit with Malou, Ed claimed to have sensed dark figures near the pine tree, including a tall shadow and a woman with long hair.

He said he also detected several smaller figures in the area.

When they visited the cottage where Malou allegedly saw the woman in white, Ed pointed to the window where she said the figure had appeared.

Ed later explained that the alleged figures near the tree and cottage were elements, while the small figure Malou described was supposedly a spirit.

He also visited Roxas Hall, where security guard Rolando had reported feeling an unusual heaviness.

However, Ed said he did not sense any spirits there, describing the possible presence as an imprint or a memory of past activities in the building.

He explained that these imprints were memories of people who had once occupied the place, repeating their former activities.

“Hindi harmful ‘yan,” Ed said.

[“They are not harmful.”]

A supposed child spirit at Quirino Hall

Ed returned to Quirino Hall to investigate the figure captured in Timothy and Arjay's video.

He was accompanied by Bungo, who previously questioned Ed's paranormal investigations but joined him in examining the area.

Bungo brought an SLS, or Structured Light Sensor, a device they made using an Xbox camera that can detect infrared and movement.

During their investigation, the device appeared to map a stick figure near Ed.

Ed then attempted to communicate with the supposed presence using different equipment, including a spirit box and an obsidian mirror.

He offered the figure candy and asked for its name. Based on the movements detected by the SLS, Ed interpreted the responses as letters that eventually formed the name Arthur.

Ed further claimed that the supposed child was looking for his father, whom he identified as Teddy, and that the two had previously been connected to the camp. He then attempted to help the figure leave the area.

However, a Baguio Teachers’ Camp administrative staff member, Renato Millan, said they had no record of an employee named Teddy.

While there was an employee named Arthur, Millan said he had already resigned the previous year and was still alive. He also could not recall an employee whose child had that name, although he noted that the buildings had been standing for many decades.

Video experts offer a different explanation

The images and videos presented during the investigation were also examined by video expert Hendrix Sanchez.

Regarding Christian's photograph of the supposed woman in white, Sanchez said the image had not been edited or altered but suggested that the figure could simply be an ordinary object hit by light.

Teachers’ Camp administrative staff member Millan also offered a possible explanation, saying the image in the window could have been a reflection of sunlight hitting the glass.

He noted that the window was closed and had curtains.

Christian, however, maintained that the photograph was taken after he and his passengers had seen guests checking in and later checking out of the guest house.

As for Timothy and Arjay's video, Sanchez said he believed the figure was an actual child.

He explained that slowing down the footage showed what appeared to be the child's hair and face, although the image was blurred because of the figure's quick movement.

Ed also leaned toward the possibility that the figure was a living child, saying its body appeared too solid to be a spirit.

He assessed the possibility that it was a spirit as low, but not entirely impossible.

Timothy and Arjay, however, maintained that they did not see anyone else in the hallway or hear footsteps when the figure crossed.

Teachers’ Camp highlights its historical significance

Despite the stories of alleged paranormal encounters, Teachers’ Camp superintendent Dr. Diosdado Medina said the institution continues to value its historical significance.

The camp, which is more than a century old, once served as the first school of the Philippine Military Academy before the institution transferred to Loakan following the outbreak of World War II.

During the war, some of its buildings were used as hospitals for wounded Japanese soldiers. Roxas Hall and other structures also served different purposes during and after the war.

After the conflict, the camp was turned over to the Department of Education and became a regular training venue for public and private school teachers.

Medina said the management has been working on developments to improve the compound, including its flower garden, museum, lighting, and other amenities. Some of its old buildings are also under heritage supervision.

He also encouraged visitors to appreciate the camp beyond the stories of alleged supernatural encounters.

“Sa mga nanonood nitong KMJS, nagkaroon ng pagkakataon itong Baguio Teacher's Camp, na mai-highlight at nawa'y mabago ang image nito. Ito po ay hindi isang institusyon ng kababalaghan kundi ito'y institusyon ng pangkarunungan,” Medina said.

["For those watching KMJS, Baguio Teacher's Camp was given the opportunity to be highlighted in hopes of changing its image. This is not an institution of supernatural occurrences, but an institution of knowledge."]

For Medina, the good memories associated with the historic compound should remain more prominent than the frightening stories.

“Mas mangingibabaw ‘yung good memories than doon sa mga bad memories,” he said.

["The good memories should outweigh the bad ones."] —JCB, GMA News