Ed Caluag searches Carcar City museum

On Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Gabi ng Lagim VII, paranormal researcher Ed Caluag investigated Cebu’s Carcar City museum and the eerie and unusual occurrences that happened in the establishment.

Inside, along with its big and colorful stained glass windows and star-studded blue and white floors, is a room where antiques like traditional corn milling stones and winning costumes worn by Carcar performers are kept.

The establishment was built in 1929. In 2008, it was repurposed as the Carcar City museum.

But before it became a museum, the two-storey building was first a dispensary.

Many employees admitted they've experienced and witnessed many strange and mystifying happenings in the place: seeing a woman in black, a boy, wet footprints on the tiles; and hearing kids playing and shouting, and water continuously running from the faucet. And for Joel, a member of the staff, experiencing a violent force that almost strangled him.

With the museum curators JingJing Delos Reyes and Evelyn Bacus, Ed searched the establishment with hopes of laying to rest the mystery behind the place.

Ed first sensed the spirit of a woman in black. After which, he detected a strong energy of a boy in the hallway.

"Magulo, malikot 'yung energy niya. Hindi nagfi-fix, ibig sabihin lumilibot siya," he said.

According to Ed, the woman in black held a powerful energy, "'Yung babae na naman, ang bigat grabe. Parang dito mas naglalagi 'yong babae sa lugar na 'to," he said.

In the area near the stairs, Ed said there was a male spirit who used to be a superior in the establishment, "Tingin ko 'yung lalaki... parang may say siya dito sa area, parang nag-iikot siya eh so maaaring doctor siya before o kaya ay head ng mga nagtatrabaho dito kasi'yong galaw niya... para siyang boss."

Ed then investigated the abandoned swimming pool, which he said looked like a place where many people were tortured then killed, "Iba 'tong lugar, mabigat. Parang ang daming dumadaing. Itong buong area, kung ide-describe ko, ang daming patay na mga nakadapa dito. 'Yong iba hinahagis dito, puro may sugat."

Susan Alcoy and Jed Alfonso, who both work as a caretaker and a guard in the museum respectively, said they always hear a woman's voice crying for help and a boy who runs and plays around the pool.

According Tobias Pagusara Jr., a retired employee of the Carcar City government, the structure was established and constructed in 1929. The dispensary was established because rural health units did not exist back then.

"'Yung mga dinadala ditong mga pasyente 'yung  mga nasugatan, 'yung mga kailangan ng emergency treatment kasi malayo kami sa Southern Island Hospital," he said.

Tobias added Japanese guerillas used to drown suspected civilians who collaborated with the guerilla movement in the pool for them to get information.

Jingjing later on confirmed that local historians during the World War II used dressing rooms as torture rooms. After torturing the civilians, they will throw them in the pool alive for them to drown.

At this point, Ed decided to hold a seance to be able to contact the forces inside. Evelyn agreed to be the medium.

During the spirit of the glass, the paranormal investigator learned that the female spirit's name is Guadalupe and that she had been in the museum since her death in 1934.

"So maaari pong 'yung natawag natin ay isa sa nagsimula na nagtrabaho dito o tumira dito sa lugar na 'to so meron po tayong basehan na masabi natin na totoo po na 'yong nagpaparamdam, na nagpapakitang babaeng nakaitim eh 'yong pangalan na nakuha natin, si Guadalupe," he said.

They also learned that there's a possibility that the woman and the boy might be killed near the pool area, which explains why their spirits roam around the museum.

But despite the eerie stories, the curators of Carcar museum encourage people to visit the place and delve into its rich history.

“Ine-encourage pa rin namin ‘yung mga tao na bumisita rito sa Carcar Museum kasi higit sa madilim nitong kuwento, maraming matututuhan dito. Mas nakakatakot ‘yung wala kang alam sa kasaysayan at kultura,” delos Reyes said. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/LA, GMA News