Before Netflix, there were teleseryes, soap operas, and talk shows on television. In Filipino viewing culture, TV news shows like GMA’s Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho and ABS-CBN’s Rated K with Korina Sanchez have become primetime hits, especially with their seasonal episodes like their Halloween special, where they feature real-life scary stories, visit haunted locations, and even bring paranormal guides, some more reliable than others, to confirm paranormal activity.
But before Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho and Rated K, there was Noli De Castro’s Magandang Gabi, Bayan, which aired from 1988 to 2005, considered as one of the longest-running public service programs in the Philippines. Like the two shows mentioned, Magandang Gabi, Bayan also became known for its Halloween special that families watched together on the eve of Undas.
De Castro visited famous “haunted” locations for the show, from the Manila Film Center, Baguio City, Clark Air Base, the University of the Philippines Diliman and Los Baños, Tugatog Cemetery in Malabon, the Laperal White House in Benguet, Malacañan Palace, Corregidor Island and the Philippine School for the Deaf in Pasay.
Multo sa Manila Film Center
The Manila Film Center has been the subject of many ghost stories since its inception – and with good reason. During its rushed construction in 1981, around 169 workers were buried under quick-drying cement when the scaffolding accidentally collapsed. A number of said workers were allegedly never retrieved, with their bodies remaining trapped under the infamous building’s foundation up to this very day.
Lahing Aswang
An aswang is a shapeshifting monster that usually has a combination of the traits of either a vampire, a ghoul, a warlock or a witch. In this episode, an apparent culprit for the killings of live chicken has been revealed. However, when asked about the happenings, the suspected aswang says she does not recall anything.
Demonyo sa Sementeryo
Cemeteries are the homes of the dead and most of them rest in peace. However, not all of them are in absolute silence as some lost souls are. This chilling episode shows the sightings of a demon in a cemetery.
Kaluluwang Gala
Lost souls roam the streets of the GSIS village at La Mesa Dam. Eyewitnesses claim they saw a woman in white while they were walking, although the woman was not walking, rather, she was floating in mid-air, unmoving.
This year, the ABS-CBN News channel on YouTube goes on a Halloween retreat, making eight Magandang Gabi Bayan Halloween specials from 1991 to 1998 that started on October 28, almost serving as a countdown for Undas. Call your cousins and childhood playmates, if you dare!