Haunted roads, bridges, and tunnels
Ghosts and other supernatural entities not only haunt places where we expect them to be, such as cemeteries and forests. Paranormal activity is everywhere, even on the unassuming roads we travel on daily.
To help those of us who get easily scared, we’ve listed down some haunted roads, bridges, and tunnels in the Philippines and the spooky stories behind them, so you can take a detour when you find yourself in the area.
Table of Contents
- Haunted roads, bridges, and tunnels
- 1. Balete Drive – most famous haunted road in the Philippines
- 2. Concha Cruz Drive – phantom black sedan with bloody passengers
- 3. Daang Hari – alleged dumping site for murder victims in the 80s
- 4. Narra Bridge – “never-ending” bridge at the foot of Mount Makiling
- 5. Malinta Tunnel – location of a mass suicide during World War II
- 6. National highway in Guimbal, Iloilo – vanishing mansion by the national highway
- 7. San Juanico Bridge – longest bridge in the Philippines with a bloody foundation
- Haunted roads in the Philippines
1. Balete Drive – most famous haunted road in the Philippines
Balete Drive.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Judgefloro
Balete Drive is the most popular among haunted roads in the Philippines. It’s often referenced in media and was even included in the Netflix adaptation of the Filipino comic Trese.
Balete Drive’s resident ghost is a white lady who hails a ride. Drivers would let her in, thinking they’re helping a woman get home safe, but she’d suddenly vanish without a word.
The story of the white lady in Balete Drive became popular in the 1950s when the road was badly lit. Lined with balete trees (strangler figs) that are said to be home to engkantos (mythical beings), the road gives off an eerie vibe.
Some believe that the white lady is the ghost of a hit-and-run victim. However, verification efforts have found that this tale was probably something a reporter wrote on a slow news day.
Address: Balete Drive, Quezon City, Metro Manila
2. Concha Cruz Drive – phantom black sedan with bloody passengers
Concha Cruz Drive.
Image adapted from: Google Maps
In Concha Cruz Drive in BF Homes, Parañaque, a phantom black sedan is said to challenge passing cars to a race.
But before the race starts, the sedan’s window would roll down to reveal a man and a woman, both bloody and lifeless, with their dead eyes staring ahead.
Concha Cruz Drive was a partying and drag racing spot in the 80s and the two are said to have died due to a drag racing accident here.
Today, the ghosts of the drag racers are said to now haunt the street to warn reckless drivers from racing toward their own demise.
Address: BF Homes, Parañaque City, Metro Manila
3. Daang Hari – alleged dumping site for murder victims in the 80s
Las Piñas-Muntinlupa-Cavite Road, formerly Daang Hari.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/TagaSanPedroAko
Before it became the bustling Las Piñas-Muntinlupa-Cavite Road, Daang Hari had no streetlights and was surrounded by tall grass. It’s said that murder victims’ bodies were dumped here in the 80s. Thus, restless ghosts seeking justice for their deaths reportedly haunt the area.
A young man shared his ghost encounter on Daang Hari online. He said that his family encountered a white lady on the haunted road. They had accidentally run into the lady with their car but when they checked in front of the vehicle, no one was there. Instead, a lady with a burned face started walking toward the young man.
While Daang Hari is now a busy street, accidents in the area are sometimes attributed to ghosts said to still be haunting it.
Address: Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City, and Cavite
4. Narra Bridge – “never-ending” bridge at the foot of Mount Makiling
Video credit: 8ListPH
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is located at the foot of Mount Makiling which is said to be home to many engkantos. It has several haunted spots including Narra Bridge, dubbed as “the never-ending bridge”.
Rumors say that some people who have tried to cross this bridge at night have found it to be seemingly endless. Those who had experienced this were said to have come out evidently distraught. It’s also been a site of multiple vehicular accidents.
Besides the bridge being “never-ending”, some people have heard giggling as they passed the bridge, which they believe to be sounds from one of the entities that live there.
Address: University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, Laguna
5. Malinta Tunnel – location of a mass suicide during World War II
Malinta Tunnel.
Image credit: @lcw77211
Being a military stronghold throughout the Philippines’ colonial history, Corregidor had seen a lot of death. Malinta Tunnel happens to be one of the areas where paranormal activity is the most active on the island.
The tunnel complex built in 1922 during the US colonial period and served as a bomb-proof bunker and storage. When the US troops recaptured Corregidor from the Japanese by the end of World War II, the 3,000 Japanese soldiers that were trapped inside the tunnel committed suicide by bombing.
Those who have dared to explore the tunnel have reported feeling being watched. There have also been some who have claimed seeing ghost of soldiers, hearing screaming, and experiencing poltergeist activity.
To visit Malinta Tunnel, you can join a day or night Corregidor tour which includes ferry rides from Manila to the island and back.
Address: Corregidor Island, Cavite City, Cavite
6. National highway in Guimbal, Iloilo – vanishing mansion by the national highway
Video credit: GMA Public Affairs
A part of the national highway in Guimbal, Iloilo, right where a centuries-old acacia tree stands, is said to be haunted. It’s where a vanishing mansion shows itself to taxi drivers.
This story aired on local radio in 2016. According to the sender who is a taxi driver, a woman dressed in white asked him to bring her to the mansion. The taxi driver was able to enter its gates but when he left and turned around to take another look at the structure, it was gone.
One local albularyo (witch doctor) who claimed to have seen the mansion described it to be 3 stories tall with 5 doors. It’s said to be heavily guarded, with kapres (tree giants) living in it. The albularyo also said that the woman passenger is their queen.
While the vanishing mansion isn’t seen by many, the former mayor of Iloilo put up signs and a statue of a woman hailing a cab at its location. According to him, he did this to protect the old acacia tree.
Address: National Highway, Poblacion, Guimbal, Iloilo
7. San Juanico Bridge – longest bridge in the Philippines with a bloody foundation
San Juanico Bridge.
Image credit: 熊颖
San Juanico Bridge, which connects the provinces of Samar and Leyte in the Visayas, is the longest bridge in the country. But behind this impressive structure is its alleged bloody history.
According to rumors, many street children were kidnapped and killed when San Juanico Bridge was being built. Their blood was added to the bridge’s foundation stronger and their bodies were mixed with the cement. According to a Filipino urban legend, children’s blood makes bridges stronger.
Several drivers have reportedly seen a child standing on the bridge, which is unusual since it’s 2 kilometers long. To be safe from restless spirits, drivers are warned not to stop for anything when they’re traversing the bridge.
Address: Pan-Philippine Highway, Samar and Leyte
Haunted roads in the Philippines
We don’t know for sure whether these places are truly haunted. Even if they are, not everyone who passes by them experiences the paranormal.
Road safety should still come first, so try not to be too nervous if you find yourself having to pass by one of these haunted roads, bridges, and tunnels!
More chilling reads:
- Baguio haunted places
- Unsolved crime stories in the Philippines
- Filipino real-life horror and crime documentaries
Cover image adapted from: Wikimedia Commons/TagaSanPedroAko, @elisehooper and 熊颖