Headless Ghost in Barong Visits Our Nephew at The Farm [Flashback* 12.20.2014]

Headless Ghost in Barong Visits Our Nephew at The Farm. Regular readers of Philippines Plus must be scratching their heads and wondering if “The Kano” has consumed massive qualities of Red Horse. No, I haven’t quaffed an adult beverage for a few days now. The following story is true and without any embellishment. 

Our nephew, Sherwin, age 16, along with his older sister, Shaina, 17, resides with us in Guimaras, our island province home. Sherwin and Shaina’s mother, Marjorie, my wife’s sister, works in Kuwait as a domestic helper. The teens’ father, who was a shabu smoking drunkard that pissed away all on his money on his vices, left Marjories and the kids years ago.

My asawa had our niece and nephew move from Manila to Guimaras when they were quite young. She did want them to remain in the dangerous environment they were surrounded by. Thieves would cut off a person’s finger to steal their rings. It was a tough neighborhood. My wife is a compassionate person and wanted better for the kids.

There have been several incidents since we moved to our rural location, “The Farm,” situated on five hectares on the outskirts of the oldest subdivision in our town. On three previous occasions I have heard my asawa calling for me. When I went outside (where she spends a vast amount of her spare time caring for her flowers and plants), she informs me that she did not call for me.

Listen, though I might be a crusty old expat of 62 years of age, I’m not going crazy…yet. I’ve been married for almost 15 years and I absolutely know my wife’s voice. Each time the voice started with the word “Dear,” a phrase my wife always uses (unless she’s angry with me and refers to me as a “stupid bastard.” When she’s extremely agitated she will verbally batter me with a barrage of curse words in her native language.)

A few weeks ago, my wife came in from outside to the confines of  the Philippines Plus Basement Headquarters.

“Dear, did you call me?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, “must of been one of the spirit that lives here.”

On various occasions my wife and her sister Emily that visited from Manila has heard footsteps on our veranda and our roof. Upon investigation, nothing or no one is ever found.

A few nights ago, our nephew Sherwin, was visited at midnight by an apparition that scared the living crap out of him. Our nephew is not one to make up tales. He doesn’t drink or smoke shabu. He had not been watching any television that evening. He’s hardworking and recently has finished in the top four of his class in his most recent grading. He’s been sliding by for years in school content with mediocre grades. He’s picked himself up his last year of high school.

Sherwin at school

So when Sherwin told my wife that he saw a headless man in a barong, the traditional male dress of the Philippines,  standing inside his room by his private sink, I have no doubt that he did see what he described to my wife. He hid under his blankets and looked at his cell phone for the time: 12 midnight.  He  peeked out from his covers and the figure stood there for a minute and disappeared.

Sherwin now has two rosaries hanging on the curtains on the side of the wall where the headless ghost in a barong was seen.

A dream? A bad dish of gruel, much like Ebenezer Scrooge did eat? Or an unhappy spirit?

I’m believing it’s the latter. And I believe, my father-in-law, who is inflicted with dementia and talks to his dead relatives has something to do with it.

Why? On two separate occasions my father-in-law was heard talking (to one of the many voices in his head) about visits my wife and I made to our new property. Problem is, no one spoke to him earlier each day and told him we were going to visit the property and our visits those two days were never discussed in his presence. I think his dead relatives tipped him off.

Does my father-in-law have a connection to the visit from the headless man in the barong. I can’t prove it but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ve also read a few online accounts where witnesses have also seen a headless man in a barong. Seems Sherwin isn’t the only one seeing headless ghosts in the Philippines.