Haunted Baguio: Spirit Quest at Nevada Square Revisited, Part 3
October 31, 2008 by lisa
Filed under people & events
I would also interview the Questors and ask what it was that made them travel to distant places, enter eerie spaces, face sometimes strong and angry spirits, or even risk getting possessed. One of them answered, “It has become something we HAVE to do, a mission, actually, to help them because they’re so sad…”
When I told them during that final ceremony that it was unnatural for someone as “third eye blind” as myself to actually hear and see ghosts, which is why I panicked when I actually saw one at Nevada Square and asked for them to come, pointing to the Little Green House across from where we stood, and telling them that that house was sooo haunted but i never saw or felt a thing — ever!
They took one look at the house and said, “Manhid ka nga! Ang dami dami dami nilang nakatingin sa atin ngayon!” (You are impervious to ghosts! There are many many many of them staring at us right now!)
Epilogue.
Nevada Square started out as a quaint cluster of charming village shops. When the shop owners began leaving, and the restaurants started closing down, the square was eerily quiet at night, I made it my personal mission to get the place re-populated with well-intentioned humans to run cafes and restaurants, successfully inviting some of my friends to open shop therein, and helping strangers set up theirs by lending them furniture, equipment or even teaching them how to paint their walls using a techniques called “hand-rubbing.”
After the Spirit Quest, Nevada Square came alive again, almost immediately but definitely not in the way I had hoped. Bars and loud music, booze and drugs, a scandal that involved a live sexual act with footage caught on phone cameras held in the bar of one of my very good friends and then circulated via SMS, gang wars, a security guard shooting an ornery kid who had been taunting him for a full week — at close range in full view of my restaurant staff (I was there but I ducked under a table upon hearing gunshots so I did not see anything) — constant occurrences of physical fights that would result in damage to parked cars and innocent bystanders, and even bar owners who would join a rumble next door and inadvertently beat up their own guests.
A few months after the quest, when my cafe guests could no longer enjoy the jazz music and old favorites they so loved about my cafe and museum shop because of all the hip hop music blaring from the store next door, I happily closed it down, turning that very lucrative spot over to the stall next door. Since then other cafes have carried on the same format of a furniture, artifacts and gallery format elsewhere in the City of Pines.
In July 2005, I did not renew my lease contract for the steak house, which enjoyed one of the best locations in the square, and was just too glad to get out of that area because my customers said, “We love the location, but not the crowd.” I have never returned since, finding myself, like my customers, a little too old for the current denizens of the Square.
One day, a month or so later, as I was sipping coffee in my newly opened B&B, I was looking back at the events of that Halloween weekend and the succeeding years thereafter, I started thinking to myself, “Oh my God, what have we done?! While we did ask the souls to leave us alone, could it be that they were actually protective spirits at Nevada Square, could it be that they left a vacuum — and demons took their place?”
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Thus ends my story, and with a whole lot of asides, of the Spirit Quest of 2002. Since the story can no longer be found in the local newspaper archives, I found it fitting to re-tell it on the occasion of Halloween 2008. Tony Perez may still have a full set of photos because we sent him all the floppy disks (yep– that’s where they were stored) of unedited photos.
I have 38 left in my hard drive although there were many more originally that I uploaded to the Spirit Quest Nevada Square 2002 Gallery.
Have a great holiday weekend. If you want more, check these out:
13-part Halloween Special at Idiosyncracies by Mojo Potato
Baguio, Spooky Baguio by Ernie and Noel Zarate
Plus there’s something “happily spooky” going at Teacher’s Camp this weekend. Details at:
We just...
Perhaps you’re right, Lisa.
The Spirit Quest might have set up a pandemonium more than anything else at Square Nevada’s spiritual spheres.
After all, there is such a thing as: The Law of Non-Interference…
Chi, it was a few years later I came to that realization. And boy, was I so remorseful for having thought that what we were doing was actually good.
I published this whole account to actually be able to get that last message across, as a warning to those who delve too lightly into the unknown.
Hi Lisa,
I’m adding this comment to clarify a few matters:
The Spirit Questors do not use Tarot cards to “tell fortunes” or “foretell the future.” Tarot decks are mere pictures (in some cases, beautiful artworks) that can be reshuffled in different sequential combinations, which we use to stimulate imagery from the reader’s and the querent’s collective unconscious. The interpretations of the pictures that follow are readings of the querent’s PRESENT SITUATION, CURRENT TRENDS, and AVAILABLE CHOICES OF ACTION, which we do in order for the querent to effect spiritual and psychological CHANGE. Despite the frequently-used term “Oracle Festival” (an invention of publishers and book store managers for marketing reasons that I have no control of), there is nothing “supernatural” or “diabolical” about the way we use Tarot cards. You and Rosanne know that I do NOT teach my students anything that cannot be explained within the framework of reference of clinical psychology.
On our way to Baguio, your friend already made it clear to me that he was a born-again Christian and that we were being invited to your Halloween activity merely as “after-dinner entertainment,” which was fine with all of us. My own spiritual adviser is a numerary of Opus Dei (people are shocked whenever I mention this), for your information. What I did NOT know was that what you wanted was an EXORCISM. The Spirit Questors do not banish or exorcise; rather, we negotiate for co-existence and harmony among spiritual groups and realms. We believe that everything is created by God and that we must have civil respect for everything in Creation. Most importantly, the Spirit Questors are not authorized, per Canon Law, by the Catholic Church to perform exorcisms. In “The Spirit Questors’ Manual,” which exists but is not in print, there is even a codicil that states that all Spirit Questors must defer to the Magisterium when in doubt.
The Spirit Questors, however, believe that we currently live OUTSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN and that we were born with ORIGINAL SIN, in which case we have only two choices: to co-exist in harmony with one another or to kill one another. (It seems we are already doing the latter.) While so-called “fallen angels” do exist, I have observed that, for the most part, they couldn’t care less about human beings, consider us below them, and seldom meddle with our affairs. Whatever “evil” there is comes from WITHIN, not from without. Still, despite the endless wars going on locally, nationally, and globally, I believe that THERE IS MORE GOOD THAN EVIL IN THIS WORLD, because God made us that way.
Had I known your expectations beforehand, I would have referred you instead to the Committee on Exorcism under the Archdiocese of Manila, although I find them severely wanting in the following areas: 1) appropriate hermeneutics (my major track for my M.A. in Religious Studies, for which I graduated magna cum laude and for which my thesis won a National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle, was Exegesis; I have learned over the years that the true exegete is an open-minded person; 2) adequate literacy (a competent exorcist must be very well-read, from ancient mythologies all over the world, the classics, all the way to contemporary literature; I sincerely doubt whether any member of the Committee on Exorcism has even read a single literary, postmodern novel by Paul Auster; they may never even have heard of him); 3) an extensive collection of and enthusiasm for antiques related to varying religious practices; and 4) a deep interest in and field exposure to archaeology. Even I do not have the conceit of being up to par with all of these. But, then again, I am not an exorcist.
You mentioned that, after the Spirit Questors left Nevada Square, a “vacuum” was created. The ball was in your court, Lisa. You should have filled the vacuum with SANCTIFYING GRACE, the kind that comes only from the Holy Spirit. I could not have done that for you–I had, after all, to go home. Instead, what did you do? You all carried on with the lifestyles you had been supporting even long before we had arrived. You transformed Nevada Square into an “in” place, and what kind of people do “in” places attract, even in Manila?
There is a 3-unit, core curriculum course called “Moral Theology.” You must have missed it, because you did not finish your degree. Amoral acts performed by uncontrollable alcoholics, sex-trippers, substance abusers, and the like are called CRIMES, dear. The perpetrators are called CRIMINALS. So, please, don’t say that Nevada Square was invaded by “demons” after “a vacuum was created.” That is too convenient an excuse for immorality. People who are constantly in search of The Devil will find him or her everywhere. I suggest, therefore, that instead of blaming “demons” for everything that goes wrong, people should look WITHIN THEMSELVES.
Don’t get me wrong. You were the perfect hostess, and Alfredo’s Steak House is the BEST! We all had fun, which, in a way, was the point of the Halloween brouhaha. I warned you, though, that a lot of “atchay” TV shows would get on your back afterwards for sensational coverage, which they did. Thank God you were intelligent enough to fend them off.
Finally, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the beautiful antique beads that you gave us. The one I have, I had restranded with other excavated beads in my collection. I wear that necklace from time to time, especially when I am in barong. When I am not using it, I hang it on my dresser, around the neck of my white Carrara marble bust of Apollo Belvedere (the pagan god of magick, I know, I know, but it IS a beautiful work of ART).
Whenever I look at that bead, I think of you, and I hope that you have finally found true happiness and peace of mind. When I look at that bead, I feel that I got what I deserved—and, maybe, that you got yours.
To Chi: The Law of Non-Interference is the reason why our government will always remain corrupt. Your true guard is your GUARDIAN ANGEL. Your Guardian Angel is more powerful than “The Devil.”
The Spirit Questors are compelled to assist unenlightened spirits of the deceased who are in the state of suffering and encourage them to move on, out of compassion. Otherwise that would be like standing in the street, watching a person bleed to death, and doing nothing. (Too many people in this society are doing just that, nothing.)
To Gerald Sayana: Please improve your English and communication skills. Something seems terribly “off” about you. I can’t take you on as a student ever, because, there is something you don’t have that I can never give you. It’s called, sophistication.
Love in Jesus,
Tony Perez
Adviser, Spirit Questors
Founder, Santeros Filipinos
1898-1998 Centennial Artist of the Philippines
Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas
among other things
Hi Tony,
It’s great that you found this post! Thanks for dropping by here and adding your comments.
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Since this event happened a long time ago, let me just refresh your memory about some things, though:
1. Nico, who picked you up from Manila is Roman Catholic and knew it was not an exorcism that was needed at Nevada Square. Nevada Square or any person therein was not possessed so we could not have asked you for an exorcism. Maybe you thought he was Born Again Christian because he may have mentioned that most members of his family were.
2. When you and I talked on the phone about the exercise, it was clear that the Spirit Quest was to be similar to that done by your group at Hyatt Terraces Baguio that my sister and your student, Rosanne, participated in (I just hosted your dinner at Halfway House at that time), which is I guess exactly the exercise of the three groups in the areas of Nevada Square with a lot of vibrations.
3. The Oracle Fest was your idea (your terminology) as added after-dinner entertainment, which we thought was great Halloween gimmick. Before that I did not know that Spirit Questors also knew how to read Tarot Cards, and use other “divining methods” and since I have not ever had a tarot reading in my life, I guess I have the same idea as everyone else about that exercise — that fortunes are told by tarot cards. Thanks for telling us more about Tarot readings.
4. “You should have filled the vacuum with SANCTIFYING GRACE, the kind that comes only from the Holy Spirit.” —
I guess the point here is — we did not KNOW that a vacuum would be created!
We did have the Masses and blessings afterward. All I knew was that we wanted those who perished during the earthquake to rest in peace, just like the ones you contacted in Hyatt. I remember being told by Rosanne that they were “kawawa naman” waiting for loved ones, not knowing they had passed.
5. “You all carried on with the lifestyles you had been supporting even long before we had arrived. You transformed Nevada Square into an “in” place, and what kind of people do “in” places attract, even in Manila?”
Personally my lifestyle was simple — go to the market, cook, serve, quiet music, more wine than booze, Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday — nothing wild. This was the whole point of moving to Baguio City, after all. And it has been that all these years.
And the other “pre-Quest” businesses at Nevada Square were nice, wholesome places, too. We simply wanted peace and quiet and to be able to do business without being bothered by spirits who were so angry about the earthquake.
As it turns out, living with the angry spirits was so much better than the ones who came afterward — the often violent crowd.
6. “There is a 3-unit, core curriculum course called “Moral Theology.” You must have missed it, because you did not finish your degree.”
There’s no such course at UP Law, the only degree I did not finish. I did not study in Ateneo like my siblings did.
Oh, but I do know about criminals, and I do know about immorality and I do call them by the proper names (as you can see in other posts). But I also know more now about the spiritual world vis a vis the material world, and the influences thereon.
Thus I feel it is a good insight that I got during that one quiet moment — that a vacuum in the spiritual realm can be created, and that vacuum can be filled by something other than what is good.
And of course we know that the material world is a manifestation of the good (or the evil) in the spiritual world.
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Thanks, again for dropping by and telling us about Sanctifying Grace, and the need for it to fill a vacuum. This then serves as a guide for those who want to undertake similar exercises.
Appreciate it!
Hi again, Lisa,
Thanks for correcting the details–that goes to show how long it’s been. I don’t have the original photos any longer since everything was turned over to the Philippine Star and they never can find anything when you ask for them back. Besides, I don’t look great in those photos. When I look at myself in them, I say to myself, “Hey, Fatso!” Do send me your e-mail address so I can send you how I look like now. For the benefit of your readers. Vanitas, vanitas!
Oh, our accommodations were hosted by the woman who owns the historic Boy Scouts Hotel.
Nico brought me to his dad’s (a tribal chieftain’s) house at some point. Does he know that the Catholic Church does not acknowledge the authority of mombakis and mama-ohs?
Hi again Tony!
I published the photos in an album so that you guys can download them easily, for your records, if necessary. It was so long ago that I was using Rosanne’s first generation digital camera that was using a FLOPPY DISK for storage.
The reason I wrote it it, too, as a Halloween piece, was because I could not find the Philippine Star article you wrote online — pity — and before I forget all the details. Would have used your article instead, because it was written much better of course, and published immediately after the event so the details were still fresh.
Yes, it was Dra. Might Gupit who hosted your stay at Baden Powell Inn, a good friend of mine and someone who was exploring the possiblity of putting up a cafe at Nevada Square at that time. She’s such a generous, generous soul and a really good person.
Ah the Roman Catholic Church, to which we belong … sigh ,,, bow.
My email is creativenative(at)gmail(dot)com. Sigue, send me the thin-so photo(s) and I will update this post with “Tony Perez Today” pictures.
Hi, I’m one of the Baguio-based Spirit Questors who didn’t attend the Nevada Square sessions. Just passing through, by the way.
And yes, I feel so sorry for what Nevada Square has become these days.
Hi Dion,
Welcome! I know your name from one of the online petitions for Baguio that I signed.
Pity about Nevada Square — it used to be so charming. Pretty laid back and classy.
Hi Lisa, after a bike ride from Philex road, we’d usually stop by for refreshment at the convenience store in Nevada Sq. Also won’t forget the bagels of Biscotti.
Hiya Resty,
Yup, the convenience store of Mina P. called T.O.S.S. was so convenient as I stayed in the Little Green House across SPED (now Wood Nymph Korean Restaurant)from 1992-1998 and sourced all my grocery items and cigarettes there (they had a great selection of imported cigarettes. too).
And EVERYTHING Bardot had at Biscotti en Cocolat was lovely! That place really made Nevada Square so charming (I also used to patronize her Choco Loco Loco Choco on Session Road in the 1980s)
Even Red Lantern, especially in the beginning when it was such a hole in the wall would give more established Chinese restaurants a run for their money.
There were stores like a Christian bookstore and an Angels store where I used to source my Christmas gifts, and a nice lamp shop, too.
I really miss Baguio. Even the Baguio of the 1990s and early 2000s was still pretty laid back and charming.
Hi Lisa,
Just let people visit my blog http://www.tonyperezphilippines.blogspot.com
hello sir tony i bought your book about panibagong kulam. Question lang po: ano po ba yung espiritong gabay?
please mag comment na lang po kayo sa yahoomail ko jvilladegonzalez@yahoo.com.Meron din po kong facebook yun din po yung email ad. sana po mag message kayo.
Paulo,
Common sense before magic.
You have my e-mail abd blog addresses right in front of you now, don’t you?
Why don’t you send me messages THERE?
Hello Ms. Lisa! I am sorry for spamming you with this comment, but may I ask Mr. Tony Perez for his e-mail address? With his permission? I’m a U.P. student and I have to do a paper regarding kulam. I would like to ask him a few questions regarding this. Not the technicality of kulam but its effect on the Filipino people. I really hope I can get a response from you Ms. Lisa, since his blog site does not have any contact information. Thank you so much!
Hi Anne,
Contact him at his blog please, leave a comment there and ask him to contact you at the email address you will be leaving when you place the comment.
Thank you Ms. Lisa. I think kasi I have to make an account still at Blogspot to be able to comment. But I think I’ll do that na lang. Thanks again!