video above courtesy of Sleekeeffects Media Production
While browsing through Facebook today, I bumped into a specific post which has a black and white photo with a view of what it looks like an old abandoned city. It actually looked like a scene in the hit series Game of Thrones, specifically in the Kings Landing. But this has a print in it which states The Biringan City is still a mystery. Now this made me recall the conversation I had with an old friend when I went to Bohol few weeks ago and we had a mini reunion.
This gay friend was telling me that I had been to different places in the country but he questioned if I had been to Biringan City. The city name seemed inviting actually and for a second, I tried to try and check my memory if I had been there. After a minute or two of him giving me a chance to think, I had to answer him and said NO! Of course I can't recall being in that city. I can't even remember where that is but I know it should be somewhere just in the country because of the word Biringan itself.
Now he then asked me a follow up question, "Would you like to travel there?". Oh oh! The tone of his voice was actually becoming tricky and I can't say if I would like to considering that he sounded creepy but with a smile. I said it depends, I guess I will go there if my husband is with me. Then he asked me to search for it on Google.
So what is Biringan City?
image courtesy of oddityworld.net
I then started typing on Google to check where Biringan City is. In my mind I thought it should probably be a wonderful place. Well Biringan sounds inviting and I was imagining it could be a beach place. Or perhaps some city with tourist spots in there or could be a spot where waterfalls and rivers can be spotted.
But then on the first page of the Google Search, it shows something really uncanny, first on the list, Biringan City: The City of Wonder and Portal to the Other World, then there was a list of most controversial files on facebook, there's also a page which describes it as The Lost City, The Ethereal City and lot more. I found them all creepy and I was becoming intrigued by it. Note that at the time of our conversation, it was not yet Halloween time so after reading about it, we talked a bit but brushed off the topic since I was more focused on the mini reunion.
However, today was a bit different, it's the first week of October, Halloween's just around the corner and I believed it is just coincidental that this topic came in my time line on Facebook. I guess it made it on my time line so I can share something new on my blog section. So yeah I decided to just deal with this topic since I believe it is the best timing.
Biringan has been defined as a mythic city of indescibable grandeur which can't be visited by mortal individuals. It is known to be home of the enchanted or which we locally referred as encantos, there are also half-encantos there and even half-human progeny. These individuals can change to whatever form they wish. They can be in a form of human, or of animal. But if they became in a form of human, they'll have no philtrum, the indentation below the nose and above the upper lip of a human being.
The City has been known for lots of enkantos and half encantos too!
They say fairies aren't really beautiful, but they would change their images to a pleasing one so they'll get more victims.
By the way, Biringan in the local dialect in Samar actually means "a place where can look for something missing".
Going back to the topic, where is Biringan City?
Based on the stories I had found online, in the Province of Samar, Philippines a specific undefined location is called Biringan City which rumored to be found between Calbayog City and Catarman, Northern part of the province. It has the tendency of extending its area to as far south as San Jorge, Samar. However, it seems that its boundaries can overlap with other known towns and cities of the island. But one thing is sure, it can't be found in the map of the Philippines, specifically in the island of Samar.
image credits to oddityworld.net
As per my good gay friend, one huge package has been sitting on a courier company one time in the said province and no one had cared to claim it. The sender was from abroad and it was huge and heavy that it requires five people to carry it. It was actually surprising when they checked the sender's address and it shows Biringan City. The personnel had checked it again and again, even verified with the seniors about the said location but it shows negative on their system. It sent chills to their spine when they later learned about the mystic city. No one cared to check the inside of the package and just left it for the sender to retrieve the package. That remained a mystery who ordered it and what was inside.
MORE STORIES ABOUT IT
After being able to bumped into this post in Facebook, I started reading on blogs and stories about the spooky city. Surprisingly, I found this interesting this time than the first time I heard about it.
I learned that this has been already featured before in a specific local Television show, while I never heard of it until then, the story of Biringan City had been already circulating in the country, in fact it has not died despite the advent of television and the internet.
Here are the different versions of what's going on in this city:
•Bus Driver Story•
There were stories or perhaps plain story made by the ancestors during Halloween that a bus was plying a route from Catbalogan City to Tacloban when somewhere halfway, the bus' driver and conductor stopped to pick up two young lady passengers.
The two passengers asked to be dropped to an off route but the driver agreed since they had offered to triple the fare. When they were on the way there, the two passengers alighted and whilst the driver tried to make a U turn to go back to their path, he could no longer find the dirt road and thought they were lost. Decided to sleep instead and wait for the morning but to their surprise, they found themselves in a desolate mountain top in the morning when they woke up.
A large tow truck had to be sent through rough mountain trails just to bring the bus back to high way.
•Motorcycle Riders Story•
Another story states that two guys riding on a motorcycle were traveling at night from Western Samar to the Eastern part of the island. They were passing by the foggy, windling passes to Borogan, Samar at around nine in the evening. While they were the only people around and their motorcycle engine was the only sound plus some insect chirping, they were astonished to hear some busy sound of trucks, buses or cars but they couldn't find anything while driving. Their ears can hear it but their eyes can't. They are only seeing the one single motorcycle light coming from its headlight.
Air horns blared form every direction and sudden gusts of wind rocked their motorcycle as if huge trailer trucks were passing them by on all sides. That had brought chills and nervousness to both the driver and his passenger. The driver kept calm and when they made another curve, the busy sound stopped rapidly and they were back again to their silent long night ride. They won't forget that experience.
•Businessmen's Story•
Businessmen were also lured to go to this place as the elements had transformed themselves into someone who is looking for business investors. These businessmen said that the looks of the city is somewhat comparable to the ones like Singapore, Hong Kong or New York.
Hearing that, the city must be really awesome!
•Students' Story•
image credits to oddityworld.net
Most of the victims of the elements are students. As per the locals, there are a few reasons of why they were being lured, either the elements liked them, they pity on them or they want to make you their partners in the underworld. Students who are fascinated with anything good are mostly lured and will be taken to a place where there are lots of food, huge and big houses and even cars!
The students who are being possessed in the real world are said to have given in to the elements and has now been taken with them to the other world.
When students are victimized, they usually gets possessed by demons and exorcism is usually being done to drive away the spirits inside of them.
•Theater Story•
As per Jonas Lim, a directory to a theater show entitled Biringan. At first he would not believe it but then he noticed different times where there are lots of things that would hinder them to fully accomplish the said play. There was a time where they had prayed before the play but all of the actors and stage performers collapsed on the floor so they stopped praying on the next plays and this didn't have a problem.
Then whenever the play starts and the curtain is being opened, there are bats coming out of the curtain. They would need to prepare lots of candles before the show.
Should I go there?
The video above was a show featuring the mystery of Biringan City
Although as a Filipino, I would love to hear stories that tackles about fantasy, magic and anything extraordinary, I would not like to personally experience the chilling and spooky events that those guys in the stories had gone through. I know some people who can testify that there are indeed other creatures which are not like us, people who can sense if there are these kind of entities around. My brother is someone whom I can set as an example. While we were small and were all playing outside the house just around our garden where there were banana trees around and mangoes too, he suddenly had changed his mood from happy to scared. He went inside the house and then started having chills and getting cold.
Everyone at the house was worried about him and were all thinking what had happened. He then was having fever at an instant. Then while my mother was asking him to take some medicines, he told her about this lady in white looking at her in the banana trees near our house.
some encantos at GAP Farm Davao
Hearing about it makes me really feel scared about that part of our house which is why I would also avoid getting near to that banana tree. But then glad my mother had been telling him to rebuke those bad spirits and call unto the name of God whenever we feel like there are strange things occurring in the vicinity.
So if being asked if I would like to go there, I would say no. No more explanations and no more reasons, I just don't want to dwell in these kinds of situation even if the environment of that city would be an awesome thing.
Hope you enjoy this mystical topic.
