The White Lady of Balete Drive

Many reports that the old Spanish homes in the area of Balete Drive were haunted, or being guarded by their former, dead Spanish owners. The most famous case and the case most reported is the story of a "White Lady" frequently being seen in that site, according to a famous Philippine urban legend. For decades, there were stories about encounters with a beautiful lady in white along Balete Drive who appeared from nowhere, either flagging down one’s vehicle or floating in the air. Balete Drive is a two-lane undivided street and main thoroughfare in the New Manila District, in Quezon City, in Metro Manila, Philippines.

However, the sighting of the White Lady are not exclusive to Balete Drive. In other parts of the country, tales of similar appearances are commonly in connection with former cemeteries or former church graveyards, old houses, bridges, forested areas, winding rivers, and caves. Many of these places were said to be sites of executions during the war.

 

Balete Drive

One of the more famous execution sites is along a river in San Jose, Batangas. An engineer had this story to tell. While cruising along the Star Tollways after the Balagtas tollgate, he said, he caught a smell of flowers and lighted candles, then saw a woman dressed in white seated on the front passenger seat right beside him. He avoided looking at the rear view mirror, fearing he would see more people seated behind him.

Scared stiff, without moving his head, he stepped on the gas pedal but the car slowed down instead. Upon crossing the reputedly haunted bridge over the San Jose river, the engineer saw a pair of bright lights behind him on the side view mirror. He blew his horn twice to call attention. Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, the woman disappeared.

The White Lady is frequently seen in the portion of the road from the intersection of the road with the Mabolo Street up to the Intersection of the road with the Bougainvilla Street. The reports commonly came from taxi drivers, particularly those driving on the graveyard shift between 12:00 am and 3:00 am. The reports described commonly fits the descriptions on the reports involving the infamous Teresa Fidalgo reports from Portugal, on account of the white lady, either calling over to ride on their cab or suddenly appearing inside the car.

The White Lady, from the description by witnesses, remind some of Leni Recto Garchitorena, of a political and landed family originally from Bicol. Former Batangas Vice Governor Ricky Recto said they were related to Leni. The Recto-Garchitorenas had a house on Balete Drive.

There are two versions of how Leni died, according to Linggoy. One was that she was with friends on a joy ride. The other was that she was eloping with her boyfriend when she died in a car accident.


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balete_Drive

http://www.mb.com.ph/the-white-lady-of-balete-drive-and-other-mysterious-stories/

Pic Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Balete_drive.png