It happened around 2022 in the Admin Building basement of Cebu Normal University.
There was a contractor assigned to handle electrical repairs and maintenance across the campus. Two of their personnel were scheduled to work in the basement, and I was the one opening it for them.
I told them, “On weekdays, I’ll open it before 8:00 AM. I’ll head to the office after that. If you need it closed, just let me know. I’m off at 5:00 PM.”
They agreed, and we followed that setup for a few weeks without any issues.
One afternoon, sometime before 5:00 PM, I went down and saw one of their personnel. I casually asked, “Boss, how’s it going down here?”
He looked at me and asked, “Sir, what’s actually here in this basement?”
I asked him why.
He said that during their first few days, there were only two of them working. One was in a different area, and the other was in a far corner.
While he was drilling for wiring, he started hearing loud banging on a door—like someone hitting or kicking it.
When he stopped drilling, the sound stopped too.
When he continued, the banging came back.
He got nervous and went to his coworker.
But his coworker said he was also feeling uneasy. He said that while he was working, it felt like someone was behind him, very close, even though no one was there.
Because of that, they both went upstairs and reported it to their team leader.
After that incident, they decided not to work in pairs anymore. They made sure they were always four people in the basement and stayed close to each other.
That’s why I later noticed they were always together whenever they worked down there.
I just joked with him and said, “Maybe it’s because during World War II, that basement was used as a Japanese garrison. A lot of Filipino soldiers died there.”
I added, “Maybe that’s also why the ceiling is low.”
Then I told them, “Just bring a radio or play some music so it won’t feel too quiet. Maybe you were just being tested since you were new.”
We all laughed about it.
After that, they said they didn’t experience anything like that again. It only happened during their first few days working there.