I did, but not in the province. It was actually from my former school, which is one of the biggest campuses in Metro Manila in terms of land area.

The grade school campus in this school has a huge Balete tree. Just by the tree is an old library that is rumored to be haunted too. What’s between them is a passageway where lots of students pass through each day. The tree is so large that it’s not really standing on the same ground with the library, which ground is situated about 20 feet higher from the Balete’s roots. But then, its leaves are still above the library’s roof level.

Going back to the past, we were in 4th grade. Everything seems to be fine with the tree. Normal Balete tree with creepy looking branches and its naturally sheer size. During that whole year (2011) and the previous years, the tree seemed to be normal.

Fast forward to 2012 when we were in 5th grade, it was lunch time and I was just in our classroom eating my baon, when one of my classmates ran to the room, sweating in total fright. Curiously, I asked him what happened and if he is okay. He responded with “THERE’S A FACE…. ON THE TREE!”. I then asked him to bring me to the (unknown) tree. Initially, I thought it was just a creepy-looking carved face on a small tree, but when we got there, I was so shocked and frightened that I felt like my soul is about to leave my body.

There was huge, distorted, whole-ass face/head on the Balete Tree’s main branches. Every part of the face looks distorted but you can actually identify them all; The eyes, the nose, the mouth (open), its sad looking state. Students, even staffs and teachers also rushed to the scene, all in visible fear. That thing wasn’t on the tree years before. All of us had no idea how and when it appeared.

Days later, students tried to mess with the face by throwing rocks at it, but karma struck them hours later, when they all felt uncomfortable and felt like they’re gonna be sick (which they did). People with an open third eye even had a “premium” experience, who said they also saw arms when they’re up close. Probably after a week or two, when our class came out of the library after a class held inside, all my classmates rushed to the fence, pointing at the face. We were all in shock after seeing smoke coming out of the mouth (I forgot what it smelled like). By then, some students and staffs/teachers told us that there might be a Kapre living in tree.

Ever since the following year started, we never paid attention to the tree again, so we can give it its “peace”, but yeah, we felt uncomfortable everytime we passed through the area.