'Mimic ghost' haunts Ombudsman building

MANILA, Philippines - Lawyers of the Office of the Ombudsman are called by some as fearless “graftbusters” but they, too, have had supernatural encounters that would require the services of “ghostbusters” instead.

A lawyer said she arrived at work early one day and greeted a secretary, who was busy using the computer, as she passed by the latter’s desk.

“Hi, Ate (elder sister),” the lawyer said to the secretary, mentioning her name. The latter answered back with a “hi” and flashed a smile.

When the lawyer came back later and asked where “ate” was, she was told that the secretary did not come to work that day because she failed to catch the bus on time.

“I don’t believe in ghosts but I really personally saw her and said hi to her. She greeted me back,” the employee, asking not to be identified, told The STAR.

According to the website www.treijim.penscribbles.com, “mimic ghosts” appear to a person who is alone in the form of someone the victim recognizes. “They have been known to have full conversations, but if anything is mentioned of why they are there, they appear surprised and then vanish into thin air,” the description reads.

A former ranking official of the Ombudsman told The STAR that two years ago, crying babies and weeping women were heard within the five-story building at night.

“They say that a lot of aborted babies are thrown here. Maybe those are the babies that are heard crying and the women are their mothers. Just maybe,” one employee said, adding that the area where the building stands used to be a grassy vacant lot.

One employee said a night security guard heard a loud clap while looking at some pictures as he went on his rounds at the office of the Community Coordination Bureau last month.