Evil spirits ‘possess’ 46 students in Ronda, Argao
Classes were suspended yesterday in two national high schools in Ronda and Argao towns after 46 students were “possessed” by evil spirits.
The students of Ronda National High School were preparing to participate in the national earthquake drill around 10 a.m. when 26 of them started to show signs of “evil possession,” prompting the Bureau of Fire Protection personnel to cancel the activity.
The school officials also decided to suspend classes while the affected students were immediately rushed to the rural health unit and the church.
Senior Police Officer 1 Edmund Obiso, desk officer of Ronda Police Station, said one of the students told him that he saw a child before the mass hysteria happened.
“Naa kuno silay nakita nga figure sa bata nga blurred ang nawong dili makita, dili niya makuan unsa nga klase nga bata, mao to nihilak sila. Unya daghan sila nga grupo nga nakakita,” Obiso said.
Fr. Virgilio Dolloso, parish priest of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Ronda, said the students were screaming and angry when brought to him for spiritual healing.
Dolloso said he prayed over them and sprinkled holy water. He also gave them a sign of the cross on the forehead using the holy oil for the sick. The priest said that the students calmed down after he performed the spiritual healing.
Dolloso said he could not explain what happened because it was the first time that he encountered such incident in his four years of being the parish priest of Ronda.
HYPERVENTILATION
Obiso, however, said that the doctor at the rural health unit said the students were just suffering from hyperventilation.
“Ang findings sa doctor, hyperventilation, tungod kuno sa kainit kay sa usa ka room fifty three (53) kuno ka estudyante,” Obiso said.
In Argao, an adjacent town in the southeast of Ronda, another school experienced a similar phenomenon yesterday afternoon.
At least 20 students of Colawin National High School were also said to have been “possessed” by evil spirits prompting school officials to also suspend classes.
One of the students (name withheld) said her classmate suddenly cried after she allegedly saw a lady in the comfort room of their classroom around 1 p.m. yesterday.
"Nakakita ko og babaye pero nagtalikod lang siya ma'am unya dili niya ipakita ang iyang nawong, dayon magsige siya og ingon nga dad-on ko niya, moingon siya nga ali diri kuyog, unya dili gyud ko pugngan gyud nako ang akong kaugalingon nga dili mokuyog niya unya kusgan na kaayo ko ganina,” said the high school student.
Colawin Barangay Captain Glenda Albeos some of the students were brought to a faith healer locally known as "mananambal" while others were rushed to the Isidro Kintanar District Hospital.
ARE POSSESSIONS OF EVIL SPIRITS TRUE?
Fr. Ric Anthony Reyes believes that possessions of evil spirits are true. He said the Catholic Church even recognizes this belief.
He said among Catholics, this idea is actually part of their basic tenets and when reciting the Nicene Creed, every faithful professes that there are things “visible and invisible.”
“In the invisible world are good spirits which is composed of God's Kingdom and those who rebel against it, hence the fallen angels,” Reyes said.
He said these unusual phenomena are actually happening in the present days everywhere.
On the recent conference in exorcism that he attended, he said a study shows that on the basis of location, it indicated that in places where the beliefs on superstitions abound, there the cases are numerous.
“They (experts) say there is no such a thing as mass hysteria which casts also a doubt in cases like these. Hence, it can be a diabolic attack,” said Reyes.
He, however, said that Church officials have been very cautious in handling cases of alleged evil possessions and have to hold an investigation to look more into the incident.
He said the old rite of exorcism would always consider three bases: (1) if the alleged possessed showed extraordinary strength; (2) use or talk languages he or she has no knowledge of; and (3) the knowledge of the future.