Anecdotes from the Lady of Loakan

The mentioned anecdotes came from the archival work of the researcher. The gathered data came from a 2009 article from Ferdz Decena’s Philippine Inquirer entitled “Baguio’s Famous Haunts: The Loakan Road Huntings.” The article briefly discusses the sojourn of the author in Baguio and how they interviewed taxi drivers who traversed the area of Loakan and experienced sightings of the Loakan Lady. Below are the excerpts translated by the researcher from the “Loakan road has been famous for White Lady sightings” and “Now the site of the former Hyatt Hotel”.

“Matagal nang nagmamaneho ang taxi driver. Papunta sa town ang driver galing sa Loakan Road. Pamilyar na siya sa kwento [ng lady of Loakan] doon pero ‘di siya naniniwala. Pero nung lumiko, biglang naging malamig yung paligid. Naramdaman nung nagmamaneho na tumayo yung mga balahibo niya sa likod at kamay. Tinignan niya yung rear mirror at biglang nakita ang babae sa passenger seat. Di niya mamukhaan ang babae sa dilim.”

“Bubuksan na sana ng taxi driver ang ilaw ng sasakyan, pero bigla niyang narinig yung [boses] ng babae. Sabi ‘Wag nyo po buksan ang ilaw. Parang awa niyo na po. Ihatid nyo ako sa siudad. Walang imik na umalis ang taxi driver at muntik nang bumangga. Dahil sa takot dali-dali siyang nagmaneho papunta town at paglabas ng Loakan Road biglang nawala ang babae.”

The Lady of Loakan and its stories come from Baguio City. Many foreigners often flock to the road for its tall trees and quiet atmosphere. Furthermore, the story of the Loakan Lady persists among many young and old Baguio Citizens. Spike (2021) and Decena (2009) the folklore narrative is usually common among taxi drivers and motorists in the area.

According to Spike (2021), the lady of Loakan can be traced to the tale of the enchanted pine tree, which occupied a large area of Loakan Road. In the 1950s, during the road projects within Cordillera, the trees had been bulldozed, which resulted in tragic accidents, serious illness, and deaths. The narrative of the Lady or the Kaperosa of Loakan varies from person to person. Some argue that she is a nurse who has been raped by cabbies and hanged by the pine trees. Others took cultural nuance in their oral retellings and argued that the Lady was a beautiful Ibaloi with unusually blue eyes. Hence, she became an outcast and was perceived negatively by the community. She was then raped by assailants along Loakan Road. Eventually, she hung herself and coerced her family members to commit the same act.

Pang-masa (2018), posited that the tall pine trees and the wide stretch of Loakan road point to the cautionary tale of destroying the environment, which warns locals and tourists of the dangers of disrespecting nature. Furthermore, from the archived source of the researcher, many locals often point to the growing transmission of Lady Loakan from the events of the 1990 Baguio quake, which levelled the Hyatt Hotel and the Loakan Road Cemetery, where frequent sightings often occur.