Baguio group asks council to block horror fest

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A Christian group has asked the city council to block a planned horror convention in October, saying it could undermine the city’s values and promote imagery of death, violence and the occult.

Marketing professional Eric Pangilinan, who launched an online petition opposing the event, appeared before the council on Monday with members of the Endtimes Harvest Christian Ministry.

They objected to the Baguio Horror Festival, a privately organized Halloween event scheduled for Oct. 24 to Oct. 25 along Session Road, saying organizers intend to make Baguio the “horror capital of the Philippines.”

Article continues after this advertisement

“Death and destruction. Darkness. Zombies. They want to make the city the melting pot of horror. We want to keep Baguio the character city that it is,” Pangilinan told the council.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

READ: Art as activism in a vibrant Baguio festival

The petition cited Baguio’s 2023 ordinance promoting “positive values” and urged the city to withhold permits, personnel and the use of city-owned venues and streets for the festival.

The group also cited recent cases of school violence, including a Department of Education tally of 135 bullying incidents in Baguio during school year 2024-2025, as part of its argument against staging horror-themed events.

The petitioners acknowledged that they were not claiming horror festivals caused violence, but said recent incidents had heightened concerns among parents and communities.

Article continues after this advertisement

They proposed replacing horror-themed events with a harvest festival, cultural parade or other activities aligned with Baguio’s “Character City” campaign.

Baguio has long been associated with ghost stories, with places such as the former Diplomat Hotel and Laperal White House often linked to alleged hauntings.

Article continues after this advertisement

Young residents have also held Halloween activities, including the “Karkarna” zombie walk, which began in 2011 and has drawn cosplayers and students. The event, however, was not held in 2024 and 2025.

While Pangilinan said the appeal was not intended to ban or criminalize Halloween activities, the group’s petition also raised religious objections to events featuring zombie, occult and death imagery.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The petition cited Christian scripture and literature associated with Halloween and Satanism, saying its opposition was rooted partly in concerns over the religious implications of such imagery. /cb