With a construction budget of up to 25 million USD, contractors had less than 3 months to build the Pantheon-inspired Manila Cinema Center. 4,000 workers divided into three shifts worked 24/7 to complete the project as soon as possible. The work that should have taken 6 weeks was done in just 3 days.
At around 3am on 17 November 1981, the upper floor of the Cinema Centre suddenly collapsed. Some workers were impaled by iron bars, some were buried by rocks, while some were trapped by falling concrete.
First Lady Imelda Marcos believed that saving the workers would only slow down the project. Project supervisor Betty Benitez ordered that concrete be poured over the victims. According to reports, about 170 people were buried alive. It was 10 hours before the press and rescuers were allowed access to the site.
Due to the lack of timely access to the scene and the Marcos administration’s efforts to suppress the media, the evidence of the incident seems to be limited to the workers’ accounts. A rare video of the accident was only released after Marcos was forced to step down in 1986. The video shows a worker half-buried under rocks. A volunteer sang a Christmas song to calm him down. By the time rescuers arrived 10 hours later, the man was dead. Stretchers carrying bodies covered in cement can be seen in the historic footage.
As scheduled, in January 1982, the theater was inaugurated in time for the Manila Film Festival, with Hollywood stars like Brooke Shields and George Hamilton in attendance. The glamorous guests were unaware that, beneath the red carpet, they were walking on hundreds of unfortunate victims buried under layers of cement that had not yet fully dried.
In an effort to dispel the gloom, rituals were performed at the Manila Cinema Center. However, many visitors still felt creepy, sometimes hearing crying or seeing strange figures. During the time this was the headquarters of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the staff here often panicked and claimed to hear strange sounds when no one was around.
The story became even more terrifying when, a few months after the tragedy, Betty Benitez died in a mysterious accident. Many people took the opportunity to fabricate that the souls of the victims of the Manila Film Center accident punished her.
In 2001, the infamous structure underwent a $15 million renovation. Today, it serves as a performing arts venue and is a popular tourist destination. However, it is also known for its haunted reputation.
