Biringan - Hidden City of the Philippines

Описание: On a large Philippine island, is hidden the city called Biringan. You can visit, but you have to be invited.

The island of Samar, 150 miles long, is home, to the hidden city of Biringan. Well-known to the Filippino citizens there, and located somewhere in the northeast quarter of the isle, it is said to exist in a different dimension.

Sailors reported seeing its lights, shining brighter than that of any other coastal city. But captains know to steer clear of this port. In times when traditional fishing areas are overexploited, fishermen who wander into the abundant seafood reserves off the shore of Beringan City, may be unable to chart a course back home.

The name "Biringan" itself, translates as, "a place to look for missing people". The city is also the dwelling place, of those presumed dead.

Despite its reputation as a dazzling city of light, it is populated with black buildings, black towers, black streets, and black automobiles. The Filippinos have a saying, "If someone offers you black food, do not eat it." You may be captured, and perhaps enslaved.

The residents of Biringen, sometimes called "the Engkantos", are_ human. With one cosmetic difference. Their faces do not have a philtrum. The philtrum is the vertical depression between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip.

The Engkantos have a comfortable, futuristic lifestyle. High-tech dwellings with automatic environmental controls. Luxury cars that drive themselves. And small machines can be seen flying above the streets, carrying_ messages or deliveries. And apparently, it takes a lot of resources from the outside world to sustain their high standard of living.

A cargo ship from Manila docked at the Tacloban Port of Samar. The shipment consisted of heavy equipment. Bulldozers, payloaders, graders and dump trucks. When customs examined the bill of lading, the official was surprised to see the destination listed as Biringan City. The_ whole cargo was sent back to the shipper. But it never returned, to Manila. Unofficially, customs expects this equipment was delivered to its intended destination.

Evidently, the Engkantos also like OUR luxury cars. Automobile dealerships on the islands admit to receving quite a few orders that are fully paid, in advance. They deliver a car to a local address, where the buyer happens to be deceased. In a day or two, the car disappears. But the dealer knows the car will end up in Biringan City.

There's a couple ways for normal humans, to reach the Hidden City.

Number one. You may enter through a portal. Portals are said to exist in the cities of San Jorge, Gandara, Calbayog and Catarman. A portal may coincide with a certain rock or tree. Or the portal may be without landmark, in the middle of a field.

Number two. You could be the_ victim, of an abduction, by an_ Engkato.

Number three. You can drive there. But only if you are lost.

A taxi was following its route from Gandara to San Jorge. At about the halfway point, it had already discharged its passenger. That's when the driver stopped to pick up two young ladies. Their destination was off the main route, but they offered to pay three times the amount of his usual fare, so he agreed. The girls climbed into the back seat. They di_rected him down a road he did not know. In due time he was passing by a strange city. He turned his head to ask the girls about it, but they were gone. When he looked back out the window, and the city too had disappeared.

Other abductions are more permanent. The Engkantos sometimes take outsiders as mates. Especially if the outsider is good-looking, or attractive. In order that the kidnapping will never be discovered, the death of the victim, will be staged, by way of "accident", or by a fatal illness that takes only a few hours. In reality, the person never genuinely dies, but instead is replaced. The grieving family is left with a body double, manufactured to look and feel like the victim.

As a result, some Biringan children are born, half-Engkantos, half-normal human. As young adults, this mixed breed likes to visit, the islands vacation destinations, such as the beaches, and the nightclubs. But they strive to keep their existence a secret.

One theater in Samar was plagued by paranormal issues, where a production called, "The Biringans" was being performed by the Filippinos. Character names that were too close to the truth, failed to appear in the printed program, even after several press runs. They solved this problem by changing the names.

Special satellite images were taken by a Japanese corporation, to identify resources on the island of Samar. Somewhere near the hidden city, the pictures recorded a brightly lit tract of land, which was taken to be deposits of uranium, or gold. The Japanese then based their ground operations in San Jorge. But the Engkantos jealously guard the treasures of the deep forest.