Horror prank gone wrong: Teeners in Bogo City ordered to do community service

Barangay tanods rounded up a female teenager dressed in a white lady costume along the road in Anunang Sur, Bogo City, northern Cebu on Feb. 5, 2024. Village officials also summoned a group of teenagers believed to be responsible for staging a horror prank among motorists in the area. As punishment, the youngsters, including the girl in white lady costume, were told to do community service. | Screenshot from Jed Mandawe’s Facebook video

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A group of teenagers will have to spend their free time doing community service after staging a horror prank that frightened and inconvenienced motorists in Bogo City in northern Cebu.

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, barangay officials of Anonang Sur in Bogo City summoned several youngsters, together with their parents and guardians, over the prank they did.

Anonang Sur Barangay Captain Jenelyn Tabaco said that the teenagers consisted of three minors and two of legal age.  They were staging horror pranks on motorists who would pass along the road in Purok 1, Sitio Arapal.

As a sanction, Tabaco said that they will undergo community service for a week, wherein they will collect garbage in the place where they staged their horror prank.

Tuesday’s meeting stemmed from rumors involving ‘ungo-ungo,’ the Cebuano term for ghouls, allegedly spotted in the area.

Scared motorists

In a video posted by Facebook user Jed Mark Mandawe, it can be seen that a girl, who was wearing a white lady costume, was standing along the road, with lighted candles nearby.

Mandawe, in an interview with DYSS Super Radyo, said that his cousin caught these youngsters. One time, his cousin also fell victim to the prank.

Reports of scared motorists and drivers that almost got into harm’s way eventually reached barangay officials who, on Monday, Feb. 5, went to the area to investigate.

Tabaco said that before this, an incident happened at midnight on Sunday, Feb. 4, wherein a couple riding a motorcycle was approached by a girl who asked for help.

However, the couple got scared and fled away for they thought that it was a modus.

The following day, a post proliferated on social media about the same girl asking for help while traversing the road at dark from another motorist. But it was later on discovered that the girl was truly in need of assistance as she visited the barangay hall the next day, Tabaco added.

Due to these reports, village officials believed several teenagers wanted to play along by staging a horror prank.

“Nagvideo-video sila, silbi ilaha ra kunong lingaw para sa ilaha pero wala sila kahibawo dako kaayo ning tulubagon nila og simbako naay moagi diha ma disgrasya, ang ako lang pangligsan sila og hurot dili mahadlok sa abat-abat nila, mabunalan sila, mapusilan ba simbako, may gani kay ang nakakita nila taga diha ra pud sa among Barangay mao to na report dayon, nakuha dayon sila,” she added.

On Monday, tanods (village peacekeepers in English) saw and rounded up a female teenager dressed in a white lady costume waiting by the road in the same area.

Concerns for safety

Tabaco said they reprimanded the teenagers since they were also concerned about their safety, considering that the place was dark and prone to accidents.

Two of the pranksters, who were identified as Arvin Gonzaga and John Paul Cabarlles, both of legal age, have already issued a public apology that was posted on Barangay Anonang Sur’s Facebook page.

Bogo City is a 6th-class municipality located approximately 100 kilometers north of Cebu City. / with reports from Paul Lauro

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