Balete Drive

Haunted Location

Balete Drive

Length	1.3 km (0.8 mi)
Location	New Manila, Quezon City
Coordinates:	14°37′13.2″N 121°2′15″E / 14.620333°N 121.0375°E / 14.620333; 121.0375Coordinates: 14°37′13.2″N 121°2′15″E / 14.620333°N 121.0375°E / 14.620333; 121.0375
North end	Dead end, 160 metres (520 ft) north of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Ave.
Major junctions	Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Ave. Aurora Boulevard
South end	N. Domingo St.
Other
Known for	Alleged haunted street

Balete Drive is a two-lane undivided street located in New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines, named after a gargantuan balete tree that used to stand in the middle of the road. The street is reported to be haunted with tales circulating since the 1950s.

 Route description

This north end of the Balete Drive starts at a dead end next to the Diliman Creek, 160 metres (520 ft) north of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Ave.^[2] Running in the NNE to SSE direction, it ends at a T-junction on N. Domingo Street near the San Juan Reservoir for a total length of 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi).^[3] One of its major intersection is with Aurora Boulevard, a major road which leads to Cubao, a major commercial district in Quezon City. The Betty Go-Belmonte LRT Station, a station on the Purple Line of the Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT), is located 330 metres (1,080 ft) east of this junction.^[4]

 The legend

According to Philippine urban legend, a "white lady" ghost frequents Balete Drive. Reportedly, a teenage girl died in a car accident in the area many years ago, and stories of sightings have proliferated ever since.

 Zoning laws

The segment of the Balete Drive from Aurora Boulevard to Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Ave has been zoned by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for regular residential and commercial purposes.^[8]

 In popular culture

The movie Hiwaga sa Balete Drive (Mystery on Balete Drive) is a Filipino movie based on the ghost that allegedly roam the road. It was filmed in 1988 with the white lady portrayed by Filipina singer-actress Zsa Zsa Padilla. In the story, she died during the Spanish Colonial Era, but her spirit is forever roaming, searching for her undying love. Some of the actual scenes were filmed on Balete Drive. The movie is frequently shown during Halloween on Philippine television.