Amá Conversa is a weekly NOVIDADES (the islands and the diaspora) segment by Bruma Publications from PBBI-Fresno State.

Name: Patrick Dacanay

Where were you born? San Jose, CA

Where do you reside? I am currently in Salinas, CA. Moving to SoCal next month.

If different, when did you move and why? We will be moving to a bigger home with better opportunities for our family.

Where were your parents from? The Philippines. Mom is from Cavite, and Dad is from Manila

What is your favorite song / Show / Movie? My favorite song is Numb by Linkin Park // Favorite show, Ghost Adventures // Favorite movie, which is between Disney’s Goofy Movie/Hercules.

What is your favorite quote or saying? “Don’t write checks that your body can’t cash.”

What is one of your dreams? I actually reached my dream, and it was to be a Cop.

What is one of your fears? Dying alone

What is an interesting fact about you? I actively conduct paranormal investigations as an amateur paranormal investigator.

Do you know anything about Portugal or Portuguese culture? Apparently, I have Portuguese blood. My great-grandfather was half-Portuguese.

Have you ever tried Portuguese food? I actually have not, and I love food. I should check it out.

What is your favorite Filipino dish and or dessert? My favorite Filipino dish is Pork adobo, and my favorite dessert is Filipino Flan.

Three of your favorite places you have visited? My favorite places: 1. Disneyland 2. Las Vegas 3. Disney World

Is there anywhere you’d like to travel to? I would love to visit ALL Disney and Universal Theme Parks worldwide. How did you figure out you wanted to be a ghost hunter? Since childhood, many unexplainable occurrences have happened at home, like the ceiling lights turning on as I walk in. Once I was old enough to understand and study the paranormal, my friends and I began investigating with equipment to detect the presence of spirits.

How long have you been ghost hunting? I’ve been actively ghost-hunting for 17 years. I always have my equipment in my car, just in case I need to use it.

What was your favorite ghost-hunting experience so far? My favorite experience was 10 years in the making.  My wife captured a picture of a spirit that has the same physical characteristics as a girl who was murdered in the 80s. I found a picture of the girl and had a side-by-side comparison. My eyes and 100s of others can confirm the images are of the same person. Search up the murder of Marcy Conrad; I’ve followed this case for years.

What are 3-5 facts you’d like the public to know about ghosts or ghost hunting?

1. You need to scientifically debunk what had occurred before deeming it paranormal.

2. You cannot demand spirits to speak to you unless you like to provoke (which is disrespectful in my book)

3. If you plan to use ghost equipment to contact spirits, be aware you’re opening yourself up to the spirit world and anything can happen to you.

What are your current projects or future goals for ghost hunting? The future goal is to investigate places in SoCal that the Ghost Adventures Crew had been to.

Name something off of your bucket list:

Been to Wrestlemania 31

What advice do you give someone going through a hard time?:

The best advice for someone going through a hard time is to never give up. I know that sounds cliché but take time away from your phone and social distractions to love yourself. You go through 100 things all at once and are never allowed to be by yourself to recollect, rebuild, or decompress. Do something that you always want to do to feel better. I go fishing…sometimes, I take my friends to help me get through hard times. NEVER be afraid to ask for help. There are people in the world with open arms that are willing to help you. Don’t let your ego take the best of you.