Where memories, heritage line the streets

BAGAC, BATAAN—When Jose “Jerry” Acuzar, president of New San Jose Builders Inc. (NSJBI), began constructing Spanish-period mansions at his beachfront property in Barangay Pag-asa here in 2003, fisherman Nomer Yamson thought the architect was only collecting old wood.

Little did he know that the real estate developer was building a one-of-a kind heritage resort in the country, which opened to students and tourists in March 2010 and has since provided a mine of opportunities for Bataan residents.

“Kabuhayan namin ’yan (It’s our source of living),” Yamson said, pointing to the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

From the coast, Yamson enticed visitors to try his boat tour—an enterprise he and 26 fishermen in the village embarked on after sailing to the West Philippine Sea to fish became rough and harsh. They catered to Las Casas visitors interested in visiting Matikis Island, which lies between Bagac and the neighboring town of Morong.

Theresa Kho-Solvason, the Las Casas general manager, said she had to put in place a system of accreditation to ensure the safety of guests availing of boat tours from local fishermen.

At the rate it is growing—23 houses completed as of April 18 and three more under construction—the managing firm of Las Casas, the Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corp., steps it up with 120 workers, 100 of whom are Bataan residents.

These include tour guides, waiters and waitresses, butlers, members of the in-house performing troupe Kundiman ni Lolo at Lola, women who make mosaic paintings on the houses’ ceilings and walls, carpenters, stone carvers, craftsmen and other clerical and maintenance staffers.

They are passionate about their jobs, as shown by tour guide Dexter Manansala, 27, who tells the story and history of each house with gusto.

Acuzar’s investment on this major project may have already run to about P500 million but is still “a work in progress,” according to Solvason.

NSJBI’s most recent projects include 10 condominiums built close to places of work, leisure and wellness.

Reliving history

In the case of Las Casas, Acuzar reconstructed architectural pieces from all over Luzon, choosing them based on historical, cultural and architectural values.

For this undertaking, he trained a crew that, over time, has mastered disassembling structures, transporting the pieces and assembling them “as is” (Acuzar’s requirement) at the resort.

Faced with protest over this type of heritage conservation where structures are transplanted from out of their original communities, Acuzar told the Inquirer in an earlier interview that he had to take this tack to save the structures from decay and neglect. Then and now, heritage conservation works get little or no state funding at all.

“This is not a commercial project. This is for the country, for the children today and tomorrow. They have to see the physical culture, hindi kwento lang (not only through stories), use it for education, learn the past from this,” he told the Inquirer.

“Pride in the past, hope for the future” is the resort’s theme.

Preservation

Acuzar and his team, consisting of a foreman and craftsmen, take two years on the average to finish reconstructing a house.

“Every part of the house is studied. Each part is numbered and documented. For parts that are missing, we research the source of the raw material, whether those are wood or stone. Each house helps you discover a method of construction for a particular time,” he said.

Casa Baliuag 1, built in 1898 and owned by the Tolentino family, served as the municipio (town hall) of Baliuag, Bulacan, in the 1950s. The wood carvings show a floral motif of its time. Casa Baliuag 2 was originally in the compound of Iglesia ni Cristo in Baliuag.

Four wooden houses along the shoreline and near a swimming pool are collectively called Casa Cagayan. Built on stilts, these are regarded as houses of poor people in Cagayan in the early 1900s.

Casa Candaba, built in 1780, was home to a Spanish governor general whenever he visited Pampanga. With neo-Gothic influence, this house owned by the Reyes family was one of the settings of the 1961 film “Noli Me Tangere” by National Artist Gerardo “Gerry” de Leon.

Two houses from Jaen, Nueva Ecija, originated from the Esquivel clan.

Casa Lubao used to belong to the Arastia and Vitug families. Built in 1920, it served as storage for rice and sugar, becoming a Japanese garrison during World War II. A Japanese colonel stopped his men from burning the house in gratitude for the kindness of the Arastia family who, unknowingly, hired him as a driver and gardener before the war.

Casa Mexico was salvaged from a junk shop and reconstructed using an old photograph.

Casa Luna, owned by the Novicio family, now houses a museum. Built in 1850, its original location was in Namacpacan, now Luna town in La Union. The town’s name is in honor of revolutionary heroes and brothers Antonio and Juan Luna, whose mother was a member of the Novicio clan.

Paseo de Escolta used old and new materials to recreate commercial buildings in the early 1900s in Manila. With 17 rooms, it is a hotel within the heritage resort.

Much-talked-about house

The three-story, intricately designed Casa Bizantina, is a bahay na bato (stone house) built in 1890 in Binondo, Manila. The Instituto de Manila (now the University of Manila) rented it for elementary and high school classes until 1919 when it moved to Sampaloc, Manila. After World War  II, it was leased to various tenants. Before it was demolished in 2009, the house was used by 50 informal settlers.

Casa Meycauayan was first built by the Escota family in the City of San Fernando in Pampanga in 1913 and reconstructed in the 1950s in Meycauayan, Bulacan, where Rogelio Urrutia bought it.

Casa Unisan is the Maxino house in Unisan, Quezon. Built in 1839, the house is made of hardwood complete with trap doors. Only but one girl survived the massacre on the family and this tragedy makes the house much talked about not only for its beauty. Its ground floor is now a Filipino restaurant called the Marivent Café.

1st UP campus of the arts

Built in 1867, Casa Hidalgo hosted the first campus of the University of the Philippines’ School of Fine Arts, with the original house’s owner, Rafael Enriquez, as first director. It next hosted the first school of architecture in the country. The house became a bowling alley, dormitory and flesh joint.

The latest addition is Casa Biñan (Alberto House), a replica of the house of Teodora Alonzo, mother of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Acuzar used the original wooden door, stairs and a few planks when he recreated the house. He abandoned the planned donation of the house by its current owner, Gerardo Alberto, amid protests by heritage advocates and local officials.

An Italian restaurant is rising at Casa Biñan.

A bridge made of rock has been built over the river draining out to the West Philippine Sea, making this ideal for boat rides. Sculptures of a grandmother reading a book for two children, set near the river, are Acuzar’s way of encouraging storytelling and book reading among the younger generations.

Four more structures are being built in the resort, including a church and a Maranao house.

Heritage tour

On peak months like April and May, Solvason said some 1,000 visitors flock the place on weekdays. Overnight stay is available in the 52 rooms at Paseo de Escolta and other heritage houses.

A day tour costs a visitor P650, Solvason said, although there are special rates for educational tours.

The resort has conference and banquet facilities. It features educational and heritage tours that bring visitors around the houses and museum and important historical areas in Bataan like the Death March marker and Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor). The resort also arranges a nature trip that includes a visit to the Pawikan Center in the province.

Rates at Paseo de Escolta range from P3,825 to P7,225 a day during weekdays. On weekends, it starts from P4,050 to P8,075 and P4,500 to P8,500 during Holy Week, Christmas and New Year.

Staying at the heritage houses would cost visitors from P15,750 to P38,250 during weekdays, P16,200 to P40,500 during weekends and P18,000 to P45,000 during the Christmas and Lenten breaks.

While the revenue stream ensures proper maintenance of the resort, Solvason considers the experiences of guests more valuable.

Solvason recalled a guest remarked before leaving, “We love your Casa Cagayan the most. We have one like that and we went to revive it,” Solvason recalled. Others expressed regret having no time and funds to preserve their old houses.

Elderly people enjoy going around the place or sitting at the plazas to savor the past.

Students are able to relate with stories of their grandparents or scenes described in their books. Some hanker for the bahay kubo (nipa hut) while others simply enjoy the slow-paced life at Las Casas.