TWO years ago, while I was still based in the NCR (National Capital Region), I would spend some of my weekends visiting old structures around the metro, taking photos of them,and documenting them. It was part of my assignment as a certified volunteer of Wikimedia Foundation’s Philippine Heritage Mapping Project. Hence, when I moved back home, my first order of business was to document the heritage houses in Silay and other historical buildings nearby by creating Wikipedia entries or editing existing ones.
It was an interesting task as a volunteer and I enthusiastically did my part in order to contribute to the project. I roamed the streets of Silay’s heritage area several times for this assignment. And even when I was no longer a volunteer, I still did a heritage walk earlier this year with my fellow bloggers. One of our members, Maritel Ledesma, a daughter of Silay herself, acquainted us with the various heritage homes in her city.
There are more than 25 heritage homes in the list I obtained and it was quite an experience finding them. Viewing the Art Deco homes and classic bahay-na-bato structures was a feast to the eyes. Taking photos of the façade of these houses from all angles was enjoyable. As I strolled from one house to the other, I cannot help but think of Silay 50 or more years ago. I can almost imagine how life was during that time when Silaynons would hold grand parties and balls in their homes similar to the scenes in the movie Oro, Plata, Mata.
While the exteriors are amazing enough, it is even more interesting to explore the interiors of the three heritage homes that are open to the public – Victor Fernandez Gaston House or Balay Negrense; Bernardino Lopez Jalandoni Museum or the Pink House; and the Manuel Severino Hofileña Ancestral House. Antique pieces, furniture and other items take us back to the period when electricity or internet was still absent. I have entered a few more homes and one particular house that piqued my interest was the Benita Jara Ancestral House, which is now the Sangguniang Panlungsod building of Silay City. The remarkable murals on the walls of its second floor are truly works of art.
But more than the physical appearance, it is the stories of families who once lived in these homes and the narratives of individuals who heroically fought to defend their land, which somewhat linger together with these structures that still stand to this day. However, with threats of natural and man-made destructions, these stories might also fade and crumble along with the deteriorating walls of these buildings.
The need to preserve these heritage homes, to document them and to archive all materials and information pertaining to their existence now becomes a necessity, so that future generations will know the events and lessons of the past. We can all do our part in safeguarding our heritage and letting our history live on.
*****
Claire Marie Algarme blogs at firsttimetravels.com. Follow her as @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram.