Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: Home To Our Heritage and Legacy
Words by Katherine Castillo EustaquioPhotos by Nicole Alvaro
Published in Balikbayan Magazine
.JPG)
The 1850s house is now home to a wide collection of old Filipino memorabilia: old milk cans, wooden tobacco cases, antique ironing board, typewriters, and a victrola from the 18th to early 20th century.
As soon as we entered the old Ilocano home, we immediately noticed the very narrow hallway, which goes around the whole house. The hallway was built for the aliping sagigilid (servants in the corners of the master’s house), usually war prisoners, who were not allowed to step inside the main house. Sliding doors enabled the aliping sagigilid to move around the house and serve the ilustrados (educated upper class), as discreetly as possible. Of course, there were also the aliping namamahay (servants who are housed), who have their own residence sitting somewhere on the master’s property.
We found the same narrow hallway to the reconstructed three-storey Casa Vyzantina, which used to stand at the corner or Madrid and Penarubia streets in Binondo, Manila in the 1890’s. Just like most ancestral homes in the country, Casa Vyzantina is a traditional Bahay na Bato (house made of stone). The first floor is made of stones and bricks, to help the house withstand earthquakes and natural disasters. The second and third floors are made of hardwood and embellished with elaborate floral designs.
In 1914, the house was leased to Instituto de Manila. There, they held elementary and high school classes until 1919. For many years, the stately house in Binondo was leased to many tenants. After that, it was reduced to a halfway house for homeless families, until 2009.
Every house tells a story—one that lives on for decades, one that transcends time and generations, wars and natural disasters. It echoes within the abandoned halls of the once-lively home.
Some of them are tales of war, oppression and suffering—and of one family’s unyielding faith, despite the struggles. Some are stories about a childhood summer—weekends spent at the family house with large rooms and grand staircases; backyard pools and quiet afternoons; secret rooms and hushed servants; scrumptious food served in banana leaves and homemade sorbetes for dessert.
Most of these stories speak of a bygone era—a time when women wore elaborate Filipiniana gowns and when men donned top and bowler hats. Despite the changing times, these memories linger on for centuries—until one man’s passion, to relive the memories of that once glorious past, moves him to re-create everything in painstaking detail.
BREATHING NEW LIFE TO THE PAST
The casas (homes) standing in the 400-hectare Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar used to be regarded as symbols of affluence in society from their respective origins. But wars and changing times have taken their toll on these once-opulent and intricately-designed homes—reducing them into mere skeletons of the past, abandoned and decaying.
These “condemned” houses were given a new lease in life at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. The “resort” actually started with one house, the Casa Cagayan, which is the traditional Filipino house in the early 1900s. It served as the vacation home for its owner, Jose Acuzar (the Chair of Property Developer, New San Jose Builders Inc.) and his family. Little by little, Acuzar began “transplanting” old abandoned houses from all over the country to this beach and river front property.
The old houses were reconstructed “brick by brick” and “plank by plank”—breathing new life to the old structures. Acuzar made use of local materials to recreate parts that were missing from the structures. Some of them were painstakingly rebuilt for months, with old photos found on the Internet used as reference. Some key pieces were bought at junkyards. Their hard work, dedication and passion paid off.
Today, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar showcases 27 traditional Filipino houses; beautiful bridges that were patterned after the famous Jones Bridge; a traditional Maranao house; intricate wood carvings and metal sculptures created by a family of local artisans.
What started as one man’s passion for massive antiques, became a 400-hectare living museum—one that has revived an almost-forgotten legacy.
OLD WORLD CHARM
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar brought the “old world” back to the public on March 15, 2010. Since then, it has been transporting Filipinos back in time, to cobble-stoned streets lined with charming street lamps.
“You realize when you come here, it’s like [going through a] time warp,” said T.K. Solvason, General Manager of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. “This is what people keep saying about [the place].”
Indeed, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar feels more like a 400-year- old Filipiniana village rather than a resort. During weekends, a cultural show is held by the river, near the replica of the Jones Bridge with its 1920’s grandeur.
A live kundiman band serenades the guests with old Filipino songs like Leron, Leron Sinta and Paruparong Bukid over dinner. Here, authentic Filipino and Spanish dishes from Marivent Café are served, family-style: Seafood Paella, Kinilaw na Tanigue, Chicken Binakol (a dish that is similar to Tinola but makes use of coconut juice for the broth), Pinaputok na Isda, and Lechon Kawali.
Famous Filipino folk dances like the tinikling and singkil are performed by several resort employees and a group of students from a local school, with the beautiful Casa Quiapo as their backdrop. At the end of the day, guests can retire in one of the casas, or in hotel rooms at the picturesque Paseo de Escolta.
A visit to this magnificent place gives balikbayans a nostalgic and historical journey. For Filipinos visiting their parents’ homeland for the first time, it offers a preview of a vast heritage that they have yet to discover.
“What the owner wanted to do is to make sure that the younger generation will never forget it,” said Solvason. These old houses serve as education for younger generation, especially the second and third generations of Filipino-Americans who are discovering the Philippines for the first time.
“[You go here] to find your roots, added Solvason. “You can connect with your identity. Every Filipino at heart should visit Las Casas Filipinas.”
