Ancestral Houses in Sariaya Quezon

Itenerary

10:00 –We arrived at our meeting place in front of St. Franciss of Assissi Parish Church

10:15 –We left our meeting place and went to Villa Sariaya

10:30-11:45 –We visited the Villa Sariaya, we took pictures and took a tour in he house (Villa Sariaya)

12:00 –We left the place and had our lunch1:00-2:00 –We took pictures of the other ancestral

houses in Sariaya2:30 –We separate ways with our groupmates

Sariaya in Quezon Province is synonymous with those big, beautiful ancestral houses that define the elite and affluent center of town in the pre war years . . . . . comprised by the imposing 1748 Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church, the once symmetrically-designed Park containing the graceful Glorita and Rizal Monuments commissioned by the then very active socio-civic local organization Kapisanang Muling Sumilang and crafted by Kapampangan-turned Sariayahin furniture and monument maker Mr. Eusebio Cortez which was inaugurated on Rizal Day, December 30, 1924, and the 1931 Municipio designed in the Art Deco style by the National Artist for Architecture Juan Arellano. According to UP College of Architecture Professor Jojo Mata, who is part of the interdisciplinary Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team on Sustainable Tourism, the Manila Post Office building belongs to Juan Arellano's work with the Neo-Classical while the Metropolitan Theater is a fine example of his Art Deco creations. Professor Jojo Mata enumerated other notable Art Deco showcases, not all of the Arellano genre, as the Rizal Memorial Stadium, FEU Building, Lyric and Ideal Theaters, the Tomas Mapua residence as well as the erstwhile Jai Alai and the old FEATI Buildings, among others. Apparently, it was a great source of pride and a social statement among the knowing Sariayahins of the time that their small town in Tayabas Province was able to afford the well-known US-trained architect's services.

In Old Sariayahin lingo, that area called the Tisaan was the enclave of the Taga Gitna or the rich landed gentry who had the fortune of riding the crest of the coconut boom years when the world demand for oil extracted from copra was very high.. They had so much money that they resolved to renovate their old 19th century Filipino - Hispanic houses into those eye-catching residences exquisitely crafted by Batanguenyo and Kapampangan carpenters and artisans, who at times worked under the aesthetic supervision of foreign-trained Filipino architects like Juan Nakpil and Andres Luna de San Pedro. These ancestral houses usually had brick roofs over awe-inspiring, opulent exteriors of first rate building materials that can be found nowhere else in the old province of Tayabas. The interiors of these houses were a feast to the senses, with huge intricately carved wooden furniture of Narra that cannot be moved outside because they were crafted indoors, intermingling with exquisite fixtures coming from Europe and America. One of the grand houses featured lovely and delicate glass etchings on its doors by Kraut, a noted German artist who did awesome masterpieces in glass at the San Beda Chapel and at the San Sebastian Church according to Professor Mata. Others had prayer rooms containing the heirloom Santos that at times graced the town's grand traditional processions during Good Friday, the erstwhile three-day town Fiesta from

September 13 to 15, and the May 15th harvest festival in honor of the Spanish patron saint San Isidro Labrador, all of which were very resplendent in their silver-plated carrozas during their feast days. The rich Sariaya philanthropist Donya Margarita Rodriguez whose old house with intricate wooden interiors was once located along Calle Rizal, behind the Glorita monument on the east side of the park, owned the Ninya Maria or the Child Mary, a small yet very expensive Santo whose face and hands accordingly were of ivory, dressed in resplendent golden dress, whose very expensive crown and fineries were of heirloom origin, and which upkeep during its feast day of September 15th was cared of by the proceeds from its very own landholding or Bienes.

Some of these stately houses became venues for fabulous celebrations that featured local and foreign dignitaries such as the erstwhile very big house of Gobernadorcillo (town Mayor during the Spanish times) Roman Reynoso along Calle Argente corner Bonifacio that accordingly served as the venue for the visit of then American Governor General of the Philippines Francis Burton Harrison sometime in the 1920s, with well known officials of the Tayabas provincial government gracing the occasion. Moreover, it is one of the first houses in town to have electricity in the 1920s, care of the so-called Delco Lights, the forerunner of the electric generator, and old residents remember how its outlines were fitted with countless bulbs that were lit at night during the occasion of the three-day town fiesta thereby turning the house into a great visual attraction. Others like the old brick-roofed house of Gobernadorcillo Venancio Rodriguez served as the temporary Municipal Building when the old Municipio was turned into a school for young students under the tutelage of the Thomasites, the first American teachers who came into the country aboard the ship Thomas. The beautiful two-storey house of Don Emiliano Gala, the very first deputy of the second district of Tayabas Province during the First Philippine Congress of 1907 had a very large roofed veranda ringed with wooden balustrades having

intricately-designed double arches, an attractive feature it shared with the Gobernadorcillo Roman Reynoso house that was even more grandiose with its triple arches. Meanwhile, the northern wall at the second floor of the three-storey house of Gobernadorcillo Lucio Rodriguez has six paintings depicting how the center of Sariaya looked when most of the park was still part of the big patio and the old convent, today's St. Joseph's Academy, was still on the west side of the church. Those were the days in the early 20th century when the original brick inlaid masonry topped by large blocks of adobe were still visible in the church walls and the area where the beautiful Governor Natalio Enriquez house now stands was still a vacant lot owned by the 1910 Sariaya Presidente (town Mayor during the American period) Pastor Espinosa.

Sariaya's fabulous ancestral houses truly defined an era of affluence far removed from that of the present, when the characteristic old Filipino-Spanish architecture was renovated by its very rich owners and transformed with foreign influences like the then prevailing Art - Deco style through the expertise of some of the country's top American and European-trained architects. Indeed, those were the days when the rich landowners of Sariaya sought to impress one another and the outside world, and they expressed it not only through their ostentatious lifestyle but more so through the ultimate, the architecture of their very own beloved shelters. Accordingly, Sariaya and the Sariayahins themselves earned a reputation for ostentation, affluence and discriminating taste in this part of the country, and the town had a very distinct foreign look and feel about it.

Ancestral Houses

Governor Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House This eye-catching and brick-

roofed Sariaya landmark near the church, is an Art Deco style house designed by European schooled architect Andres Luna de San Pedro, the son of artist Juan Luna. It was built in 1931 by erstwhile Tayabas Provincial Governor Natalio Enriquez (1941 - 1945) and his wife Susana Gala. A venue for fabulous social gatherings in pre war Sariaya, it hosted the grand reception during the 1938 wedding of their daughter Alicia to Manuel Gala where Philippine Commonwealth First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon served as principal sponsor. It was declared by the National Historical Institute as a Heritage House on May 14, 2008.

Donya Carmen Rodriguez Arguelles Ancestral House

This NHI - declared Heritage House situated in a property astride two streets was designed in the Art Deco style by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil and built in 1935 by its owner Dr. Isidro Rodriguez. It has two receiving rooms, several bedrooms, two dining halls, a prayer room, an intricately designed veranda, and a terrace at the back overlooking a large swimming pool and a private garden with a gazebo. Aside from its fixtures of American and European origins are Puyat crafted wooden furniture, exquisite table wares, a large wall mirror, a 19th century grand piano and even a vintage wooden radio. However, visitors are charmed even more by the stories tied to this beautiful residence, most especially those that happened in wartime Sariaya concerning Carmen, Dr. Isidro’s beautiful daughter, that is one of the highlights of a guided tour that never failed to give a comprehensive glimpse of life in Old Sariaya.

Enriquez - Gala House

This big house is owned by Atty. Librado Enriquez and his wife Josefina Gala which was built to replace a much older residence that burned in the Japanese-started great fire of 1944. Among its features are an arched roofed - entrance topped by a curved veranda, a silo-like outside wall with small windows where a curving flight of stairs inside leads to the second floor of the house as well as three cathedral-type arched side doors with Corinthian style column embellishments that open to the garden topped by another veranda upstairs held by the curving crowns of ionic columns.

Don Catalino Rodriguez Ancestral House (Villa Sariaya)

The third NHI-declared Heritage House in Sariaya, it was renovated sometime in the year 1922 and owned by Don Catalino Rodriguez, Sariaya’s town Presidente (Mayor during the American occupation period) from 1908-1909. This fenceless, almost block long residence with its main entrance facing south along Calle Daliz is likewise bounded by Calle Rizal on the west and Quezon Avenue (formerly Calle Talavera) on the east. Among its features are colorful stained glass windows, a big veranda facing east, a straight grand flight of wooden stairs, a beautiful high ceiling with intricately-designed lattices, a spacious grand living room, European and American fixtures in the bathroom and the kitchen and beautiful wall paintings.

Julianito Rodriguez House

This brick-roofed, thick-walled, pink-colored, three storey house once owned by Mr. Julianito Rodriguez and his wife Rosie Gala is a comprehensive renovation of a circa 1920s residence of erstwhile Tayabas Provincial Governor Maximo Rodriguez that burned in 1944. He and wife Martinita Gala were the principal sponsors of Manuel Luis Quezon and wife Aurora Aragon during their wedding in Hong Kong, and their house was where President Quezon used to stay whenever he visited Sariaya in the old days.

Francisco Rodriguez House

The big house was once owned by the family of Mr. Francisco Rodriguez, built on the very site of their old residence that got burned in the big wartime fire of 1944. It was later bought by the late local architect William Rodriguez.

SWOT Analysis

S- they preserve the houses for the tourists and for it to be more attractive

W- the ancestral houses are not along the way, and when you look at it, it’s like not open for the public to see

O- they promote the history of Sariaya and they have brochures and they use websites to promote it

T- the caretaker there are not prepared to welcome the guests, the guests should set an appointment first., the guess can’t go as walk-in. The caretaker’s information about the history of the house and sometimes not important

Assessments and Recommendations

The houses should be always open in public for the tourists can see the house inside, especially when they’re just along the way and saw it and wanted to visit the house. The caretaker should also know the important information or history about the house for the tourists to be informed.

Cultural mapping

CULTURAL MAPPING TEMPLATE Municipality of Sariaya, Quezon

1. TANGIBLE CULTURE Name/ Forms of

Expression Creator/ Artist/ Artisan Year/ Era of Creation Description/ Nature/ Utility/

Function Popularization Method

Gov. Natalio Enriquez NHI Heritage House

Arch. Andres Luna de San Pedro

1931 Ancestral House Art Deco Style Guided Tour

Don Catalino Rodriguez NHI Heritage House

Unknown 1922 Ancestral House “Bahay na Bato” with renovated modifications

Brochure/ Guided Tour

Gala-Rodriguez NHI Heritage House

Arch. Juan Nakpil 1935 Ancestral House Art Deco Style Brochure/ Guided Tour

St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church

Unknown 1743 -1748 Roman Catholic Church Guided Tour

Sariaya Municipal Building

Arch. Juan Arellano 1931 Art Deco Style Facade Guided Tour

2. INTANGIBLE CULTURE Name/ Forms of

Expression Creator/ Artist/ Artisan Year/ Era of Creation Description/ Nature/ Utility/

Function Popularization Method

Paawitan Unknown Unknown/Traditional The social art and graces of drinking Lambanog … “Kung gaano kainit dumaan ang lambanog sa lalamunan ay gay-on din kainit tumanggap ng mga bisita ang mga taga Sariaya!”

Reenactment

Marcha Ng Sariaya Esther Dedace -Alcala 1981 Official Town Anthem of Sariaya Being sung during official occasions

Pabasa Unknown Unknown/Traditional Lenten Season Ritual Sung during the Lenten season

Tamalis -making Unknown Unknown/Traditionally cooked

Local delicacy of ground rice dough sautéed in meat stock , seasonings, lard, etc. and topped with shredded chicken, hard boiled egg pieces, peanuts, etc. then wrapped in

Sold along Rizal Street and elsewhere in town

Pinag-ong Unknown Unknown/Traditionally baked in Sariaya

A very popular, so filling turtle shell-shaped sweet bread with “nipples” (instead of head and tail) at both ends, usually eaten as a hearty snack fare

Sold in the bakeries and when being hawked by vendors, the name of the town of its origins, Sariaya, is always mentioned for guaranteed salability, thus you always hear them shout … “Pinag-ong Sariaya

1. PERSONS

Real Name Birthday/ Year of Birth Historical/ Political/ Cultural/ Social Distiction

Status

Gov. Maximo Rodriguez Sometime in the year 1875 Twice Sariya “Presidente”(Mayor) and twice Tayabas (now Quezon) provincial governor, a member of the town’s landed gentry, Weding godfather of Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon and wife Mrs. Aurora Aragon – Quezon, philanthropist, business person, President of the National Coconut Corporation (NACOCO), facilitated the surrender of “Kapitan Kulas” known as the “Kilabot ng Sierra Madre”in the 1930s, founder of a Soils Laboratory in town

Deceased

Don Emiliano Gala Sometime in the 19th century The very first Representative of the Second District of the old Tayabas Province along with Manuel L. Quezon in the First District to the First Philippine Congress

Deceased

Doña Margarita Rodriguez Sometime in the early 1870s A member of the landed Rodriguez family and a well - known town philanthropist in the pre war years who donated tracks of land for the town monastery and seminary, donated church artifacts, sponsored the schooling of Sariyahin professionals and priests, popularized the devotion to the “Niña Maria” a priceless icon of the child Mary in the old days

Deceased

Don Emiliano Gala Sometime in the 19th century The very first Representative of the Second District of the old Tayabas Province along with Manuel L. Quezon in the First District to the First Philippine Congress

Deceased

Fr. Rufino Cadiz Sometime in the 19th century The very first “Sariayahin” to be ordained as a Catholic priest

Deceased

Don Marcelino de San Andres Sometime in the 19th century A very brave and valiant resident in the old days who was accordingly responsible for the surrender of great numbers of bandits or “Tulisanes” and thus was popularly known as “Kapitang Daliz”. However, he refused to surrender to the Americans, fought against them and thus was mortally wounded in the process. His “alias” became the name of a long east to west thoroughfare in town … “Calle Daliz” or Daliz Street.

Deceased