Tourism and our heritage

It is June 12, the perfect time to write about tourism and our heritage. Tourism, specially for the domestic travelers, shouldn’t just be about beaches and scenic spots. Our young people should be encouraged to travel around the country not just to have fun, but to learn what it means to be Filipino.

That was something I learned in high school at UP Prep. Every chance we had from a tight school calendar, we went on what the school calls “educational tours”. We visited many provinces in Luzon including those in Bicol with a memorable train ride. One summer, there was a boat trip to the Visayas.

There are interesting heritage places to visit all over the country. A tour of the Ilocos provinces brings us to the famous Calle Crisologo in Vigan lined with Spanish style houses of a bygone era as well as the massive stone churches in and around Laoag. There are even old lighthouses there that have stories to tell.

In Manila, we have a gem of a heritage site in Intramuros but unfortunately, we have failed to make it a fully functioning tourist center. They have a similar but less impressive fort in Malacca, Malaysia but they have done more things to make it a tourist magnet. They have incorporated museums and even a rather senseless boat ride and they are attracting 8 million tourists for the effort.

My eldest sister who has lived most of her life in Washington DC, visited the other week to attend another sister’s golden wedding anniversary. I was worried because I was running out of interesting heritage areas within driving distance for her to visit.

When she and her American husband visited two years ago, I brought them to Corregidor, took them on a culinary walking tour of Binondo and had them go around Fort Santiago and Intramuros with the walking tour of Carlos Celdran. I have also taken them on a tour of heritage houses and churches in Batangas with Mandy Navasero. Where else can I take her, given she only has a week in this visit?

I remembered reading about a resort village in Bataan where the owner, an architect and property developer, has reconstructed heritage houses from all parts of Luzon. So we drove down to Bagac, Bataan to visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, the pet project of Jerry Acuzar of New San Jose Builders.

I am glad I did. Architect Acuzar has really done something great for his country. What he did takes a lot of time, expertise and most of all, money. I suspect Mr. Acuzar is spending every peso he has ever earned in his property development business to build this magnificent tribute to Philippine culture and heritage.

There must be more than two dozen houses there, carefully dismantled and lovingly reconstructed. I saw pictures of how those houses have deteriorated until rescued by Architect Acuzar. Some have even become whorehouses and I guess, that adds to the color of the history of some of the houses.

We had an excellent tour guide, the ever cheerful Dexter who is a Bataan native. He spoke to us in impeccable Tagalog as if Balagtas himself came to life. It was good to hear one’s language spoken as it should be with its rich romantic splendor. I couldn’t help thinking if it is possible to have Dexter deliver the news on TV Patrol the way he was explaining to us the history of each house.

I don’t have the space to describe each of the houses we visited. But suffice it to say that I am impressed with this labor of love from a property developer. If only the big developers did as much, we can really showcase the richness of our culture instead of a bland metropolis.

For instance, why should Megaworld try to recreate Venice at McKinley Hill? The attempt flops as anyone who has been to Venice will scoff at how pedestrian the development turned out. It also pales to the Venice recreated in The Venetian in Macao and Las Vegas.

Maybe Megaworld should have recreated Vigan or Intramuros instead. I am sure that may have been more spectacular and the commercial element forgiven. But Andrew Tan, a China-born immigrant from Hong Kong, cannot be expected to have any emotional ties to our culture. Money is the sole consideration of his business.

Going back to Acuzar’s village, it is a work in progress but you quickly get the idea and you will love it. There are cobbled stone streets like in Intramuros near San Agustin Church, and town plazas the way it was in the days of our grandparents. The security guard that greets you at the gate is dressed in Guardia Civil uniform. But the place needs a grand entrance, not the narrow streets of Bagac with its crowded homes.

We stayed in an old reconstructed house from Binondo called Binondo II. It is a two storey house with a breezy veranda. The tough old wood used for everything from the big main door (looks more like a gate) to the stairways and the floors reminded me of my grandparents house in Paco’s Calle San Antonio.

Of course they have modern amenities in the house, like air conditioning, for the comfort of guests, and flat screen television. But they need to be familiar with 5-star hotel standards for cleaning and maintenance, particularly the bathrooms.

The overnight stay in Binondo II, plus dinner and breakfast set us back about $500 and they gladly accepted my credit card. That’s just about what it would cost to stay in a modern five-star place in Boracay, probably even more, so I am not complaining. But I think the rates could be tailored more for local budgets.

The only thing I thought could be much improved is the quality of cuisine. For the money they are charging for food in their so called Spanish-Filipino restaurant, the quality should be at the level of Café Juanita in Pasig. Right now, the food is not worthy of the place.

One other suggestion, if Mr. Acuzar doesn’t mind, is to drop the Italian restaurant. It is out of place there. Put instead a good Binondo style Panciteria like the ones we grew up with. Let them serve the Filipino Chinese cuisine known from such places in Binondo as Paciteria Moderna, Paciteria Carvajal, San Jacinto and Sanitary Café in Paco. That will really bring back memories and complete this time travel through Philippine culture.

I think Architect Acuzar ought to get a commendation from government for investing in such a heritage theme park. He should also get some tax incentives he can share with owners of heritage houses all over the country.

There are many heritage houses falling apart. The heirs of the original owners, who seem to have little interest in these houses, should be encouraged to get into an agreement with developers like Acuzar. Those houses should be given new life for the education of future generations.

Incidentally, Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos Sur owned by art patron and St. Luke’s medical director Dr. Joven Cuanang is a mini version of Casas de Acuzar, also a collection of reconstructed old houses. The food at Sitio Remedios is more interesting and the welcome dinner quite dramatic. This resort is also worth a visit.

Speaking of heritage inspired environment, Balanga Mayor Joet Garcia is trying to give the town plaza a nice heritage look. He constructed an annex and a new front for City Hall that makes it look like an old “municipio”.

The commercial establishments around the plaza were also given new fronts and even Robinson’s was forbidden from putting its commercial signage so as not to disrupt the image of a town plaza from the past.

As with Casas de Acuzar, the Balanga project is a work in progress. Maybe the owners of property around the plaza can be given tax incentives to encourage them to rebuild along the heritage lines of Mayor Joet. I was encouraged to have met this young and energetic town mayor with imagination not common with typical mayors.

Indeed, why should Vigan be top of mind for heritage tourism? Maybe as Acuzar expands, the next phase should be a Pinoy Disneyland featuring stories from Lola Basyang and similar local children’s tales. I am afraid we are losing our culture fast and our grandchildren will grow up not knowing how colorful our roots are.

There must be other Jerry Acuzars out there willing to take on the challenge. This is a job for the big guys like Ayala, SMDC and Robinsons Land. They have made more than enough money by now and it is payback time… and there is money to be made. Intramuros, perhaps?

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Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco