Travel back in time in Mauban

MANILA, Philippines - Walking down the streets of the rustic town of Mauban is like traveling back in time or lingering in a living museum.

Situated on the Pacific coast of Quezon province, historical accounts dating back to 1677 indicated that the municipality was initially composed of five small settlements. One of the village chieftains was Gat Pagil, a Dumagat who led the community that is the present-day pier area.

At age 20, the gray-haired Gat Pagil became well known for his military genius in repelling sea-borne Moro raiders. He was respected by folks who affectionately called him Gat Uban (uban is the Tagalog word for white hair) and was fondly called Mauban, from which the town’s name originated.

To immortalize his exploits, a bronze monument stands proudly at the town’s seawall promenade to honor the man who protected them from physical harm.

While yet to earn in place on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List, Mauban is a heritage village in more ways than one because of the vestiges of a genteel past that have withstood the ravages of time.

For a quick glimpse of the town, the Museo ng Mauban is a must-visit, giving visitors an overview of its history. The community museum is among the few well-maintained repositories in the province that serve as a showpiece of local heritage.

Dotted by 19th-century houses built in the typical Spanish bahay na bato architecture, Mauban is host to stately homes that lend an old world charm to the poblacion (town center).

These homes, nurtured by the prominent families of Villabona, Pastrana, Pelejo, Pansacola, Peñalosa and Taiño, are still in a good state of preservation although many of them are managed remotely by the owners.

Some of the houses have found adaptive reuse as shops, offices or commercial establishments, giving them a new lease on life.

Another noteworthy ancestral home is the 1910 birthplace of Fr. Horacio dela Costa, the first Filipino Jesuit provincial superior and authority in Philippine and Asian culture and history, which has undergone restoration.

Now used as a private function hall by the Tan family, the house is fondly called White House because of its white paint. A bust of the renowned priest stands across from the 111-year-old residence.

The town also has its share of ubiquitous Gabaldon-type schools built in the early 1900s under the Gabaldon Act, buildings that have survived natural calamities and World War II.

But while old houses seem to dominate its landscape, Mauban will soon have more bragging rights as the National Historical Commission recently declared the town’s Rizal Monument a historical landmark.

Situated at a 100-foot promontory at Calvario Hill, it is perhaps the highest Rizal monument in the country, and a belated but fitting tribute to the national hero’s 150th birth anniversary.

Used as an observation post by the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese forces, the hill that overlooks the town was called Calvario because it was the site of the reenactment of Jesus Christ’s Calvary during the Spanish era.

Another unique attraction is the public bath house built in 1725 made of lime and shells whose fresh water was drawn from a stream 200 meters away. Undergoing some repairs over the years, its structure is still intact and plans are afoot by the municipal government to preserve it as another historic spot.

Prominently displayed at the municipal hall are two Spanish cannons given to town officials by then-Governor General Rafael Ma. Aguilar for their rescue efforts of friars captured by Moro pirates in 1798.

Ironically, the same cannons were used by Filipino revolutionaries led by Gen. Justo Lukban a century later in making the Spaniards capitulate in Tayabas.

The town’s natural heritage is also something to be proud of — the charming white sand Cagbalete Island, Mag-Asawang Bato rock formation, Butas-butas Cave, Kulasi Cave and the enchanting cascades of its waterfalls — Alitap, Dahoyhoy, Hagdan-Hagdan and Bisibis.

Log on to mauban.gov.ph for details or add it on Facebook at Mauban Tourism and LGU Mauban Quezon.