Preserving and restoring old houses in Cebu

While it's all systems go for our hosting of the 12th ASEAN Leaders' Summit, the same thing can be said about our celebrating the Sinulog Festival, Cebu's Fiesta. If there's anything going for Cebu, it is that right after our fiery and loud celebration of the coming New Year, we start our "Sinug" to the Holy Child Jesus or the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu. In a way, we are testifying to what our Lord Jesus Christ preached when he said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you." Indeed, we offer the year first to the Lord and he will bless us abundantly!

We had a meeting with The Freeman Chairman Sir Dodong Gullas yesterday afternoon and he reminded all of us that the Cebuanos of the old always venerated the image of the Sto. Niño, which is why Cebu has always been protected from harm and from natural calamities or disasters through all those years. He was not happy with the fact that to the young Cebuanos, Sinulog is a time for fun and merriment, forgetting first and foremost that the Sinulog is a very religious and a very Catholic celebration.

Indeed, only a blue-blooded Cebuano like Sir Dodong who was born here and lived here can attest to this truism. Almost exactly a month ago in December, Cebu City was right at the path of Super Typhoon "Seniang" that caused the abrupt postponement of the 12th ASEAN Leader's Summit, yet by some divine intervention, the path of the typhoon moved upwards to the north hitting only the northern extremity of Cebu Province.

Talking about the Sinulog, I just finished taping my interview with Val Sandiego of the Sandiego Dance Troupe for our Sinulog presentation. I learned that he already acquired a Cebuano treasure, that old house with a tiled roof in the corner of Lopez-Jaena and Mabini St. that people often mistake for the haunted Alba house. It turned out that the Alba house is next to this old house of the Sandiego and Yap families. He believes that this house could be the oldest house in Cebu City as it was built sometime between the late 1700's or the early 1800's.

With the restoration of what I call the oldest house in Cebu City located just a stone's throw from Colon St., the oldest street in the Philippines, it is a welcome addition to Cebu's tourism sites. This house is also a stone's throw away from the famous Casa Gorordo one of the best-preserved houses in the country and the Heritage Monument. All these treasures are there in the old Parian District, the place where I used to live when I was a little boy.

Looking at the pictures that Val Sandiego showed me, when they were celebrating the Chinese New Year, it struck me that perhaps now is the right time to ask the Fil-Chinese community that they too must have their own celebration here in Cebu. Indeed, Cebu City is one of the major cities in the world that has no Chinatown simply because the Chinese intermarried with Filipinos, thus they really didn't live in Chinese-only enclaves like what they used to do at the Parian in Manila.

But there was a time when most of the rich Chinese in Cebu lived along Magallanes St. above their stores or establishments. With this in mind, perhaps Filipino Chinese Chamber President Filomeno "Noy Menoy" Lim ought to begin a Chinese New Year's Festival in Downtown Cebu. This is one way of reviving the old downtown district of Cebu. Perhaps the Cebu City Historical Commission (CHAC) or the Tourism Council ought to look into this?

Val Sandiego is one of the pillars of the Carcar Heritage and Conservation Society (CHCS) that graced me and my friend Bunny Pages with the title of honorary member and just yesterday, a local daily honored the group as "Guardians of a town's identity." I guess Divine providence put the old Sandiego home into the lap of Val whose heart and passion is not only dancing or choreographing the Sinulog dancers, but also restoring old historical landmarks. We're lucky to have him do the restoration of Cebu's oldest house at the Parian District.

I can only wish that the CHAC through the Cebu City Council would come up with an ordinance similar to the one that the Carcar Conservation Society came up to save the 40 or so old homes in Carcar so that the old homes of Cebu City can be preserved for our future generation.

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THE BLACKBOX:
My good friend, Mr. Mark Alino texted me this request: Calling all Abellana National High School Class 1974 Annual Reunion at the Grand Convention Center on Jan.8, 2007 at 5:00PM Mass will start at 5:30PM. Please contact Virgie 0915-6052182 or 253-8756.

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