OLD BUT NOT READY FOR RETIREMENT
It’s not just a tourist attraction now. The heirs of the president have a opened a café at the sprawling open grounds. Christened Café Caloy, it helps pay for the upkeep of the house
Famous for the Chocolate Hills and several other tourist attractions, Bohol has an abundance of old houses that date back to the early 19th century.
In Tagbilaran City, the prestige address during the 1800s was a neighborhood called Sitio Ubos. It was the enclave of the moneyed Boholanos and a few Chinese traders. Hence some of the houses feature an intriguing blend of Asian and old Spanish architecture.
Sadly, most of the homes are now in a state of disrepair. Traces of its grand past still remain, however, and the local government is hoping to restore its past glory by encouraging the families that own the houses to rehabilitate them. A few incentives are being thrown in to get them going on a home improvement project.
Tourists who like to go ghost-hunting will have a lark exploring the neighborhood. A few residents allow visitors to tour their place and they do have a few ghost stories to tell.
The old houses in the other areas of Tagbilaran City are faring better. Among them, the residence of the late Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, now called the Carlos P. Garcia Heritage House.
Built in the early 1950s, it’s a showcase of typical mid-century architecture. Much of the original furniture and various memorabilia of the president are on display.
It’s not just a tourist attraction now. The heirs of the president have a opened a café at the sprawling open grounds. Christened Café Caloy, it helps pay for the upkeep of the house.
Café Caloy is a popular watering hole for both young and old. Senior citizens usually commandeer the café’s chess boards for a game that could last the entire afternoon. In sharp contrast, the flamboyant members of a local reggae band called Sigswank also make it their hangout.
New lease in life
Other old houses in Bohol have been given a new lease in life as home to commercial establishments, mostly trendy restaurants and even a budget bed-and-breakfast place. Architects who refurbished the houses used a procedure called “adaptive reuse.” It’s the process of reusing an old building or site for a purpose other than what it had originally been built for.
Gerarda’s is a product of the adaptive reuse process. A popular restaurant for Boholanos and tourists, it offers Filipino cuisine in a house that could be best described as old world. The huge main dining area occupies almost the entire second floor of the old house that dates back before World War II. Gerarda was the matriarch of the Lim clan that built the house. Her granddaughter, who resides in the same property behind the old house, founded the restaurant.
The San Juan City residence used by Guevara’s by Chef Laudico comes to mind, though Gerarda’s offers a more tranquil and formal atmosphere that somewhat recaptures the elegance of a long-gone era. Gerarda’s is adorned with memorabilia and stunning antique keepsakes showcased in glass-covered antique cabinets.
Over at the nearby town of Baclayon is the 10:31 by Chef M, which uses a house of late 1950s vintage. Its unusual name is sourced from a passage from the Holy Bible while the letter stands for chef Mary Veloso, who co-owns the place along with her childhood friend chef Ian Orillos, and her mom Robemin Veloso.
The place isn’t an ancestral home. They purchased the house and made major changes with the interiors though the original architecture is still evident. The new look could best be described as serene, homey and reminiscent of an American suburban home, minus the picket fence. Pure white is the dominant color with light green serving as the accent.
“Mary, my daughter, wanted a more rustic look, which would have been perfect for the location. I wanted something pretty and more feminine,” Robemin Veloso said.
“I chose to do it my way. Mary was very upset,” she added while laughing.
Chef Ian noted that the house came with sturdy molave hardwood flooring, or as the Boholanos call it, “tugas.”
‘The original owner of the house told us that we could change anything in the house but don’t change the flooring. It’s sturdy and it still looks as good as new,” he said.
Bohol’s old capitol building also got the adaptive reuse treatment. Built in 1860, it was recently converted into a museum called National Museum of the Philippines ----- Bohol. Formally opened last year, the museum now features a stunning fusion of modern minimalist themes and traditional Spanish styles. Being modern means white is the dominant color – the better to showcase the artworks and other artefacts.
What was once an open courtyard has been covered with glass, thus still allowing natural light to enter the edifice.
A glass elevator is another modern touch. According to museum guide Neil Gerard Reyes, the two-level building is big enough for nine galleries. For now, however, it has three. Reyes is proud of the gallery that showcases the works of the late Boholano, National Artist Napoleon Veloso Abueva.
“These pieces are from his personal collection and on loan from his family. He didn’t sell them because they were his favorites. Most of them were shipped in from his house in Quezon City while the rest were from his home in Duero, Bohol,” he said.