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Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar | The Two Sides of Controversy
Posted by Potpot January 16th, 2016 in Musings & Dispatches, Stories
Which do you prefer—a heritage house left to decay on its original site
or uprooted & restored in a new location, all sparkling like new?
This is the story of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. And this also strangles
them in a muddle with the country’s heritage conservation societies.
Barely open to the public, I first visited Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in
2010. It was my first time to set foot in Bataan, traveling all the way
from Mindanao. There were yet a few houses standing on its 400-
hectare heritage park. I have to say, I was in awe.
Five years pushed from that first trip, Ritz & Grace Travel & Tours
afforded me an opportunity to revisit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.
What I saw left me with mixed feelings.
I am happy to find that these intangible pieces of our heritage are
“salvaged” from decrepitude. But I am also sad that they have
completely lost its historical & social relevance.
Is Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar a redeemer or a destroyer of national
patrimony?
Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar is an architect & an art collector. Growing
up in the once ancestral mansion-filled district in Quiapo, it doesn’t
come as a surprise to have this love for heritage architecture.
He is the millionaire behind this seaside hacienda in Bagac, Bataan.
Originally conceived as a private vacation property, it later
developed into a full-service themed resort. Twenty-seven heritage
buildings are decked on its sprawling estate replete with a swimming
pool, gondola canals, spa, restaurants & game rooms.
All these edifices dating back to 18th & 19th centuries were bought
from the heirs of the original owners. They were uprooted slab-by-slab
from its original location & reassembled in Bagac. Restored to its
former glorious form, these principalia mansions are breathed in new
& inspiring appreciations.
Is it conservation or changing history?
As Las Casas Filipinas continue its buying spree, conservation groups
are also building a fight in court & in cyberspace.
The conflict lies on one thing, that relocating these ancestral buildings
is tantamount to depriving its community of precious heritage.
Because they are not anymore found on its original site, it diminishes
its value in terms of historical & social contexts.
This also robs the community of potential tourism revenues that Las
Casas Filipinas instead now enjoys.
What now stands on the places they have vacated are cold concrete
commercial buildings, leaving nothing, even memories.
Lust, Fortune & Opportunity
To many, Jerry Acuzar is doing a philanthropic act of picking up
pieces that are left to decay. And for a hefty price paid to its owners.
But to some, relocation is an insane concept of preservation.
Dwindling fortunes & apathy are what causes these homes to languish
in rotten state. Then comes a hero, willing to resurrect them from
complete oblivion. But rumors have it too that not everything that was
bought was in feebly condition.
Is it wrong? Is it lust? Is it opportunity lost by many & gain to few?
If there is true enforcement of the law & a genuine concern in saving
our heritage, the shopping can stop.
Laws on heritage conservation are actually in place. But they seem to
be just suggestions—-and can be broken.
Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009
secures these important treasures. It states that buildings with
archeological, architectural, cultural & historical significance built
before 1960 cannot be moved or deconstructed without the
approval of the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCAA).
Clearly, there are laws that protect our national cultural treasures but
executing them willfully is another story. I believe in the integrity of the
NCAA but I do not trust the dark political forces that surround it.
Personally, I still encourage people to visit Las Casas Filipinas de
Acuzar. Because whether we like it or not, they’re already in Bataan.
And if you really want to see them at least once in your lifetime, there’s
no other way but go there.
Then you be the judge—-would you want to see them in its original
location in a decomposing state or in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
like a living museum?
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY:
LAS CASAS FILIPINAS DE ACUZAR:
HERITAGE CONSERVATION OR HISTORICAL ALTERATION
I have visited Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar for quite a few times
now, and I am still amused by it every time. It transports you to the
Philippines’ glory days the moment you set foot. It is, basically, Jose
Acuzar’s collection of restored Spanish-Filipino houses. The resort is
located in Bagac, Bataan and it is, definitely, a world-class historical
haven, especially for architecture students.
Las Casas also takes pride in being the only Philippine hotel to
have received several international acclaims. Among its prestigious
recognitions are being part of Historic Hotels Worldwide, and being
awarded as Asia’s most excellent destination in 2017.
According to an online article by Hari Srinivas, a good heritage
conservation strategy requires: (a) better appreciation of the value of
heritage assets (both tangible and intangible), and (b) integration of
such strategies within the larger processes of planning and
development of a city or urban area.
Las Casas salvages intangible pieces of our heritage from
complete decrepitude by disassembling old houses from all over the
country and transporting it to Bagac to assemble and restore it to its
pristine condition.
It preserves the culture and history of the structure in a way that
the people at Las Casas share the stories of these old houses. It’s
amazing how they always find new ways to relive the narratives that
happened in the old times.
Some of the houses were nearly destroyed by trespassers and
informal settlers before they were relocated. It would have been a
waste if Las Casas haven’t salvage those houses. It would have
robbed us of a rich story of culture.
Las Casas is indeed a living museum of old houses. It teaches the
new generation about heritage conservation and at the same time
the history of our architecture.
Even though Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar prides themselves in
being “Vanguard of Filipino Heritage,” many conservation groups are
building a fight in court & in cyberspace. They believe that relocating
these ancestral buildings is a deprivation of precious heritage to its
existing community. For them, it diminishes the historical and social
value granted that the houses are not anymore found on its original
site. Some also believes that the relocation of the old houses robs the
community of potential tourism revenues that Las Casas Filipinas
instead now enjoys. What now stands on the places they have
vacated are cold concrete commercial buildings, leaving nothing,
even memories.
Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009
secures these important treasures. It states that buildings with
archeological, architectural, cultural & historical significance built
before 1960 cannot be moved or deconstructed without the
approval of the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCAA).
The rules are clear and to be followed. Let’s just hope that Mr. Acuzar
and NCAA never lose both their integrity.
For me, Mr. Jerry Acuzar is doing a generous act of restoring
architectural pieces that are just left to decay. I believe that the
relocation of ancestral houses is an amazing concept of preservation.
In the long run, effective conservation of heritage resources not
only helps in preserving and safeguarding the resources, but also in
revitalizing local economies, and in bringing about a sense of identity,
pride and belonging to residents.
