Rodriguez/Gala Residence

In the 1940s, during the war, its second floor was occupied by Japanese Army officers (the family stayed at the ground floor) and was bombed during the liberation.  The first bomb exploded in the front gate, the second blasted a huge, 20-ft. deep hole (from where the big swimming pool was built) and the third, a dud, went through the roof and got stuck in the stair banisters.

Swimming at the Rodriguez/Gala Residence

Before leaving Sariaya, we decided to take home some of the  towns famous mazapan sweets for pasalubong. Sariaya’s other pasalubong options include pinagong apas (turtle-shaped bread), espasol, broas, ube halaya and agit-it and woven buntal and buri products.  We also visited the Sina-Una Arts and Antique Shop along the national highway (in front of the public market).  Antiques sold here include wood carvings, period furniture, cherubs, aparadors, ceramics, angelitos and santos.  

Rodriguez/Gala Residence: 44 Rizal St., Sariaya, Quezon

Prior to Holy Week, I got an invitation from Celso “Jun” and Jane Segismundo, my friends from Couples For Christ, to join them and Jane’s relatives to visit Jun’s ancestral home in Sariaya, Quezon.  For company, I decided to bring along my son Jandy.  Our convoy of cars departed 1:30 AM, Holy Thursday (April 1) to avoid the Holy Week rush.  It was an uneventful, leisurely but very rainy (unusual for Holy Week) 2.5-hr. (124.64-km.) trip (including 2 stops) via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) up to its terminus (Calamba City), then passing by Mt. Makiling, Sto. Tomas and Tanauan City in Batangas, Alaminos and San Pablo City in Laguna and then Tiaong and Candelaria in Quezon.  We arrived at the town by 4 AM.

Rodriguez Ancestral House

Sariaya is located 1,200 ft. above sea level near the foothills of 2,177-m. high Mt. Banahaw, an active volcano shrouded in legend and mysticism.  The town’s name was derived from Sadiaia, the former name of the Lagnas River. 

The second floor sala (living room)

The house that we stayed in was featured inside brochures concerning Quezon province and in pages 138-141 of the book “Philippine Ancestral Homes” by Fernando N. Zilacita and Martin I. Tinio, Jr..  Newly restored, it was built during the Spanish era by Jun’s maternal ancestors, the Rodriguez’s.  The house was enlarged in the 1920s and was partially burned during the Japanese rampage.  It had about 7 huge bedrooms, a huge second floor sala, an equally spacious dining room and kitchen and quarters for the caretakers.  Like most houses made during that era, it has a grand stairway, tall doors, high ceilings (even inside the bathrooms), antique period furniture, huge stained glass and capiz windows, verandillas, narra plank flooring and wall paintings.  

Upon our arrival, Jandy and I opted to sleep at the mansion’s ground floor bedroom (1 of 4).  It had its own lavatory and a silohiya bed which didn’t actually fit my 5′-10″ frame.  I found out later that it was for the children’s bedroom.  For reasons I never bothered to ask, all the others slept together at the second floor sala.  Fear of ghosts maybe?