Category Archives: Quezon

The Ancestral Houses of Sariaya (Quezon)

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The next day, Good Friday, Jandy and I explored the town’s ancestral houses in detail, bringing along my point and shoot camera and videocam.  Sariaya is known for its ornate and imposing American-era mansions built by illustrados (landed gentry) like the Cabunags, Enriquez, Gala, Luna, Obordos, Ramas and Rodriguez clans, all coconut planters who once grew rich from 1919-30 from the once profitable coconut industry.  In 1945, the town was set afire by Japanese troops, destroying many of its stately ancestral homes.  A big fire also occurred in the 1960s.  

Dona Margarita Rodriguez Ancestral House

The burnt-out shells of these homes can still be seen around town.  Surviving ancestral homes are scattered around the town plaza and along Rizal St., perpendicular to the highway.  They create a beautiful and nostalgic setting that reflects the town’s illustrious past.  Beside the house we stayed in is the old, and equally stately, ancestral home owned by Jun’s grandmother, the late Dona Margarita Rodriguez, an old maid who died in the 1950s.

Enriquez Mansion
Beside the town’s church is the impressive Enriquez Mansion at the corner of Gen. Luna and Rizal Street, along the national highway.  Formerly owned by Natalio Marquez, Quezon’s former governor, it was sold to Bienvenido Marquez.  An American-style house, it has a red-tiled roof and Spanish-Moorish inspired arches and twin turrets.     At the back, along Rizal St., is the then Alvarez Residence.  Built in 1703, it is the oldest in the town and it once served as the town’s municipal hall. 

The Rodriguez Ancestral House (Sariaya, Quezon)

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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.  

The ground floor zaguan

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?

Rodriguez Ancestral House: cor. Rizal & Daliz St., Sariaya, Quezon.

Villa Escudero Plantation & Resort (San Pablo City, Quezon)

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It was time for our annual R.R. Payumo & Partners office outing and management decided on a  day tour of Villa Escudero Plantation & Resort, an exotic 450-hectare Class “AA” resort opened in 1981.  A favorite destination among local and foreign tourists, it is situated within a vast 800-hectare (2,000-acre), self-contained working coconut plantation that encompasses San Pablo City (where most of its land belongs) in Laguna and the towns of Dolores and Tiaong in Quezon.  A total of 18 office staff joined (Annie Guevara, Vangie Vargas, Nelson Valdez, Toots Gomez, Eric Tinio, Mario de Padua, Ading Aquino, Mario Nabor, among others).

Arrival at the resort

Our trip, via a chartered bus, took all of 2.5 hrs. via the South Expressway and the highway to Lucena City.  About 10 kms. (6.2 miles) south of San Pablo City, we entered the Laguna-Quezon (Tiaong) border arch and, a few hundred past the arch, on the left, is the entrance to the resort. Upon arrival, we were welcomed at the reception hall with a warm greeting and cool native sago or fruit drinks.

Our carabao cart ride

After our welcome, we were uniquely toured around the park-like setting of the resort via a large, festively-decorated and carabao-pulled cart (aptly named Macho).  Along the way, local female folk singers serenaded us with Filipino songs to the accompaniment of a male guitarist.  All are appropriately dressed in native costumes: the women in baro’t saya or kimona and the men in camisa de chino and colorful trousers. Truly a laid-back and unique countryside experience in a serene pastoral atmosphere.

Labasin Hydroelectric Dam

Later, we had a delicious native-style buffet lunch beside the man-made  Labasin Waterfalls, actually the spillway of the Labasin hydroelectric dam. We all sat at rows of shaded wood and bamboo dining tables with 8 inches of running spring waters swirling around the calves of our bare feet, a truly singular and memorable experience as we dined al fresco with the falls as a backdrop.  The Labasin dam also created a long, narrow and deep artificial lake or reservoir from the waters of the Lagnas River.  Filled with dalag (mudfish) and tilapia, fishing is offered here but we opted to avail  of the relaxing bamboo raft ride at this lake which was included in the day tour.

Frolicking at Labasin Falls

Villa Escudero Plantation & Resort: San Pablo City, Laguna.  Manila booking office: 1059 Estrada St., Malate, Manila.  Tel: (632) 521-0830, 523-0392 and 523-2944.  Website: www.villaescudero.com.