Not far from Bacolod is the noble city of Silay, once known as the "Paris of Negros Occidental". Here stand old houses which attest to the grandeur and victory of the opulent sugar industry long before the great depression of the eighties.
These mansions of 19th-century architecture reflect the sophisticated lifestyles and fine tastes of the Negrense haciendero who once owned big expanses of land tilled as sugar plantations. In these ancestral homes once lived the Jisons, Gamboas, Jalandonis, Ledesmas, Locsins, Gastons and many other families who carry surnames equated with good breeding and sophistication. They remain as solid testament to the not-so-forgotten past of high-society
Negros.
Silay City is 18 kilometers or a mere 30 minutes away by
jeepney from the capital city of
Bacolod. Just past
Talisay, the sight of Indian trees lining the street announces one's arrival to the culture-laden
Silay. The name of this heritage village is engraved on an image of a sugar mill, as if to further assert that indeed, it is a place of culture and antiquity. If one still wants more confirmation, the antediluvian but not so passe' dwellings are enough pieces of evidence.
Among these houses, the Don Bernardo-Ysabel
Jalandoni House, just a few steps away from the
Silay Cathedral, has been declared a heritage house. It ascended to such stature on November 6, 1993 or eighty-five years after it was constructed. Because of the title, the
Jalandoni mansion carries with it the distinction of being the first national historical landmark in the city. The house is influenced by the original
nipa hut design and is now owned by heirs Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Jalandoni-Montinola. After its declaration as a national landmark, 30 other ancestral homes in the city were awarded the same title.
The
Jalandoni mansion was built with the dream that it would stay on longer than the couple who had it assembled. It is with this vision that Don Bernardino and Dona Ysabel had to obtain hardwood from
Mindoro which were used fo the floors, staircase and windows. In the same vein, the steel tray ceiling popular for its intricate design was imported all the way from Hamburg, Germany.
As one enters the home, which has been modified into a museum, photos of remarkable people from
Negros greet the visitor. Pictures of the Jalandoni family also adorn the living room. In front of it is the sprawling sala seat with a round table full of coffee table books and a Steinway piano, reminiscent of the old days of the rich and famous.
Four-poster beds, well-designed dividers, dressers and cabinets made of hardwood occupy all three bedrooms. There are also old hand-embroidered pillowcases, a wash stand with 19th century ceramic pitcher and basin from Europe. For good measure, the Jalandonis' only daughter Angeles left some turn-of-the-century pina blouses in her cabinet.
Olympia Severino Gamboa, the woman who made the first Filipino flag raised in
Silay City on November 5, 1898 also left her mark in the house via a cabinet full of glasswares and dishes. Likewise, the first American Navy who landed in
Negros Occidental after the surrender of the Spaniards in 1898 passed on some silver pitcher and cups which now adorn the dining room.
Old kitchen utensils, a wooden chest meant to store food for long periods, beer bottles in the Spanish era, salt containers of bamboo and clay, a stone-mill grinder and charcoal-fired flat irons fill the kitchen. Other olden possessions include the first-ever telephone, candelabras and a turntable.
The
Silay Heritage Foundation is responsible for transforming the house into a museum as well as holding cultural events. It impresses upon the public the importance of protecting one's heritage by simply over seeing the whole municipality.
In a way, the Foundation has contributed so much for so little. What they have been doing for years now is more than mere cataloguing and preservation of antiquated articles. More impotantly, their noble task entails keeping history and heritage alive for those who were not there to witness their creation.
Text by:
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