By Germaine De Castro
Heritage villages have always astounded several advocates of heritage preservation. The simple sight of the front part of an old house could easily provide priceless delight in the eyes of an avid enthusiast of nostalgia.
What more if they enter these types of establishments of past generations. Just by mere looking upon various relics from yesteryears, obtaining valuable information regarding some specks on Philippine History beyond school walls, as well as being awed by very detailed interior craftsmanship, would definitely bring back feelings of nostalgia for history buffs out there.
In the Philippines, as far as I know, there are 4 towns, which have been declared as National Historical Landmarks, and these are Pila in Laguna, Silay in Negros Occidental, the very very popular Vigan in Ilocos Sur, and Taal in Batangas.
Being etched as the Barong Tagalog and Balisong Capital of the Philippines, and founded way back 1572, Taal proudly showcases several various ancestral homes and heritage structures, wherein each of which has its own story, situated around 110 kilometers away from the historic City of Manila.
Here are some of the notable areas inside this town worth the visit:
The Taal Basilica is Asia’s biggest Catholic Church. The present church’s construction began in 1755, but it was not completed until 1878 because of an earthquake in 1852. Its original location actually was in the city of San Nicolas today, but it was completely destroyed by the eruption of the Taal Volcano in 1754, which explains the relocation for increased safety purposes from future occurrences of the same nature.
The so-called Wedding Gift House was the wedding gift of Don Eulalio Villavicencio to his wife Doña Gliceria Marella, the eventual Godmother of the Philippine Revolutionary Forces, on the occasion of their wedding way back 1871.
The Casa Villavicencio was built in 1850, which was given to Don Eulalio Villavicencio upon the death of his parents. Luckily, this house, just like most houses in Taal, survived the Japanese Occupation in World War II.
The Agoncillo-Mariño Ancestral House where the ‘Mother of the Philippine Flag’, Marcela Agoncillo, was born was built around the 1780s. She was the one who sewed the first Philippine Flag in Hong Kong.
Taal is way beyond than the famous volcano seen in most tourism advertisements. It is an underrated heritage town which is also called the “Vigan of the South”. Do experience trudging in this place and you would know why.
Explore Pinas!