Dizon, Chelze Faith P.

PLNING 132 Sec 1

Formative Assessment 3: Site Values and Social Impact: The Case of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac,
Bataan

La Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a historical resort and museum situated in Bagac, Bataan. Its highlight is
that it has collection of heritage houses that are relocated from Bataan. The ancestral houses are dismantled from
their original area and remade inside the reason of the Las Casas Filipinas, the houses are taken down and was
brought to the site, it modified it piece by piece, regularly reproducing and supplanting missing pieces to reestablish
and restore its unique glory. However, this method had been a controversy in light that country’s conservationists
believe that what Acuzar did takes away the historical relevance of the structure.
Taking my stand, I am in favor of Las Casas’ development in a way that it restores the Philippine ancestral
houses. Las Casas improvement is something I support. I am glad to hear that these immaterial pieces of our past
have been saved from decay. I accept they have not completely lost their historical and social importance since they
have been reestablished to their previous wonder, and new and rousing inspirations have been inhaled into these
principalia manors. It also acted as a gateway to another time and place in our past, with each house having its own
special story to tell. Furthermore, as people went to Las Casas, they gained knowledge about the beauty of these
heritage houses. They appreciate these ancestral houses and the roots of our country, as these houses sets as
reminder of our history and heritage. In addition, many of the ancestral houses are not well taken care of as to the
fact that it soon decayed on its original site and were forgotten. I believe that restoration is a concept of preservation
of the houses and its historical value. It is better to be preserved than to perish. As what they are doing in Las Casas,
where ancestral houses are sure to be taken care of. Even though some original parts of the structure were not
present, it never had lost its complete historical value because there are still pieces that remained on the structure, it
was just modified and restored. In our country, there were also numerous historical structures that have been
completely decayed and demolished because of the lack of support and funding. Examples include the Avenue
Theatre on Rizal Avenue, which was demolished in 2006 to make way for a parking lot, the Carlos Palanca Mansion,
which was designed by a national artist Pablo Antonio and was replaced by a condominium, and the Manila Army
and Navy Club, which was listed as a National Historical Landmark but was demolished in 2017 to make way for the
Rizal Park Hotel. These are only a few examples of historical structures for which only even a small portion has not
been preserved. Many historical buildings in the Philippines can still be restored with the Las Casas initiative. It can
be restored and maintained in such a way that it evokes historical presence in the minds of the public, structures are
felt and functional, uprooted in our own home country, thus retaining its historical importance.

References:
Jose, C. (2019, April 18). In memoriam: Historical structures we lost over the years. Retrieved March 21, 2021, from
https://nolisoli.ph/61223/historical-structures-csanjose-20190418/