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Why Do I Preserve Thee For Heritage or P
Why Do I Preserve Thee For Heritage or P
Written by:
Medrano, Louise R.
“Instagram-worthy”, and “aesthetically pleasing” are only some of the words visitors use
to describe Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. The famed heritage resort has garnered attention not
only from the Philippines but also from international communities for its unique concept as a
resort that transports its visitors to the 1890s, with the presence of various heritage houses as its
highlight. However, it has also gained attention for being controversial, with cultural activists
advising against going to the resort. This paper will present evidence showing that Las Casas is
not an institution driven by the preservation of culturally important homes, but an institution
houses. This is seen through its charging of high prices for entrance and access to important
cultural properties, obtaining of the culturally relevant houses, and displaying a lack of concern
for the houses’ historical contexts. Despite its aesthetic scenery, it must be known that when it
comes to cultural heritage and cultural preservation, appearances and presentations are not the
an open museum of heritage houses located in Bataan, Philippines. The resort is famous for
housing numerous heritage houses that were gathered from all over the country. Jose “Jerry”
Acuzar, the owner of Las Casas, started the project in 2006 as his private collection and vacation
property before opening it to the public in 2010 as a full-service theme resort (Batten, 2013).
The first evidence showing the nature of Las Casas as a profit-driven entity and not a
cultural heritage and savior is its high rates. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar charges high prices
for what is meant to be free and accessible to the general public. Its famed Heritage Tours can go
from Php 1,500 to Php 2,500 per head. Meanwhile, a night in one of its Casas can go from Php
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10,000 to Php 140,000. Such prices show that the resort has a specific target market, those with
such disposable income to spend. This means that access to learning about and usage of such
heritage houses is restricted. It can be argued that such pricing goes against RA No, 10066. The
houses, by the general public for visitation and information shall not be hindered except
on reasonable cause. Fees may be appropriate, but they must be prescribed by the cultural
agency concerned.”
The NCCA has not publicized any endorsement or approval of the so-called ‘heritage resort’,
therefore it can be concluded that the prices Las Casas set were not based on prescriptions of the
NCCA. The rates of its services and accommodations are then purely based on the discretion of
the institution. Such high rates then discriminate upon the different divisions of the public: those
who can afford to spend such money, and those who can’t. Only those who can afford such
prices would be able to access going to the resort and learning about the cultural artifacts. Thus,
Filipinos belonging to relatively lower class divisions are deprived of the opportunity to see and
By obtaining the heritage houses from their original locations, Las Casas is also depriving
its original location of the economic opportunities brought about by local tourism. By adding
more houses, the financial value of entry to Las Casas rises. While it may be possible for Las
Casas to instead sponsor the restoration of these houses, it would generate more profit by
transferring them to the open museum. Therefore, it is not always the last case scenario for these
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The next argument lies within the fact that some heritage houses in Las Casas were
obtained illegally and distastefully. There are two manifestations of this: the process by which
they are obtained, and the lack of knowledge local government units and cultural agencies have
The method used to obtain the heritage structures involves the dismantling of the
structure, uprooting it from its original location, and having its pieces transported to Bataan.
From there, changes will be made on its original form as it is being reconstructed accordingly to
accommodate the type of function Las Casas wants it to serve (Pulumbarit, 2014; Sembrano,
2019).
Las Casas’ method of obtaining houses is not only unethical but also illegal. Republic
Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 states that:
Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA) or National Historical Institute.”
Las Casas has broken this law multiple times. The succeeding part of the paper will show how
through the stories of Casa Ordoveza, two torogans, and Bahay Alberto.
Casa Ordoveza was the oldest house in Luzon and the second oldest in the Philippines
(Sembrano, 2016). It was constructed in 1744 in Majayjay, Laguna. It was the ancestral home of
Lorenzo Pangutangan, whose last name was hispanized to Ordoveza (Takumi, 2016). The house
belonged to the Ordoveza clan for two and a half centuries. In 2016, according to the residents of
Majayjay, the rights to the wood and stone of Casa Ordoveza were sold to a heritage resort in
Bataan for reconstruction. The house was then demolished for transfer to Las Casas without prior
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knowledge from its respective local government unit or any cultural agency. Although Las Casas
owns the rights to the wood and stone of Las Casas, by demolishing it, moving its debris, and
Another evidence of the malpractice of Las Casas is the acquiring of two torogan houses
from Lanao del Sur. The torogans were on their way to becoming properties of a UNESCO
institution and obtaining important cultural titles from the same agency. However, this
arrangement did not proceed due to the intervention of Las Casas. To this day, the indigenous
peoples of Lanao del Sur, the Maranao, are campaigning for the return of the torogans back to
their ancestral lands (Villegas, 2013). By taking away the torogans’ opportunity to be obtained
by UNESCO, Las Casas is not only violating RA No. 10066 but also depriving it of any benefits
Another house that fell victim to the hands of Jerry Acuzar is Bahay Alberto, a house
where Jose Rizal spent a year of his youth and where his mother, Teodora Alonoso, grew up. In
the 1800s, in Biñan, Laguna, the mansion was impossible to miss. Despite the Biñan local
government raising Php 20 million for its restoration, the owner sold it to Acuzar without
obtaining permission or approval from the local government or any cultural agency (Ranada,
2012). While many say that Acuzar obtaining the Alberto house is beneficial, it must be noted
that less than 10% of the original Alberto house’s structure was kept (Sembrano, 2019). In fact,
out of all the heritage houses, only one house is kept 90% to the original, with others having
much lower ranges. Thus, not only was the cultural and historical context of the house taken, but
also its original physical form. Furthermore, Bahay Alberto could have been restored and
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maintained because the local government was on its way to doing so already, as seen by its
Lastly, Las Casas doesn’t receive criticism only for its obtaining of houses. Cultural
activists state that when one takes away a heritage house and relocates it, its cultural and
historical context is threatened or lost. The Burra Charter, the internationally recognized
principles for cultural heritage protection, states that “the physical location of a place is part of
its cultural significance. A building, work, or other component of a place should remain in its
historical location unless relocation is the sole practical means to ensuring its survival.” In the
case of some houses of Las Casas, relocation was not the only means for the survival of the
heritage houses. Funds for restoration could have been gathered and for others, the houses were
in such a condition that did not need restoration. Such was the case of the earlier mentioned
examples: the torogans and Bahay Alberto. The torogans were on their way to obtaining
protection and other benefits from UNESCO while Bahay Alberto was on its way to being
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Figure 2. Interior of Casa Byzantina with La Barca de Aqueronte
Furthermore, taking a heritage house away from its original location takes away the
benefits locals could have obtained if the structure had been restored instead. A heritage house
has the potential to stimulate local tourism and add charm to the town, not to mention the
potential to enrich its history and culture (Ranada, 2012). However, it is not only through
relocation that a heritage house loses its historical context. It may also lose its context through
the replacement of what was originally inside the house. In Las Casas, this can be seen in Casa
Byzantina (See Figure 1). Also known as the Don Lorenzo del Rosario House, the three-story
structure was used as a residential space and a commercial space for selling medicine (Laya,
2013). However, what now decorates the space are objects that were not previously there such as
painting depicting death (See Figure 2). From a historical and cultural perspective, this change
brings no added significance or value. From a business perspective, however, this change causes
the monetary value of the structure to rise, making the Casa Byzantina the most expensive casa
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This paper argues that Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is not the vanguard of Philippine
Cultural Heritage it claims to be, but rather a profit-driven institution that commercializes on
Philippine Culture and History. This is evident in the way it charges exorbitant prices for
services meant to be accessible to the public, obtains heritage houses, and exhibits a disregard for
their historical contexts. It makes sense for the institution to be held accountable for the crimes
procedures, people should stay critical of the institution. In the matter of Cultural Heritage, it
does not only matter whether an artifact is being preserved. How an artifact is obtained and
preserved is also evaluated. It should take more than Instagram-worthy Capiz windows, stone
fountains, and ipil wood staircases to make a cultural heritage savior. Knowledge of this will be
beneficial for the public because they will be more aware and critical of the cultural preservation
of artifacts, taking principles of Ethics and legal principles into account. It will also prevent other
institutions from following the same path of considering only outside appearances and monetary
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REFERENCES
Laya, J.C. (2013). Philippine Heritage Homes: A Guidebook. Mandaluyong City, Philippines:
Anvil Publishing
Pulumbarit, V. (2014, January 4). Tales of love, lust, and murder at Las Casas Filipinas.
Retrieved from
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/travel/342418/tales-of-love-lust-and-murder
-at-las-casas-filipinas/story/
Ranada, P. (2012, November 3). The tragedy of Bahay Alberto. Retrieved from
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/15398-the-tragedy-of-bahay-alberto
Sembrano, E.A. (2016, August 8). 2nd oldest house in the Philippines demolished. Retrieved from
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/234674/2nd-oldest-house-in-the-philippines-demolished/.
Sembrano, E.A. (2019, February 18). Controversial ‘Heritage Resort’ in Bagac, Bataan, leads
National Arts Month Celebration. Retrieved from
https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20190218/28208
9163041031
Sembrano, E.A. (2019, September 4). Housing heritage, telling stories. Retrieved from
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2019/09/04/housing-heritage-telling-stories/
Takumi, R. (2016, August 10). NCCA to probe demolition of Casa Ordoveza, 2nd oldest home in
PHL. Retrieved from
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/577118/ncca-to-probe-demolition-o
f-casa-ordoveza-2nd-oldest-home-in-phl/story/
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Villegas, R.N. (2013, May 27). Art installations inaugurate art space at controversial Acuzar
‘heritage resort’ in Bataan. Retrieved from
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/105391/art-installations-inaugurate-art-space-at-controversial
-acuzar-heritage-resort-in-bataan/
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