Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day Pap..

The Ruins

The Ruins, one of Negros Occidental’s tourist destinations. It is the mansion of the late Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson. The mansion was built after the death of Don Mariano’s first wife, Maria Braga from Portugal whom he met in Macau during his vacation. The mansion is of an Italian architecture with neo-Romanesque twin columns. This was built in the 1900’s but unfortunately this was burned down by the Americans during the Second World War. The purpose if burning it was to prevent the Japanese from utilizing the structure. The burning took about 3 days because of the wooden floors that was used and was completely abandoned until then.

If I could remember it right the rehabilitation of the mansion started sometime in 2007 and opened for the public in 2008. But before the rehabilitation, this place was used to be the favourite place for ghost hunting of the young. Due to its location in the middle of the vast sugar plantation, one would really wanted to spend time and have a breath of fresh air rushing down from the mountains of Negros to the sugar plantation and to the open sea.

View from a far

A view from the west side

This used to be the living room and is now the cafeteria which offers lunch, snacks and dinner. They also offer semi-fine dining Mediterranean cuisine. Above the living room was the master’s bedroom.

Simborio, this is local term for chimney. This is for the muscovado mill of the Lacson family.

The garden in front the mansion was built a year after its completion. It was maintained by Angelina, one of the daughters of Don Mariano.

Portrait of Don Mariano composed by an artist showing the Ruins on the background.

Portrait of Maria Braga.

This is the view from the entrance of the mansion. From this view you can tell how solid this was built that withstand the 3 day inferno.

Reflection

The clan.

The stair facing the west. The second floor leads to the masters bedroom and views the beautiful sunset of Talisay City. It was believed that the stair facing the west brings misfortune.

Opposite to the living room are the rooms of Don Mariano’s siblings.

The tiles imported from spain.

escalante fiesta 2009

I haven’t updated my blog for a month due to some circumstances that took much of my time.
Last month, I went for a week long vacation at my home town in Escalante Negros Occidental. It was my hometown’s annual fiesta. It wasn’t just the fiesta but also it was a family reunion, so it was a big celebration. We missed the home cooked food so much especially the sea foods. During our vacation we eat mostly fresh catch sea foods. Sea foods that are not available here in Manila.
It was the 11 Manlambus festival, “manlambus” means to strike. This is how the early settlers of Escalante catch fish; they use sticks to strike the fish.

The parade

The majorettes

Different barangays showcase their products. It’s not only fishing as the main livelihood of the town folks but also farming different food crops, one of which is sugar cane from which Negros is known and is considered as the sugar bowl of the Philippines.

The dance

Mark Logan as one of the invited guest

Dancers mimicking the early settlers use the stick to catch fish by striking.

The blacks.

Dancing with the catched fish

The colors

foot prints….

I once walked with her….