MANILA, Philippines — August is Buwan ng Wika.
And at the height of celebrating the national language, a leading real estate developer has brought to the spotlight a unique project showcasing Filipino culture and heritage.
New San Jose Builders, owners of now-famous Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Heritage Resort in Bataan, officially launched its Coffee Table Book commemorating the great works of art one can see at its sprawling, vibrant heritage resort.
Titled “Sa Mga Bahay ng Ating Gunita” or “At the Houses of our Memory,” the Las Casas Coffee Table Book is a work of art and labor of love of its owner Jose “Jerry” Acuzar which unveiled the book during Ninoy Aquino Day together with important personalities from politics, media, and the government.
The passion project, written in Filipino spawning from the request of Acuzar to showcase Filipino culture and heritage through what better way but our native language, aims to narrate the colorful stories each casa represents.
“Why can’t we do that for our own tourist brochures and other promotional materials?” asked Acuzar when he saw tourist brochures written in the language of places he visits abroad.
“It’s more natural (for it to be written in Filipino),” he said. “We should be proud of our very own.”
Nestled at the heart of Bagac in Bataan, Las Casas’ restored pieces of history in its sprawling open-air museum and heritage resort is the subject of the new book.
Consisting of 128 hotel rooms and 24 elite casas, Las Casas is also the Asia Awards of Excellence winner for Asia’s most excellent destination for 2017.
Meanwhile, Acuzar, owner and chief executive of New San Jose, adds that the book, quite exceptional in its production, quality, and design, should be “presentable to the world.”
“But it should be ‘speaking’ in Filipino and written for Filipinos,” Acuzar said.