We were at the much talked about Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in the town of Bagac a few weekends ago. To date, the 400-hectare resort in Bataan has a total of 27 heritage structures uprooted from dismal conditions all over the country and restored, piece by available piece to this Spanish colonial-themed resort.
Understandably, there has been no let up in the noise from heritage conservationists who disagree with the way the resort restores old houses. But Las Casas’ efforts also continue to draw interest from locals and foreign visitors who drop by to walk through its cobblestoned streets, and take selfies amid houses in all their colonial glory sans the trappings of 21st century commercialism.
The man behind Las Casas is Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar, owner of New San Jose Builders (NSJB), the same company which managed the construction of the mammoth Iglesia ni Cristo coliseum, the Philippine Arena, and over a dozen high-rise condominiums built close to places of work, leisure and wellness in Metro Manila.
But Acuzar’s crown jewel remains Las Casas. Recent reports place his investment in the project to about P500 million, and he insists it remains a “work in progress.” To build more houses and infrastructure in Las Casas and run the development, he employs some 150 workers, most of whom are Bataan residents.
These include tour guides, waiters and waitresses, butlers, members of the in-house performing troupe Kundiman ni Lolo at Lola, women who make mosaic paintings on the houses’ ceilings and walls, carpenters, stone carvers, craftsmen who came from as far as Paete, Laguna and Maanggahan, Pasig, and other clerical and maintenance staffers.
Reliving history
The idea of Las Casas came to Acuzar when he built his first home in 2003 in Bagac using materials from an old house. It struck him then how incomplete and disjointed it was, like a Frankenstein of sorts. He thought, why not use the entire house instead of only a few pieces. He proceeded to build a second one, currently dubbed as Casa Cagayan, by trial and error, and finally managed to assemble the whole piece on his land.
Most of the structures in the park are from the 18th and 19th-century Philippines. They have been meticulously disassembled from their original sites, numbered, trucked or shipped to Bataan and reassembled. The parts that are beyond repair are replicated by a team of local carpenters on site. Manila Standard visited the warehouses onsite where they do this: it is a time-consuming and laborious endeavour, but the end results are nothing short of astonishing.
For this undertaking, Acuzar trained a crew that, over time, has mastered disassembling structures, transporting the pieces and assembling them “as is” (Acuzar’s requirement) at the resort.
Acuzar and his team, consisting of a foreman and craftsmen, take two years on the average to finish reconstructing a house.
“Every part of the house is studied. Each part is numbered and documented. For parts that are missing, we research the source of the raw material, whether those are wood or stone. Each house helps you discover a method of construction for a particular time,” he said.
Faced with protests over this type of heritage conservation, where structures are transplanted from out of their original communities, Acuzar told the Manila Standard that he had to do this to save the structures from decay and neglect. Then and now, local heritage conservation works get little or no state funding at all.
“This is not a commercial project,” he said. “This is for the country, for the children today and tomorrow.“
Pride in the past, hope for the future” is the resort’s ostensible theme.
Back to the time of Rizal and Luna
A sprawl of houses with stone bases, wooden upper floors and red clay roofs greeted the Manila Standard behind sliding capiz windows as we strolled along a narrow hallway once used by “alipin sagigilid.” These were Spanish-era servants who were not allowed into the main halls of these stately homes.
We caught a shimmering glimpse of the past behind a facade of the present. A time where carriages ferried the rich illustrados, powerful friars and gobernadorcillos across cobbled streets; an era much more regal and opulent than the present.
The structures transferred to Las Casas are so meticulously crafted and restored that one cannot help help but be transported back to the times of Rizal and Luna. From its bridges, water fountains, river scenes and meandering Venice-like canals, streets, plazas, mansions and interiors, one sees a near-perfect Spanish colonial era illusion .
Collecting architecture
There are many physical proofs of one’s past, architecture being one of the most concrete. When asked why he chose architecture instead of furniture, painting, or some other form of “heirloom art” that is so much easier to collect, Acuzar answered, “Why not?”
Acuzar claimed he was a frustrated architect, thus explaining the construction tycoon’s passion for heritage projects. One of his first jobs, early in his career, was landscape designing, perhaps explaining why Las Casas has such a well planned layout, its gardens simple and elegant. With sculptures and water features strategically placed around its vicinity, there is always a thing of beauty of behold— oftentimes a bronze sculpture mostly of Filipinos in a daily activity.
Leaving his mark
Acuzar stressed that money does not drive his obsession to build Las Casas. True, the resort does charge a modest fee for those entering its grounds and quite an amount if you want to stay overnight.
What Acuzar said he wants to do is to make a mark. He doesn’t want to be “like the wind, passing thru life without leaving a trace.”
Stories of the Philippines’ history is simply not enough for him.
“I wants something more concrete, something today’s children can touch, something that would delight and make them appreciate the Philippines’ past” he told the Manila Standard.