BIÑAN CITY, Laguna, Philippines — The story of the Alberto Mansion in this city in Laguna province is one for the books. Over the last decade, the 200-year-old ancestral house of Teodora Alonso, mother of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, was at the center of a campaign for heritage preservation, court proceedings, midnight deals and […]
ANCESTRAL HOME In time for the 123rd Rizal Day this month, the Biñan City government unveiled the newly reconstructed Alberto Mansion, a replica of the ancestral home of Teodora Alonso, mother of national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. —PHOTOS BY EDWIN BACASMAS
“What’s with that house, anyway?” he said as he stood beside the 101-year-old Rizal monument across from the mansion, one moonlit evening.“They say powerful people once lived there. That’s what the old people here say,” he said.Local heritage Bryan Jayson Borja, who heads the city’s Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, said he first learned of the house in 2008 when he was doing a research on Rizal.
ORIGINAL SITE The Biñan government reconstructed the mansion on its original site, by adding antique fixtures and furniture, like a bed and a rocking chair, to create a semblance of a 19th century dwelling. The house also features a staircase that leads to the azotea or rooftop.“That’s one of the contentions before—that it wasn’t declared by the national government.
“I’m happy the house was restored and was given more appreciation by the city … but sad because the replica did not look exactly as the original mansion,” she said.The city government does not make false claims over the replica, with Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila Jr. himself saying only “about 10 percent” of the original structure was preserved.
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