Magnificent Malitbog Old Houses

We were going straight, as driver knows the church and municipal hall are somewhere onwards on this same road (national highway). But a few meters on, I told him to STOP!

I saw something... oops and OMG! The penchant for big old houses rekindled!

Here is one of them...

Like a fairy tale house or a movie set. But this one is real! It even has its own name - "Villa Margarita"! How did I know? It's etched on wood under the little red roof at left.

I hesitated, but I couldn't help it! I slowly inched on that pathway for a closer look...

As if on cue, immediately after I clicked this shot, I realized that little brown lump, left side of the path, is actually a dog. And at about the very same time, my driver shrieked "sir may ayam"! In my mind, I said "I know, I know"... and I walked literally backwards with face angled, pretending to be still looking up the house, but attention on the dog...

Suddenly, it looked at me, mouth open, I could see the teeth... then it wagged its tail! Ahh, ahh it's a cutie-cute little puppie-pup! Ahh! But I know... where there's a pup, somewhere near is the mother! Kulba! So, still walking backwards, I inched back faster!

That is on the right just about a hundred meters after the elementary school.

Another hundred meters from Villa Margarita, I saw this...

This one is already concrete, I think. But I did wonder, if this is a residential home or an office of some sort, since there are a number of communications antennas and gadgets, a satellite dish, and other tech things! Fantastic edifice and surroundings just the same.

Oh, someone told me just now, immediately before this house, (to the right edge of this picture), is purportedly the PAGASA weather bureau offices and observatory whatevers!

Next to the above house (left edge of said picture), after a chapel actually, is this...

Calm down my friend, I know it's not a residential abode nor is it old. But, notable just the same, that something like this still exists here. Why? Because, too many rural banks in too many places in this country have already folded (usually in shameful bankruptcy)!

In fact, and did you know? Out of the (alleged) 15 banks that were closed last year, 13 of them were rural banks! Eto pa, two of that 13 are/were in towns that this, my joyride series of stories, covers! Whoa! But I won't say which ones hehe! And this is what I'm sure of... in 2013 there were 18 banks closed by bangko sentral, all of them rural banks!

Okay, moving on... here are more, but I got no pics, because the car was moving fast. 😞

At the corner on the left side of the road, diagonally across that rural bank, is another big old unpainted wooden house. The capiz shell windows on upper level are still intact!

A few meters from that corner, back on the right side, is another old wooden big house (beside a mobile burger). The wooden gable still sports some kind of a wooden insignia - am not sure if it's carved. Not sure too if it really is an insignia or a ridge vent or both!

A house across is "era type" too. But a pink concrete shack(store?) was built on the yard.

There is one more, just a few meters forward also on the right, across the tailor shop.

Plus, yet another one, on the left side, at the corner.

Across the same corner, still on the left side, is this equally interesting house...

Well, not really old, right? But there is an 'aliw factor' I don't know what hehe! Maybe the space around it? The grass? Maybe its original structure was also a big wooden house!

Right side of road, opposite the above house, is Holy Child Convent - also attractive. But I'm not sure if it is an 'old original' as it's already refurbished with modernistic concrete.

Aha, also big old wooden and beautiful, after the Holy Child Convent is this...

Not sure on what it is now, but I saw some writing that said Parish Social Action Center. Well, maybe this is now the Parish Office, although, must have surely been the convent of yesteryears, as this is just beside, and within the church compound. But still beautiful!

This brought me to the church (see it?). But let's talk about that in my next story.

After that I went to see their municipal hall. And, let's discuss that after the church.

However, on our way out of the municipal hall, so we could get out of this town, there were more big old wooden houses I saw along the way! So, here are some of them that I caught a picture of, and some others I can remember but unable to take a photo of...

We turned left to the back of the municipal hall, so we could see the entire rear portion of the building, and the old (historic) municipal prison across it. Since we were already there, we just followed that street we were on, and this was first to catch my attention...

Though not unique, this one is somehow a different kind of style due to those externally slanting beams that support the roof. The fascinating thing is, just by seeing old houses like this, we get a sense of how building or aesthetic styles evolve through the years!

That house is on the right side of this coastal street of the town. Its back is to the sea!

A few meters from the above house, we saw yet another big old wooden house...

This is on the same side of the road as the previous house above. Its back is also to the sea. Well, they have started converting the lower ground walls into concrete. Probably rightfully and urgently for their circumstance as ground level looks like a business area.

Diagonally across the above house is this one that is now even a lodge!

Ground floor wall is now concrete, but the house, now a lodge, retains its original look!

Ah the irony on the use of wood versus cement as a housing material. Cost reversal! When all these big houses were built ages ago, they used wood since cement was expensive. Nowadays, you must be a millionaire to use real hardwood lumber that wide!

Back to the right side of the street, also diagonally across the above house is this...

Good old wooden house too. However this one has obviously seen a number of wood replacements. It shows in the color of the 'tabla' and their placement direction. I love the windows, that do seem still original. Not capiz shells this time. Those are bigger squares of differently colored glass. And the name of the store at ground floor is "Tutong's Store"!

Look at the lower left corner of the picture (above). It's an interesting corner...

This is that corner, and look at the row of structures here...

Let me first talk about this house behind the 'riding-in-tandem' . I clicked the camera too late so I was not able to capture the whole house especially the side. Some parts of the wooden walls upstairs have the 'tabla' gone or decayed, just like that corner window.

But the ground level wall is already spruced up with concrete. So, bit-by-bit, I guess this house will still sturdily stand the test of time - hopefully in its yesteryear's splendour! :)

Across the street, that single-level wood house (now a store) also seem of age. I just wonder how it looked in its original form. Judging by its roof size and style, it must have been owned by a prominent family. I'm just guessing, so let's take a closer look below.

This one, with the wall peppered by so many ads, is that corner house above!

Single level 'bodega-type' but wide with an all-wood wall! Hah, if you build this now, it will be enormously expensive than doing it instead with hollow blocks and 'palitadda'!

Then there is that greenish house beside it. That orange-colored ground level is actually already concrete. But the wooden beauty upstairs is still intact. Take a closer look below.

This, is the "upstairs wooden beauty" mentioned above. Cool wooden-everything, right?

But yes, as early as now we can already say "sayang talaga", since that won't last any longer. Thus, if you're the owner, might as well take a lot of photos while it's still there.

If only there's a way to preserve wood 'no? Then the beauty of these old houses won't fade. Unfortunately, our present technologies of the 21st century says concrete is best.

But with any kind of cement in the world today, it would be very hard to replicate things like the thin balusters on the azotea, or the ornate wood décor up at the rail support and the soffit (that's the ceiling of the overhang). Look closely, it has a lace-like design too!

Anyway, let's move forward...

Look at that roof after the green house (lower right edge of the above picture) as we will return to it in just a moment. Meanwhile, across the street are two old wooden houses.

And, they are both on the "decay mode" - if I may call them that hehe...

They have at least started to concretize the ground level walls of this house on the right. Look at the wooden doors (yes, there's two of them, and big!). They have not been replaced yet - and we all know, wooden doors that size would now cost them a fortune.

This is a big house btw. In fact what was caught in the picture is just about half. There are four such upstairs windows! As for the house further to the left, if not repaired, it is about to crumble any time soon. Note, its just these two houses from corner to corner. They're that big!

Back across, to the left side of the street, is another vintage house. This...

This one is actually just next to our green house above. The roof that I wanted to you remember? This is the one, though I wasn't able to capture it full as the car was moving.

Look at the wall panels, they're solid and wide! Nowadays, even if you have the money, those are very hard to find! To the left (not seen in pic) is the wooden terrace and stairs.

There is also some lacelike wood panel design (see a bit of it at the very left edge of that picture)! It's carved! The same thing also appears at the wall panels just under the window sills though they are now partly covered by the tin sheet ground level overhang.

One more, and this house is also just a little bit forward from the above...

No, not the brgy hall! That one hidden behind the bunch of trees and yellow flowers!

Though I only caught more than half of it (again), that house is actually this...

Aha, I remember an uncle once told me, these such houses are of the post-war design and build - partly Hispanic influence (tall), part American influence (jalousie windows), and part economic realities of the time (vertical thin/narrow strips of lumber)! Vintage just the same, since it is already 2015, right?!

And then there was the wet market hehehe...

At least I've seen their palengke even if accidentally, like how I've seen the old houses!

After that, we just followed the street we were on. Why? Because, in between houses, snippets of the beach and the sea were wonderful views too. Voila, (we did not know) the end of this road is actually the monument in that forked road intersection where we entered this town earlier! So it was just like we made a triangular run of the town and we already saw their church, plaza, municipal hall, and magnificent old houses! Amazing!

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