Story & photos by Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez
The lady with the long black hair looked out of the window of the opulent antebellum estate and into the dusty, timeworn street of Calle Ledesma in Silay. There, she watched in the distance how the man she loved build a life with someone she considered family all those years.
One last look and she retreated back in the oratorio, alone with her prayers and the promise of a great love that never was.
The story is tragic as it is beautiful, and it’s one that has been told too many times that it eventually became the stuff of local tales into the wider consciousness of the Negrense people.
Legend has it that her name was Adela, the only child of Emilio Ledesma and his wife Rosario Locsin. Adela couldn’t bear seeing the love of her life’s new family who lived on the same street, they said, and so the stately structure by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi, who also designed the San Diego Pro-Cathedral, had been cut in half; the second floor torn down. In solitary, there Adela stayed until her death.
The house, which was once a symbol of grandeur, is now simply a witness to the slow passing of time and the untold stories from an era long gone.
Clear skies and cheerful smiles welcomed our small media group as we landed in Bacolod, where low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines now offers affordable airfare rates through the thrice-daily flights in and out of the city.
The trip was a first for many of us, but we figured early on that we’ll remember what to love, because, beyond Bacolod’s MassKara and the warmth of the Negrosanons, it is the stories carefully woven into a colorful tapestry of culture and tradition that makes up the region.
One particular folktale, for one, tells the story of the bravery of a fair maiden who defended her people from bandits by seeking the help of a diwata (fairy), who gave her a talibong, a Visayan fighting sword. On her grave grew the first Kansilay tree, where Silay got its name.
The city will later be named as the “Paris of Negros” due to its prominent artists, cultural shows and large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses, one of which is the Locsin-Ledesma house Adela grew up in. Solomon Locsin, a heritage advocate, now oversees the ancestral house that’s adaptively reused as a café, bar and events place.
Not far from the property is the El Ideal Bakery, which, according to the locals, was where the dental office and home of Adela’s former lover used to be.
Speaking of undying love and once-great mansions, The Ruins in Talisay was built by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson in memory of his wife Maria Braga Lacson, who had died during the pregnancy of his 11th child. During World War II, Filipino guerillas burned it down as a countermeasure to prevent the invading Japanese forces from using it as a military office; it burned for three straight days.
Perhaps, the most interesting part of our cultural tour, however, was a visit to Balay ni Tana Dicang, which is also in Talisay. It was owned by Don Efigenio Lizares and Doña Enrica Alunan or, as many know her, Tana Dicang.
Like many an ancestral home in Negros, the house stands on the street where it was constructed almost a century ago. The upper portion of the property was made entirely of hardwood, but used tindalo/balayong in the reception rooms and narra in the bedrooms.
Back then, people called the house Las Casas de Azul because it was painted with a blueish lime-based paint and the candles hanging from the candelabra would envelope the house with a warm blue light.
At around noon we arrived at the San Diego Pro-Cathedral, where the first thing one will notice upon entering is its concrete checkered tiles, which imitates the ones in the Cathedral of Alcala in Spain. Lucio Bernasconi designed the layout of the church in the shape of a Latin cross, with a cupola rising 40 meters above the nave.
Curious as to why there are tombs near the altar, our guide from the local tourism office, Raymond Alunan, explained that members of the wealthy families who have donated to the church, or made contributions to society, were given the privilege to be buried at the parish.
Saint Joseph the Worker Chapel in Victorias, meanwhile, was a striking contrast from the Romanesque splendor of San Diego Pro-Cathedral with its enigmatic sacred iconography and contemporary architectural design.
The church was designed by the Czech architect Antonín Raymond and the mural inside commonly called “The Angry Christ,” is by Philippine-born abstract expressionist Alfonso Ossorio.
The 60-square-meter liturgical mural features an image of a frowning Christ with a large flaming heart and outstretched arms, his feet crushing the serpentine Lucifer. Christ is also flanked by brown-skinned Filipinized saints (Saint Joseph and the Saint John the Baptist on the left and Mary and Saint John the Evangelist on the right) in native attire, standing as witness to Christ’s resurrection.
Critics believe that the work of art was a form of rebellion against the decoration and the iconography of the church, and there needs a modification of the Biblical premise. The church was declared Important Cultural Property of the Philippines in December 2015.
Bacolod is the 12th domestic destination of the low-cost carrier.
City Mayor Evelio Leonardia noted that with the entry of the budget airline into the city, tourism is expected to grow in the region.
Tourist arrivals in Negros Occidental reached to almost 1.76 million in 2018, 2 percent higher than about 1.72 million in 2017. The recent MassKara Festival also drew in millions of tourists and has opened up opportunities for the hospitality industry, as well as micro entrepreneurs.
AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Isla, addressing both the media and Mayor Leonardia, said: “We’re honored that we’re part of Bacolod not only in terms of providing socioeconomic programs, but more important, in boosting tourism. We know that Bacolod is going to be one of our fast-selling destinations.”
Image credits: Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez