Time travel: Silay’s Hofileña Heritage House

Text and photos by Lourdes O. Pilar,
Senior Research Assistant

Silay City was once called the “Paris of Negros” — it was the center of the province’s affluence in the late 19^th century. One can revisit that era by visiting Silay City’s 29 ancestral residences, including the Hofileña Heritage House, more formally known as the Manuel Severino Hofileña Heritage House, which was built in 1934.

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Its current resident, Ramon H. Hofileña, is both its owner and curator, more often than not welcoming and personally guiding visitors through the house.

Mr. Hofileña left the province at the tender age of 13 to live in the United States of America, only coming home for visits during long vacations such as Christmas. When his father, after whom the house is named, fell ill, the younger Hofileña came home to stay after a 15-year absence.

At that time, conservation of Silay’s treasures — its old houses — was not up what it should be, with many of the old houses being modernized or torn down, their lumber reused for the construction of bungalows.

“I opened the house for the art collection kasi wala ngang promotion [of the historical houses]. And then, I lectured a lot on conservation. I brought in an art exhibit every year — the top art exhibits of the country — and they are all record exhibits,” said Mr. Hofileña as he began the tour.

His lectures on art conservation mainly an attempt to put a halt to the destruction and modernization of the houses. However, in 1977, at the height of Martial Law, President Ferdinand E. Marcos ordered that the town’s main streets be widened, endangering the old houses which lined the narrow streets. Mr. Hofileña rallied his friends behind a petition to stop the destruction.

“I don’t know what was happening, but days later — more than one week — I got a phone call: nanalo kami (we won). The houses were saved,” Mr. Hofileña said.

The Hofileña ancestral home is mostly made from the sturdiest wood in the country — narra and ironwood or balayong. The grand staircase and walls are made of balayong, a wood so tough it is considered impermeable by nails and termites.

It is home to an eclectic collection which includes some of the world’s first pocketbooks and what is claimed to be the world’s smallest pair of dolls which are a little smaller than a rice grain. The family also collects tektites — dark, occasionally lustrous moltened meteorite debris. Mr. Hofileña’s eyes glisten with enthusiasm as he tells stories about his collections like a proud father about his children.

Mr. Hofileña demonstrated how to manually operate a printing machine which still works. The shelves are filled with the family’s extensive collection of old books, CDs, and DVDs. The furniture — beds and table tops — are adorned with spreads and doilies featuring the lace and elegant embroidery which was typical in a Filipino household in the era that the house was built.

On another floor is an art collection that would be the envy of collectors and curators: original paintings by such prominent Filipino artists as Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, and a sketch of national hero Jose Rizal, done while he was still a young student. Alongside these are works by native Silaynon painter Conrado Judith, who was brought to public attention through Mr. Hofileña’s interest in her exquisite work.

Old houses are arduous to maintain compared to relatively new houses. Every piece of wood has to be checked — one weak or rooten piece may lead to the collapse of part of the house. In other countries, such as Germany, the government provides some support for the maintenance of heritage houses. This is not the situation in the Philippines.

To be considered a heritage house, it should be at least 50 years, with at least 75% of its original framework and household properties . Mr. Hofileña claims that his ancestral home is a hundred percent pristine.

He expressed dismay over tour guides who are barely knowledgeable about the background of a heritage house, saying that guides who did not know what to talk about are one of the reasons why tours become failures. Not only is it vital for business, but the enlightenment of visitors should also be paid attention to.

“The people who would visit an exhibit don’t just look at the art and go home without the knowledge of the art,” he said, adding that each artwork should have an in-depth interpretation.

Mr. Hofileña led the now defunct Annual Cultural Tour of Negros Occidental. Over 40 attractions in Negros Occidental were put under a spotlight, including The Ruins in the adjacent city, Talisay.

“Ang art exhibit ko dito, naku, the best in the country,” claimed Mr. Hofileña with a faint glitter in his eyes, going on to say that 40 artworks by cubist painter Vicente Manansala sold in 10 minutes flat during one show. He said that it was the first art exhibit where he saw people queue to enter, there were so many.

“Our exhibition hall is twice as large as main gallery of the Cultural Center of the Philippines,” he said. The first exhibit by a national artist that was held outside Manila was held in Silay, he claimed. An exhibit of 150 works by Manuel Rodriguez, Sr., one of the pioneering printmakers in the Philippines, sold in just three days. “It was all a record show,” said Mr. Hofileña.

It was during the height of the sugar crisis in the 1980s when Mr. Hofileña sold Napoleon Abueva’s artworks. He was anxious that these wouldn’t sell, but five major works were bought immediately on the first day of the show. Mr. Hofileña said that he enjoyed working on these exhibits, not because of the profit, but because he was able to help artists.

The exhibits went held for more than 10 years. He formed a group in Silay to teach art enthusiasts how to put up and coordinate exhibitions. He went to the US and upon his return, there were museums erected in Silay and more exhibits were organized.

There is no peak season for cultural tours in Silay but visitors tend to throng during the Maskara Festival in October each year. At the moment, Mr. Hofileña has one assistant and is looking to hire two more tour guides. His previous tour guides were orphans and he helped them go to school.

“Maybe I will tell you one thing you might be afraid to ask,” Mr. Hofileña said. “What will happen to the house if I die? My siblings and I, we agreed to retain the house as a heritage house and [that] they won’t take anything out of it. My youngest brother will take over my place, pero sabi ko (but I said), if they will disobey, my ghost will come back,” he said in jest.

Since it was opened to the public in 1962, the Hofileña Heritage House continues to promote the preservation and conservation of Filipino culture. And as there are people like Mr. Hofileña, this heritage home will serve as a way to travel back in time.