Quezon Ancestral House

Filipinos are completely lacking when it comes to having their own sense of history. As bitter as it is to swallow, it is not only due to the four hundred years of colonialism that the country underwent a massive shakeup of its own sense of identity but also the apparent existence of tolerating complacency that much of its history has been forgotten and on the brink of disappearing. In a time when globalization demands a hegemony among cultures where the power players determine how individuals must act and think, indigenous cultures and traditions are thrown out of place. A sense of knowing one’s own past and history that much of it is being removed from the top agendas of many individuals. The Philippines’ complex yet colorful history, being the only country in Asia to have three consecutive colonial masters (Spanish, American and Japanese) has many of its tangible artifacts and built structures. They being the remnants of their long-standing and erstwhile presence each tell a story. However the story of each of these colonial mementos are slowly slipping away into the consciousness of the local communities as the idea of progress and development is translated by the number of shopping centers and fast food chains. Few organizations and individuals had been thoroughly persistent in informing the majority that while progress is good and truly satisfying knowing how things came to be is still the most important. Thus, the question on whether or not the country is moving into the right direction and making the right decisions is yet to be answered that for long as it does not have its own sense of nationalism and pride, there remains the uncertainty of knowing and understanding what it truly needs. Recognizing what makes the history of that place unique. While this is something that has to be given serious thinking, it is clear that the much of the country’s history has already been lost. The millennial generation barely knew of the country’s built heritage sites: unless it’s prescribed in their basic education subjects or unless some of them would take the less chosen professions of architecture, anthropology and history that only they would acquire knowledge of this less-talked about dimension of the country’s history. In this case, there is a national amnesia plaguing the country. Few individuals in the recent years dared to take a definitive course of action to change this situation. Every now and then, stories and news of ancestral houses that are either sold or torn down have given way to the arrival of foreign businesses perceived by many as a sign of change.