I am not a fan of Emilio Aguinaldo. But when I heard my toddlers talk about the Philippine heroes, I felt it was my civic duty to make these heroes become "more real" to them.
So, after having a full lunch at Lugang Cafe, we headed off to Kawit, Cavite. I used the GPS of my Iphone 4 to locate the home of Aguinaldo. From Greenhills, I drove towards NAIA airport via Edsa. Then, I headed towards Sucat, Paranaque to Las Pinas. There are signs everywhere so I know I'm going the right way. When I reached Bacoor, Cavite, I turned right at Tirona Highway (SM City). Just go straight, passing by Cavitex to your right and you will reach the house of Emilio Aguinaldo.
The house is very interesting. It is filled with national symbols, like there was the map of the philippines splayed out at the ceiling of his dining room, and the philippine flag is just everywhere. There is a bomb shelter, swimming pool and bowling alley inside the house. Bowling is the First President's favorite sport. There were old photos everywhere, mostly those who were his colleagues in the political scene.
He was a short man standing at merely 5'3" but he has a proud stance in him. I noticed he has chinky eyes so I asked the old man who was kind enough to relate to us stories about the First President. And my guess was right, he was half-chinese. His mom was chinese. He became president at 29 and died at 94 years old. He seemed to be quite a designer. He designed his house and he designed the Philippine flag.
Our president seemed to be fond of swords and guns. He has a wide collection of it. People from all over the globe kept bestowing him gifts of swords and guns (rifles).
Going up the second floor brings us to the Grand Hall where most meetings were held. It also houses the 3 bedrooms of his daughters, his own bedroom, dining room and conference room.
Of all the rooms in the house , the most interesting is his bedroom. His bedroom has lots of hidden doors and passageways. Beneath the bed has the hidden passageway leading to the swimming pool and bowling alley. His room also has secret way to the kitchen.
Each of his daughters has bedrooms of their own, but the biggest room was the one occupied by his eldest daughter. The old man said his eldest daughter was the favorite of Emilio Aguinaldo, so she was given the biggest room and the one nearest to the terrace. The terrace made me remember a chapter in Noli Me Tangere "Ang Pag-uulayaw sa Azotea" depicting the courtship days between Maria Clara and Crisostomo Ibarra. The terrace may seem romantic and built for the 3 daughters of the First President, but it was in this terrace that military plots against the spanish were discussed at length.
There were a lot of old photographs around, mostly members of the Katipunan. He also has lots of painting for his three daughters. I wonder why there were no paintings of his sons.
Behind the house is the marble tomb of Emilio Aguinaldo. He wished to stay in the house where he was born, where he lived his life and where he died. And I can see why he chose to remain here. It is a very very beautiful place and it is full of memories, and judging from his old things and the photographs everywhere, he lived a full life.
At the topmost of the house , the tower is where the old Aguinaldo used to spend most of his time. Visitors are not allowed to go there. But i can just imagine what made Aguinaldo want to sit there most of the time. Being on the topmost of his tower, one can surely see the Manila Bay, the busy town people passing by, the well-kept garden filled with his favorite trees, not to mention the fresh air breezing at such a high place.
He may still not be my favorite hero, but seeing where he lived, seeing his things, and photographs of people closest to him, I cannot deny he has left a mark in my heart.
I may not agree to all the things he has supposed to have done, but I give it to this man to have a patriotic heart. You cannot have all those national symbols everywhere in your house and deny this guy his love for the country. Besides, he donated his house to the Philippine government in the 60's to always commemorate the independence of our country. It's difficult to judge a man when we cannot even remotely imagine the circumstances he was in. Fighting the spanish rule, playing the inside politics of Katipunan, working towards Philippine independence, it's impossible to keep things black and white, not if you want to win, not if you want to live. So, I leave it at that.
So, after having a full lunch at Lugang Cafe, we headed off to Kawit, Cavite. I used the GPS of my Iphone 4 to locate the home of Aguinaldo. From Greenhills, I drove towards NAIA airport via Edsa. Then, I headed towards Sucat, Paranaque to Las Pinas. There are signs everywhere so I know I'm going the right way. When I reached Bacoor, Cavite, I turned right at Tirona Highway (SM City). Just go straight, passing by Cavitex to your right and you will reach the house of Emilio Aguinaldo.
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| The famous balcony where the Philippine flag was raised and Philippine independence was proclaimed. |
At the onset, the grandeur of the place is very blatant. It's more appropriate to call it a mansion actually. The military men assigned to guard the house of Emilio Aguinaldo were very courteous. They greeted us and asked us to jot our names. And they showed where we will start our tour. There are no entrance fees collected.
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| Garden |
The start of the tour was in the garden where the Packard Limousine of Emilio Aguinaldo is on display. You'd enjoy the spacious lush greeneries of his garden. There are many chico trees and mango trees around. It's not surprising to learn that mangoes and chicos happen to be Emilio Aguinaldo's favorite fruits.
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| Emilio Aguinaldo's bedroom with his wife |
At the back of the garden is their "washing machine". That's the white cement in the picture located amidst the trees. They steamed the clothes, washed them and dried it there. Beats me how it all turns out well.
He was a short man standing at merely 5'3" but he has a proud stance in him. I noticed he has chinky eyes so I asked the old man who was kind enough to relate to us stories about the First President. And my guess was right, he was half-chinese. His mom was chinese. He became president at 29 and died at 94 years old. He seemed to be quite a designer. He designed his house and he designed the Philippine flag.
 |
| Daughter's bedroom |
Going up the second floor brings us to the Grand Hall where most meetings were held. It also houses the 3 bedrooms of his daughters, his own bedroom, dining room and conference room.
Of all the rooms in the house , the most interesting is his bedroom. His bedroom has lots of hidden doors and passageways. Beneath the bed has the hidden passageway leading to the swimming pool and bowling alley. His room also has secret way to the kitchen.
 |
| Grand Hall |
There were a lot of old photographs around, mostly members of the Katipunan. He also has lots of painting for his three daughters. I wonder why there were no paintings of his sons.
Behind the house is the marble tomb of Emilio Aguinaldo. He wished to stay in the house where he was born, where he lived his life and where he died. And I can see why he chose to remain here. It is a very very beautiful place and it is full of memories, and judging from his old things and the photographs everywhere, he lived a full life.
At the topmost of the house , the tower is where the old Aguinaldo used to spend most of his time. Visitors are not allowed to go there. But i can just imagine what made Aguinaldo want to sit there most of the time. Being on the topmost of his tower, one can surely see the Manila Bay, the busy town people passing by, the well-kept garden filled with his favorite trees, not to mention the fresh air breezing at such a high place.
He may still not be my favorite hero, but seeing where he lived, seeing his things, and photographs of people closest to him, I cannot deny he has left a mark in my heart. I may not agree to all the things he has supposed to have done, but I give it to this man to have a patriotic heart. You cannot have all those national symbols everywhere in your house and deny this guy his love for the country. Besides, he donated his house to the Philippine government in the 60's to always commemorate the independence of our country. It's difficult to judge a man when we cannot even remotely imagine the circumstances he was in. Fighting the spanish rule, playing the inside politics of Katipunan, working towards Philippine independence, it's impossible to keep things black and white, not if you want to win, not if you want to live. So, I leave it at that.
When I left the house, I lingered around his property. I bought some street ice creams and turned to have a last long look at his house, particularly the balcony where he declared the Philippine Independence from Spanish rule. It's sad where we are now a century after that. A lot of blood was spilled before the Philippine Independence was obtained and for what? Are the future generation of Filipinos really worth dying for? I do not know. I honestly do not know the answer to that.
Going home, I wizen up and used the Cavitex (Manila-Cavite Expressway). Total cost is around 84 pesos but the convenience was all worth it. My daughters asked if we can go back and visit the house of Emilio Aguinaldo again. I secretly smiled. It seemed they were also as affected as I was and they liked our little impromptu visit. I quickly gazed at the mirror before me and said "Anytime, baby. Anytime that your heart desires it."
Nice, a travel guide and historical post merged into one for a change ;o) Am a sucker for anything historical and trivial in nature and this used to be my fave subject when I was still a student (History/Kasaysayan).
ReplyDeleteSomehow Aguinaldo never got that much credit for the independence that our country gained and the explanation that he did not die young for the cause that he championed is a lame argument in itself. Guess it did not help that the American's demonized him to some extent thru the education system and opted for Jose Rizal as the national hero. But come to think of it, he really was the engine that made the Katipunan hum and sustained it. Somehow he was Machiavellian with his means nga lang but it does not mean that he contributed less because of it. Heck, Napoleon, Lenin, Mao, Alexander the Great probably did worse than him so I guess he deserves more credit to our very country that he fought for.
Same here. One book that comes to mind is "History of the Filipino people" by Teodoro Agoncillo. Back in my elementary days, I can't put that book down. It was such a good read for a young girl. But the one that blew my mind away was attending history classes in Ateneo under Glenn Garfield Ang and Fr. Joey Cruz. They don't just stick to the events itself but the different perspective and colors of history.
ReplyDeleteI grew up believing that Gat Andres Bonifacio should be the national hero. His poor background and strong personality made him the modern-day hero in a girl's eyes. But now Im older, I learned not to quickly judge events. History is written by winners of war anyway. And politics are much more tangled than anyone can imagine. So, I reserve my judgement until I know all the facts of the case. And in this instance, Im still in the journey of knowing more. I guess I will continue to be a student of history.
If you haven't visited Emilio Aguinaldo's house, I urge you to do so. Its not far, if you use Cavitex going there. And it is a feast in the eyes and mind for any filipino , much more for history buffs like you. I promise you won't regret it.
I've been there myself.. way back in college when we had our Kas 1 field trip. Been to Jose Rizal's house in Laguna also (who hasn't?). Growing up, Gregorio Del Pilar was my idol (dying young seems to have that much appeal to me then) but i'd probably agree with you that Bonifacio would have been the better or ideal national hero than Rizal. However, there was definitely some politics and outside influence behind the choice when in fact if not Bonifacio who was the founder itself of Katipunan, it should have been Aguinaldo who was the second choice who was the one who kept the flame and successfully ran it as a machine. I agree about the obvious flaws of history, it usually depends on the eye and point of view of the writer and you could only validate soo much depending on what the artifacts that have been left behind. At the end of the day, you make-do with what you have or what you know ;o)
ReplyDeleteHey! I haven't been to Jose Rizal's house. Is it worth going? Laguna is pretty far, but I'd make the trip if it has left lots of artifacts and memorabilia.
DeleteReally? You like Gregorio Del Pilar? Yes, he was young and cute. If there is someone I would have a crush on among the Katipuneros it woud be him. But it's Bonifacio's spirit that would capture my heart though.
Do you know once when I was young, I had 2 suitors: a Kapampangan and an Ilokano. The Kapampangan guy has mestizo look and fair smooth skin, while the Ilokano guy has dark skin and kinky hair. Everyone expected me to choose the Kapampangan guy. But I chose the other. How can I explain that every time I see the mestizo features of the Kapampangan guy it reminded me how his ancestors welcome the advances of the colonizers, while the Ilokano's native looks reminded me on how fiercely his ancestors fought the Spaniards. I chose the guy with genes of loyalty patriotism bravery in his blood.
I'd say its worth going into if you've enjoyed you're trip at Aguinaldo's shack ;o) The obvious thing that you'll notice is that these guys have an elite background or are well-off based also on the fact that they are able to travel outside of our country. I guess that's not the case for Bonifacio and am not even sure if there's a museum out there about his ancestral house or something to that effect.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that you were that nationalistic, that poor mestizo kid, his till paying for sins of his ancestors. On the contrary, other girls don't probably look at it that way especially with our countries fascination with whitening products and what not's. Naalala ko tuloy ang Bayo ad: what's your mix? **grins**
It turns out that the mestizo kid quickly switched camps when a new VP came along. Before this new VP joined our department, this mestizo kid was greasing it up with the old VP which led to his quick ascent to the corporate ladder. Then one day, a new VP came to our department and a cold war ensued between new VP and old VP, mostly power struggles. Well, this mestizo kid, sensing that the old VP was losing her power, switched to the new VP. I had a grand time watching him lay down the red carpet for the new VP. True blood reveals in the end, isn't it? :-)
DeleteDo you think I'm extremely nationalistic? I honestly don't think so. I just believe that love for one's country must be topmost and I am quite sad that our education does not stress on that. Whatever nationalism I feel for our country comes from my years of chinese lessons in Uno High School. Everyday of my student life there, we were grilled to love our country , love for community, love for parents and love for oneself, in that order.
I seldom watch TV. But when I switch it on, I feel disappointed. Lunch time viewing would mean looking at half-naked girls gyrating to sensual music. Night time viewing would mean watching teleserye that revolves around young romance. Media plays a major role in shaping the Filipino youth. It should focus on education and value formation. Don't get me wrong. I love sex and how it makes me feel. But I think it should only be limited to adults (26 & above) who are capable of making right choices.
I must agree on the lack of nationalism in our country, its like people love to drag our fellow Filipino down and there seem's to be low regard for history or any other historical artifacts and houses (the way they have been demolished in Manila). It seems that we are not a proud race anymore and it reflects on what is being shown in the tube. I remember from my trips then, people in Europe are very nationalistic, borderline arrogant pa nga ata eh ;o) Yet our country is a thousand times better than their naman even though I know am biased **grins** We just need to take extra care of it.
ReplyDeleteSorry, this is a rather late comment.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is an ongoing debate on which one between Rizal and Bonifacio deserves to be the National hero, we can be at least sure that these two deserve the title "hero". However, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to use the same word in describing Aguinaldo. Again, this is a debatable topic, but the most objective sources, to my reading, seem to not paint a nice picture of Aguinaldo, to say the least.
It is a good thing that you try to instill love for your country in your kids. Maybe some day they will also understand that part of the reason why Aguinaldo got to amass his mansion's wealth is because of his self-serving politics, including (but not limited to) assassinations of his rivals.