BULAKAN, Bulacan—Built in 1860, today’s 165 years old heritage house in this former capital town of the province continues to enrich Filipino culture and history as a venue and stage for different themed musical and theatrical plays.
On May 20, local officials, various historical organizations, offices and residents revisited the heritage house, now known as the “Ycasiano-Enriquez” house, as one of the historical and cultural destinations in the province “Lakad Bulakan” observance of Heritage Month of May.
The house of then Bulacan province gobernadorcillo during more than half of the 18th century Spanish era in the country, Don Jacinto Ycasiano is still a very well-preserved old structure in Barangay San Jose in this town. It is located along Molina St. in the boundary of Barangay Matungao.
The gobernadorcillo had the house built for Josefa, one of his two daughters. It has been known since as the Ycasiano-Enriquez house after Josefa married Col. Vicente Enriquez, the aide-de-camp of Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar and one of the survivors of the Battle of Tirad Pass in Ilocos Sur where the young general in the Philippine Spanish Revolution was killed. Del Pilar also hails in Bulakan town.
Their son, Jacinto Ycasiano Enriquez who was married to Milgaros “Tita Mila” Santiago-Enriquez, the famous Philippine food historian inherited the house. Today, their children including Vicente Santiago Enriquez, a Kabesera Inc. member, known in the field of theatre arts continue to preserve the house.
For more than fifty years now, Enriquez very own, “Vicente S. Enriquez (VSE) Productions” has been staging 15-minute snippets, playlets about the life and heroism of Filipino and Bulakenyo heroes–Marcelo del Pilar, Masterong Sebio or Eusebio Roque, the leader of Filipino revolutionaries in the Battle of Cacarong de Sili in Pandi town during the Spanish Revolution, the Women of Malolos, the Women of Bulakan, the Battle of Tirad Pass and even Holy Week’s senakulo.
“They are what we called the “dulang-buhay” program and the “putungan ng mga bisita,” or the coronation of beauty queens in a poetic way, including harana and balagtasan,” Enriquez said. A number of movie and television drama series were also filmed in the house.
Before Tita Mila died in 2008, the house served as a cooking demo and exhibit place for the dishes she prepared for local and international tourists and guests. Tita Mila wrote the “Pamanang Kaluto” and “Kasaysayan ng Kaluto ng Bayan” which also serve as recipe books of the favorite dishes of our revolutionary heroes.
Enriquez said lectures and seminars were also being held in their house.
The Kabesera Inc, the history, heritage and cultural organization of Bulakan, preserves and recognizes the significant value of the house for the current and future generations as it honors the gallantry and heroic sacrifices of young general Del Pilar. Atty. Gemma Santos, president of Kabesera, wants young talented artists to hone their crafts in the Ycasiano-Enriquez while also continuously preserving the 165 years old structure for today’s youth and in the future.
VSE and Kabesera are reviving a play performed in 1975 about the life and sacrifices of del Pilar in celebration of his 150th birth anniversary on Nov. 14. “We will use the same script we used in 1975. The 50 year old script for the play was made by our colleague in Kabesera Noli Garcia which my mother managed to keep and preserve before she died,” Enriquez added.
Enriquez himself and other Kabesera members currently train in the Ycasiano-Enriquez house 30 youth members for a theatrical play in honor of Del Pilar for the celebration of his 150th birth anniversary in November.
“As our ancestors taught us, we refer to this ground floor of the house as “lupa,” (silong or ibaba). It already hosted numerous types of plays and cultural and historical performances. Some we had for the elderly citizens in Metro Manila, youth members in different places in Bulacan,” Enriquez told the participants of the walk tour.
The Bulakan Municipal History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office, (MHACTO), Bulacan Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office (PHACTO), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in cooperation with Kabesera spearheaded the Lakad Bulakan heritage month tour.
Also visited during the walk tour is the now 447 year old Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion Parish church in this town which was declared as a national property national cultural heritage site by the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP).
The Bulakan municipal cemetery (campo santo), including the house of former Senator Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, the house of former Bulacan Governor Jacinto Molina, called the “White House,” beside the Ycasiano-Enriquez house, the monument of Gregorio del Pilar and the NHCP-managed and run Marcelo del Pilar Shrine.The two Del Pilars who are the greatest sons of the province were born in this town.
Narwin Cardinoza Gonzales, a member of Kabesera and a history professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, provided short lectures in each of the rich heritage destinations.
Councilor-elect Roni Meneses, daughter of re-elected on his last term, Mayor Vergel Meneses of the town who was Ms. Philippines Earth-Fire in 2021 expressed pride from being a “daughter” of the town where Philippine heroes abode. She said, other than the greatest sons and daughters of the country during the Spanish Revolution are from Bulakan town, several other significant names and individuals of the country during contemporary times also hail in the town.
Newly appointed Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro hails from the town. Former Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Kabesera Chairman Fortunato dela Pena is Kebesera’s chairman. Both of them are Dangal ng Lipi awardees of Bulacan, the highest recognition the provincial government bestows to its greatest sons and daughters. VSE’s Eriquez was also a Dangal ng Lipi awardee.
According to the councilor, the town also produces the best “smoked fish” (tinapa) and sea purslane (pickled dampalit), Bulacan sweets–suman Pasko and ube halaya and several others.