Sunday, July 4, 2010

This Used to be My Neighborhood

To start off my rediscovery experience of Malabon, my son and I took a quick walk around our old neighborhood in Barangay Concepcion one Sunday last month before going to a family gathering at my Dad's house.  We retraced the path I used to take from our house near the corner of General Luna Street and Governor Pascual Avenue, going through Paez Street to C. Arellano, where I used to take a jeepney going to Bayan.



BORJA HOUSE
Built in 1923, the BORJA HOUSE boasts of many architectural details that was characteristic of houses during that time.  I think it is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved houses in Malabon.  I've always loved passing by this house and I hope that the present owners will continue to preserve it as a legacy for future generations.  It is such a heritage gem that I feel so proud of because it is right there in my neighborhood.  It's too bad that an unsightly barangay hall and covered basketball court were built right beside it, thus blocking the magnificent sweeping side view of the house from what used to be an open-air plaza.



GONZALES HOUSE (also known as the PAEZ HOUSE)
Built in 1877, the GONZALES HOUSE is simple compared to the Borja House; nevertheless I'm glad that the owners seem to be maintaining it because they've fixed and repainted the exterior. As you can see from the picture below, the new level of Paez Street is already half the height of its ground floor. This is the familiar fate of many houses in Malabon -- it seems that the only response to the city's perennial flooding problem is to keep on raising the level of our streets. In some instances street levels have been raised twice or thrice. Perhaps in another five years this house will just be a bungalow!



MARIO LUNA HOUSE
On C. Arellano Street are two heritage houses that stand proudly side by side. One is the MARIO LUNA HOUSE which was built in the 1890s. Just like the Gonzales House, its ground floor has become much lower than street level. But again, I am grateful that the owners are trying to preserve it because the once-peeling-off exterior has been given a fresh coat of paint. The embellishments painted white against the brown background can also be better seen now and makes the facade look charming.




TEODORO (formerly JOSE LUNA) HOUSE
The TEODORO (LUNA) HOUSE has been more fortunate than its neighbor because its ground floor is higher -- still three steps up from the street. I remember, though, back when the level of C. Arellano had not yet been raised, how this house used to look even more imposing in height. Unlike the Mario Luna and the Gonzales Houses which have changed the color of their exteriors, the Teodoro (Luna) House has always been an elegant white with dark trimmings from as far back as I can remember. During those days, I never minded being out in the sun while waiting for a jeepney ride because I could always distract myself appreciating these two houses.




BENEDICTO LUNA HOUSE
The unique feature of the BENEDICTO LUNA HOUSE is that it has three floors, unlike most heritage houses I've seen. Even in its present state of disrepair, you can still see its elegant design. How beautiful it must have looked during its glory days. With some repair work and a fresh coat of paint, it can still outclass the modern-design building beside it!

20 comments:

  1. After hours of long travel, I make it a point to peel off tiredness by gazing at their beauty to make me realize that I'm home.

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  2. Hello! I saw your blog posted on Facebook. I have to show this post to my mom. My mom, born and grew up in Malabon, particularly in Concepcion. Wondering that she might know you. She used to work at the Prudential Bank in Concepcion branch. Santos is her maiden name.

    I'm glad to see your blog, I born in the Phil but left when i was 12. Went to visit in 2005, I was hoping to see if I can remember the way it was when I left. I wasn't lucky enough to tour around Malabon and actually didn't recognize it at all.

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  3. Hi Julie Pearl. Thanks. These heritage houses are really beautiful.

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  4. Luckycharm621, thanks. I'm happy to read your comments. There are many Santoses in Malabon, was your mom related to the Santoses who used to own Prudential Bank? Since you left at 12 years old, you may not have had much of chance to really wander around town, so you hardly recognized anything.

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  5. Hi, Tita Cecile! Thank you for these wonderful pictures! I always pass by these houses on my way home and you summed up how I feel about them. Keep them coming!

    -Bea

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  6. Hi Bea. I'm so glad you like the pictures. I'm excited to be doing this, because I'm also discovering many things I don't know about Malabon. Best regards.

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  7. Hi Cecile,I love your bloggigs about Malabon. I was born and raise in Navotas and have now lived outside the contry since 1989. Whenever I'm asked where I'm from, I always say Malabon. I don't know, maybe because my father's actually from Dampalit. Or makbe because most of my friends i used to hang-out with are there. I can relate you all you feelings about Malabon.
    Thank you for all your write-ups.

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  8. Anonymous, Thank you for your comments. I'm so happy that you enjoy reading the write-ups.

    I myself was born and spent early childhood in Caloocan. But I grew up and still live in Malabon. Home is where you feel the most connection - so for me, my hometown is Malabon!

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  9. Growing up, I remember spending weekends in our grandparents house in Malabon. Their house used to stand in the lot across the Municipio. My lola would always prepare the most sumptuous fried chicken and pancit malabon. Dessert would not be complete without those sweet garbanzos. I remember playing at the plaza, eating at Betsy's and hearing mass in San Bartolome. Sadly, they had to move after the almost daily floods caused by the land fill. That old house has since been demolished and has been replaced by a carinderia of sorts.

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  10. Anonymous, thanks for your comments. It's so nice to know that many of us share a common thread of good memories about Malabon.

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  11. I was also born in Malabon and was away for almost 20 years. I am so happy that there is a website for Malabon, and see the memorable and historical houses and places. I'll be back this December since 2005 and would like to see the NOW MALABON....

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  12. Anonymous, I hope you won't get too shocked at the changes you'll find after five years! But even though the face of Malabon has changed a lot, I hope you'll see that inside her soul there's still so much left that we can be proud of.

    Thanks for dropping by.

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  13. HI! THANKS FOR SHOWING THE OLD HOUSES IN MALABON ESPECIALLY THE JOSE LUNA AND MARIO LUNA HOUSE. JOSE LUNA WAS MY LOLO PEPE AND LOLA MARIA. I GREW UP IN THIS HOUSE. DR MARIO LUNA WAS MY LOLO ALSO. MY BROTHER AND SISTERS GREW UP IN MALABON AND THIS HOUSES HAS A LOT OF MEMORIES TO US.

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  14. Oyet, nice to hear from you.

    I really love those Luna houses that I always passed by to get a jeepney ride going to Bayan. I'm so happy that they're well preserved, and now very much a part of Malabon's heritage that we can proudly show to future generations.

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  15. I am so happy the BENEDICTO LUNA HOUSE was renovated now!

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  16. i spent my first 19 years in malabon from a family that has been there for 5 generations. these pictures make me cry.....but this site makes me happy. although i live now in paranaque where i bought a condo unit, i still have a very soft, sweet spot for my hometown.

    i miss malabon fo what it was, a bit sad for what it is and hope that its yester-years glory can still be retireved.

    thank you for building this site, friend!

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  17. Anonymous - Yes, it's so good to see that the Benedicto Luna House has been repainted and is undergoing needed repairs. I'm so happy and proud about it.

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  18. Susan - Thank you for your comment.

    Like you, I also miss how Malabon used to be... feel a bit sad at what it has become today... and dream of seeing some of its past glory restored. It will be an uphill climb given present-day realities, but we're taking baby steps in that direction.

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  19. Hi Cecile,

    This might be off topic, but do yo have a review for Ellet's Sweets? They are located in Niugan, Malabon where I was born. I live in Longos now but my Lolas are still there in Pulo/Dulo of Niugan.

    Thanks!

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    1. I plan to include Ellet's Sweets in some future write-up about Malabon food. Meantime, I do love their products -- especially the nata de coco and halo-halo mix.

      Thanks for dropping by.

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