This document provides a summary of a research paper on the Francisco Almeda ancestral home in Binan, Laguna. It discusses the home's history and ownership over generations of the Almeda family. It also provides background context on the city of Binan, including its founding and the establishment of key landmarks like the main plaza. The main problem addressed is whether privately owned ancestral homes like the Almeda house that are still residential are eligible for the same financial benefits as other publicly accessible cultural heritage sites. The researcher aims to propose a solution that benefits both private homeowners and the local community's development of education and culture.

1. A case study on the Francisco Almeda ancestral home
As a national heritage site
Written by
Mikaela Isabelle Fenix
Philippine Arts 198: Seminar on selected topics
Instructed by Professor Donna Bautista
October 10, 2017
University of the Philippines-Manila
Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila

2. 2
I. Introduction
The initial objective of this research paper was to observe the current management run by
the Almeda inheritors of the Francisco Almeda Ancestral Home which resides in Binan, Laguna.
The researcher, being a descendant of the Almeda line, remembers visiting this house as a child
and climbing the wide steps that led to the home itself. Visitors sat outdoors underneath rented
tents, drinking beer and eating delicious Binan plates that came straight from the busy kitchen
which sits on the second floor. This is also how Alita Capinpin Almeda-- wife of Francisco
Almeda-- remembers the fiestas and other family gatherings held in this home (Binan City Culture,
History, Arts, & Tourism Office, 2016 November).
Although the actual date of when it the home was first completed is unknown, the most
recent records and known history is from the late 19th
century. The earliest known owner was
Benjamin Concepcion Almeda along with his wife, Catalina Arambulo Garcia. The Almeda
Ancestral House has been a home to at least three Almeda generations. Today, Robert “Bobby”
Almeda manages and lives in the ancestral home with his mother, Alita Capinpin Almeda, while
his children continue their studies in Manila. Alita was married to the late Gen. Francisco Garcia
Almeda, who the house is consequently named after.
It is recorded in a recent interview with Alita Almeda that Catalina’s mother, Mercedes
Arambulo Garcia, regularly held her novenas dedicated to St. Joseph in the chapel located at the
ground floor of the bahay na bato1
. The novena started as a dedication for Dr. David Garcia,
Catalina’s son. Now, Alita (Bobby’s mother) has continued this tradition of praying to St. Joseph
in this very same chapel (Binan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office, 2016).
In other historically-relevant events that is known by the general audience, Binan is where
Jose Rizal had his first formal education in June 1869. It has been honored by being associated to
the country’s national hero with a memorial set up at the house where he resided with his brother
and aunt during his studies until he was advised by his teacher to pursue higher education in Manila
1
Bahay na bato often refers to the 19th
-century townhouse which directly translate to “stone house” (Perez, n.d.,
p. 7, para. 6).

3. 3
(Philippines Cities, n.d., para. 4). The city of Binan was discovered and founded in June 1571 by
Captain Juan de Salcedo while he was exploring Laguna de Bay. This was only a month after
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi established Manila (Philippines Cities, n.d., para. 1).
It is because of childhood familiarity of the house that the researcher is drawn to the
historical home, and curiosity fuels the intent to learn about the Binan culture and community.
Prior to the current problem, the researcher intended to base this paper on an invisible bridge
between the home as a cultural heritage site and the public as the audience and learners. The home
is decorated with what was preserved of the family’s historical artefacts (such as personal
belongings of the Almeda ancestors) and contains its own chapel which would have posed as a
suitable area for outsiders to adore St. Joseph through the novenas.
II. Statement of the Problem
The Binan City Culture, History, Arts, and Tourism Office (BCHATO) was established on
July 1, 2016 as a part of the City of Binan Heritage District Association (CBHDA). And because
of how recently it was implemented, the BCHATO has since been active in accommodating
Binan’s local heritage treasures, sites, and edifices (City Ordinance No. 10, 2017 June 7) while
proposing courses of action to help the community become more active and knowledgeable of
their local and national richness in culture and the arts. Thanks to their efforts, its local
historical/heritage sites are eligible to tax exemption for real estate tax for all declared local
heritage sites (Borja, 2017 October 2).
Amidst the successes in developing culture in education in Binan, the researcher, who
originally was going to focus solely on the Almeda ancestral house, noticed a flaw: Many of the
bahay na bato homes are not open to the public as a form of educating and sp reading awareness
to the local community because they are still considered residential buildings (Dakudao, M. &
Basco, M., 1983 November, pp. 30-53). However, the issue resides in the intent to declare all of
Binan’s local heritage sites as national heritage sites (Borja, follow-up questions, para. 15, 2
October 2017) when, according to Republic Act 10066, Section 21 (heritage agreements), the
agreement among the Commission, the local government unit (LGU), and the private owners “may

4. 4
include such terms and conditions including, but not limited to: (a) Public access to the property”
(Republic Act 10066, Section 21, p. 15, 2012 March 29).
The statement of the problem is thus: Are the residential bahay na bato ancestral houses in
Binan, Laguna eligible for the same financial privileges of other cultural heritage sites that are
public and financially supported by the government?
Contrary to the tone of the problem however, the intention of this research paper is not to
strip the bahay na bato homes of their eligibility to being declared national heritage sites. They
cannot help that they are privatized—they are still homes! Therefore, rather than delisting2
the
privately-owned bahay na bato homes from the list of national cultural treasures3
, the researcher
will propose a solution in the end of this paper with supporting evidence. This solution will be
beneficial to all parties involved and especially will aim to entice the realization that the benefits
could be handed down in dedication to the development of education among the city’s students,
and patriotic senses of the citizens of Binan City.
III. Objectives
For the research to remain within its legal boundaries while maintaining fairness between the
cultural and artistic party and the limitations as described by the laws but also considering the
culture and the arts as a flourishing sector that requires the guidance of the laws, the following
objectives are:
1. To utilize the copies of the laws related to cultural heritage sites, including the local
government policies so that the researcher understands the limitations and specifications
of the topic;
2. To study similar models from other existing organizations to generate suggestions as
courses of action to the study’s problem and by associating it with the Almeda house as a
case study; and
2
“Republic Act 10066, Section 11: Procedure for declaration, de-listing and lifting of national cultural treasures,
important cultural property or property deemed Important Cultural Property (ICP).”
3
“’National Cultural Treasure’ shall refer to a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding
historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is highly significant and important to the country and
officially declared as such by the pertinent cultural agency.” (Republic Act 10066, section 6)

5. 5
3. To suggest a course of action via the local policies that benefits both the cultural heritage
site and the local government along with the Binan City’s citizens.
IV. Definition of terms
A. Bahay na bato
Refers to the 19th
century townhouse during the Spanish colonization in the Philippines.
These residential homes were inspired by bahay kubos, native chieftain houses, Spanish
homes in Intramuros, and monasteries. It is a mix of wood and stone, and the types of wood
and stone may vary depending on the available resources of the area. The term “bahay na
bato” directly translates to “stone house”.
B. Cultural Property
Shall refer to all products of human creativity by which a people and a nation reveal
their identity, including architecture and sites or human activity [churches, mosques and
other places of religious worship, schools] and natural history of specimens and sites,
whether public or privately owned, movable or immovable, and tangible or intangible
(Republic Act 10066, Section 6o, pp. 3-4).
C. Heritage Zone
Shall refer to historical, anthropological, archeological, artistic, geographical areas,
center district, and settings that are culturally significant to the country, as declared by the
National Museum and/or the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (Republic
Act 10066, Section 6q, p. 4).
D. National Cultural Treasure
Shall refer to a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding
historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is highly significant and important
to the country and officially declared as such by the pertinent cultural agency (Republic
Act 10066, Section 6ee, p. 5).

6. 6
E. National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Is one of the significant organizations in accordance to national property and will be
referred to as the Commission throughout the rest of the research paper. Other
organizations are the National Museum, Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
(PRECUP), and the National Museum, among others.
V. Scope and limitations
The research materials will include legal documents, textbooks, documentations from
online, interviews, follow-up questions to the same interviewees, and some previous research
materials with relatively the same focus. Because information regarding the chosen topic is very
limited, since it focuses more on the management of bahay na bato ancestral homes and
information regarding the bahay na bato houses alone is difficult to find, the researcher will depend
on what is available. The paper will also include some of Binan and the Almeda home’s history,
but will mostly focus on the management of the home as a case study for residential cultural
historical/heritage sites.
A copy of the book, Binan’s Living Legacy was borrowed from the BCHATO and will be
cited throughout the paper. Binan’s Living Legacy was written by Michaelangelo E. Dakudao,
Marlo J. Basco, and Marietone A. Iresare in November 1983. There are barely any other copies of
this reading material, and is probably the only book that focuses on Binan, according to the
BCHATO head during the researcher’s interview with him. Compiled in the book are the history
of Binan and town planning, along with lists of historical structures, historical markers, and
ancestral homes. From this, the researcher will be extracting information from the history, town
planning, and ancestral homes chapters. Other related sources will be cited to support the
information gathered from this book.
The interview consisted of three persons: the researcher, Mr. Borja (BCHATO head), and
Ms. Laurie Dionisio (the researcher’s grandmother). Mr. Borja readily agreed to the interview
because of his closeness with the researcher’s grandmother when it came to the politics of Binan’s
cultural heritage. While he is the head of the organization, she is an active member of the
community, attending almost all the community meetings. In other words, it is because of this

7. 7
healthy and humorous relationship between leader and member that the researcher was a part of a
substantial discussion for the paper. Here, the interviewee got a glimpse of what the Binan
community is like, along with bits of its history, and today’s issues that are being solved. The
transcript of this interview is included in the Appendix section of this paper. It was from this
interview that the researcher obtained a copy of the City Ordinance 10-(2017) dated June 7, 2017
which expounds on the local government’s limitations and procedures towards their cultural and
historical treasures, structures, and edifices.
Lastly, legal information taken from the City Ordinance 10-(2017) (mentioned above),
Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, and the 1987 Constitution of
the Republic of the Philippines (specifically the arts and culture section) will be utilized throughout
the research to expound and justify the perspectives and suggestions of the researcher.
The researcher by no means intends to offend any party whether the local government unit
or the management of the Francisco Almeda Ancestral House, which is why the paper will be
justified with laws and what is analyzed from interviews.
VI. Data gathering and analysis
A. The Francisco Almeda Ancestral House
It is unclear who really built the Almeda Ancestral House. Named in the honor of its current
heir’s father, the Francisco Almeda bahay na bato’s true origins are a mystery. Laurie Almeda
Dionisio, Francisco’s eldest child and only daughter, tells the interviewee and researcher that her
lawyer, Atty. Sarate, looked through official papers of what is left of the Almeda house’s database
and says that Francisco could have inherited the home from his grandfather. In addition to this, Mr.
Agulto said, “…notice also that in the Casas House, it was mentioned that a certain Don Benjamin
Almeda helped Dona Josefa Yaptinchay in the renovation of her house. Don Benjamin lived just
across which means he was already the owner of your ancestral house during that time.” (Agulto,
2017) This could be the only information of the earliest known Almeda owners, and evidence is
not available at the moment.
According to the BCHATO documentation, the Almeda house contains some very native
features that are noticeably more different from the present houses. The roof is made of tisa and

8. 8
now supported with iron sheets. The lower floor was transformed into an office and another part
of the lower floor was turned into commercial space. The storage room on the lower floor was
turned into what we now know as the chapel. There are some renovations that were done for
aesthetic purposes such as the lower part of the home. It was originally stone but was renovated
into tiles; and the wooden walls and posts were painted over. There have been many changes to
the home and were evidently either done for both function and form.
B. Brief history of the City of Binan
Binan, Laguna was discovered shortly after Miguel de Legaspi established the city of Manila
in 1571. The origin of the name is still in question up to today as its locals debate whether the term
Binan derives from the Banyan4
(or Banian) tree, or the term “binyagan”5
(Dakudao, p. 6, para. 1).
According to written records, the locals wore clothes and lived in “crudely built shelters”. Rather
than through farming, the natives survived from fishing and hunting because agricultural
knowledge was still somewhat unfamiliar to them. They did, however, have their own alphabet
and created recorded literature with it (Dakudao, p. 4, para. 2).
Because Binan’s lands were fertile, abounds in fuel and timber, and is located near fresh
water, the city became a source of exports in agricultural goods. In addition to this, the location
was convenient for the Spaniards’ egress (Dakudao, p. 8, para. 4). Chinese artisans visited the city
to work on the San Isidro Church and the Hacienda House, which subsequently lead to
intermarriages (Dakudao, p. 9, para. 1). Agriculture became the principal occupation among the
locals and it evolved into artisanal goods such as in the production of hats, wooden shoes, sandals,
and rice products (Dakudao, p. 5, para. 4).
Although there was more than enough land allocated to farming, the design of Binan’s
main plaza soon proved to be inadequate because of the unexpected rise of number of residents
(Dakudao, p. 8, para. 5). The main plaza (also known as the town plaza or Plaza Rizal) is located
at the center of the city and currently contains the schools, a basketball court, monuments of the
4
Banyan tree is also known as the balete tree. It is a great ficus tree covered in vines, and is a well-known tree in
Philippine myths and legends.
5
Binyagan refers to the place of baptism of the native Filipinos.

9. 9
town’s heroes (including a monument of Jose Rizal6
), and the marketplace (locally called the
talipas). The monuments are those of Jose Rizal and Lim-Aco. Lim-Aco was Binan’s own local
hero who gave up his life to save his fellow citizens from execution by the hands of the Japanese
(Dakudao, p. 8, para. 5). Unlike many other Spanish-invaded areas, the main church is not located
in the main plaza; rather, it is located a few meters away from the main plaza, along with the
Hacienda House. The church is built in a way that it is immediately noticeable from wherever you
are in the city. Perhaps this is to create the illusion that God sees all.
C. Culture and arts in Binan
The City of Binan Heritage District Administration will be referred to as CBHDA
throughout the rest of the paper. The establishment of the CBHDA in June 7, 2017 is proof of the
newly-elected government’s ambitions to improve the city’s education7
, tourism potential, culture
and arts, and its overall potential as a City (Office of the city council, City ordinance no. 10-(2017),
p. 2, para. 10). Its main purpose is to act as governing body of the Heritage District, which
specifically refers to “all lots adjacent and bound by the following streets and future areas to be
determined notwithstanding,” Plaza Rizal, V. Ocampo St., and J. Gonzales St.8
A Heritage District,
or a Heritage Zone, “shall refer to historical, anthropological, archeological, artistic, geographical
areas, center district, and settings that are culturally significant to the country, as declared by the
National Museum and/or the National Historical Commission of the Philippines” (Republic of the
Philippines, p. 4, para. 3); and to support this, it is declared in the City Ordinance no. 10-(2017)
that the City of Binan “has historically been a very important crossroad of the Republic of the
Philippines, and has thus been a testament to numerous historical events of national significance”
(Office of the city council, p. 1, para. 5).
The rise of the bahay na bato homes was at a time of social and economic emergence in
the 19th
century when international trade was flourishing in Manila (Perez, n.d., p. 7, para. 6). The
6
The monument of Jose Rizal is placed in Binan because Binan was where the national hero spent his early years of
formal education. This specific monument was actually the first place design when the Americans were deciding
the monument to be placed in Luneta, but they chose the second best design simply because it would be cheaper
to make.
7
By “improving education”, this refers to when the head of BCHATO told the story during their interview about the
K-12 training experience he had with Binan’s teachers some months ago where culture and arts must be
implemented in the future lessons for the students.
8
Map of Binan is included in the appendix along with a highlighted map of the Heritage District.

10. 10
peninsulares/insulares 9
, meztisos 10
, and illustrados 11
demanded more spacious, durable,
comfortable, and impressive homes compared to the provincial homes of the indio12
residents.
There are at least four house forms that inspired the architecture of the bahay na bato: 1. Bahay
kubo, because of the steep hip roof, elevated quarters, post-and-lintel13
construction, and the
models for maximized ventilation; 2. Native chieftain houses, which was also elevated, but was
also well-furnished, spacious, and had many rooms; 3. Spanish residential houses in Intramuros
for the stone walls, and for the wooden posts and beams; and lastly, 4. Convento, rectory, or
monastery for its “authoritative presence in the center of the town” (Perez, n.d., p. 8, para 1).
The City of Binan takes evident pride in their citizens and their accomplishments. The
Hacienda House was transformed into the Municipality of Binan that serves as office of the mayor
and the BCHATO head; and a library and museum that are both open to all. The interviewer visited
the BCHATO head, Mr. Borja, at his office which is located in between the mayor’s office and the
museum. Located at the second floor, the whole main plaza can be seen from the windows of the
municipality, and the town is overpowered by the hordes of students and elderly that crowd the
basketball court and the talipas. There are no bahay na bato homes seen within the perimeter
because they are instead scattered around the town. The arrangement of the city is very unlike the
arrangements of the typical Spanish-colonized areas. Binan takes pride in its cultural property,
including the Filipinos who “have achieved an enduring contribution toward the enrichment of our
local and national historical and cultural heritage” (Office of the city council, p. 2, para. 10).
While the CBHDA focuses more on their heritage zone, the BCHATO (Binan City Culture,
History, Arts, and Tourism Office) has existed since 2016 and was therefore ahead in developing,
conserving, and documenting the culture and arts properties in Binan. Although the BCHATO
head is only in a vice-chairman position in the CBHDA, it has already accomplished so much over
the two years since establishment14
.
9
Peninsulares refers to Spaniards who were born in Spain; while Insulares refers to Spaniards born in the
Philippines but with Spanish parents (Arenas, n.d., para. 1-2).
10
Meztiso refers to Filipinos mixed with European or Chinese descent (Arenas, n.d., para. 5).
11
Illustrado is directly translated to “enlightened one”, therefore referring to the middle-classed Filipinos whom
were exposed to Spanish and/or European ideals (Arenas, n.d., para. 3).
12
Indios were the pure Filipinos (Arenas, n.d., para. 6).
13
Post-and-lintel system in construction is when two upright posts or columns act as the foundation for a
horizontal member across their surfaces to create an opening (Britannica, n.d., para. 1).
14
BCHATO was created on July 1, 2016 by the virtue of City Ordinance 12-2016 (BCHATO, n.d.).

11. 11
D. Related laws
Republic Act No. 10066 is also known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 and
focuses on the preservation, conservation, education, and promotion of the National Cultural
Treasures of the Philippines. This republic act serves as a “pursuit of cultural preservation as a
strategy for maintaining Filipino identity”.
In Section 10, privileges of cultural property, those that are declared national cultural treasures
and national historical landmarks are entitled to “priority government funding for protection,
conservation, and restoration” (Section 10a, p. 8).
Rule V (five) of R.A. 10066 is titled “heritage zones/districts”. It elaborates the designation of
heritage zones and the maintenance requirements (Sections 15-16, p. 12). In Section 21, heritage
agreements, “The Commission, upon advice of the concerned cultural agency, may enter into
agreements with private owners of cultural properties with regard to the preservation of said
properties.” The first of the agreements is (a) Public access to the property.
Section 36, incorporation of cultural property programs in local government unit’s budgets,
elaborates that the local government units of cities and towns are encouraged to incorporate their
budgets for the conservation and preservation of their local cultural properties in their
environmental, educational and cultural activities.
Lastly, R.A. 10066’s Section 43, public accessibility, suggests that fees may be charges to
defray the cost of conservation. As for privately owned monuments and sites, the Commission will
arrange special inspections with their owners.
The local government unit of Binan, Laguna released City Ordinance 10-(2017) entitled,
“An ordinance establishing the City of Binan Heritage District and its governing body”. This refers
to the CBHDA and its newfound power in culture and the arts in Binan. It acknowledges the 1987
Constitution of the Philippines, R.A. 10066, Section 16 of R.A. 7160 (Local Government Code of
1991), and R.A. 10086 (Strengthening People’s Nationalism Through Philippine History Act), and
ultimately acknowledges the historical significance of Binan in national history. It is composed of
the city mayor, a BCHATO representative as vice-chairman, city tourism and cultural affairs
officer, and representatives from Sangguniang Panlungsod, among many other significant
positions in the local government.

12. 12
Section 2, the nature and purpose of the city of Binan Heritage District, solely focuses on
preservation, promotion, and education through the historical/heritage sites of Binan.
E. Considerations for cultural properties and/or national cultural treasures
The 50-year requirement and the representation of the bahay na bato homes as historical
and cultural reminiscent of what it Binan was like during the Spanish colonial regime are legitimate
reasons for these houses to be declared national heritage sites. Under the City Ordinance 10-(2017),
Section 4: Classification and declaration of historical/heritage structures and sites and other
edifices in the City of Binan, “The different historical structures and sites at least fifty (50) years
of age, which include private residences, buildings and other edifices, monuments, and bridges,
shall be classified and declared by the Sangguniang Panlungsod”. The classifications are: Local
Heritage Treasures, that are strongly associated with important historical events and illustrious
Filipinos, or those whose owners have greatly contributed to the enrichment of Filipino cultural
heritage; Local Historical/Heritage Sites, that are strongly associated with important historical
events and illustrious Binaneses; and Local Heritage Edifices, that display architectural and social
significance to foreign architectural influences but has noticeable Filipino craftmanship features.
Section 8: Tax relief and other incentives declares that the City Government shall provide
real estate tax relief and exemptions for all historical/heritage structures within the city of Binan
(p. 5).
It is often mentioned in the laws above that education is a huge factor to cultural
enlightenment among Filipinos. Binan clearly takes pride in educating their students just from the
structure of their Municipality. Binan’s bahay na bato homes are still occupied by current heirs,
but the CBHDA and BCHATO are still petitioning to have all of their local heritage sites declared
as national heritage sites because of Binan’s significance on the nation’s history (Borja, 2017).
However, that would mean that—including the bahay na bato homes that are managed by the
current heirs who still, in a way, can afford maintenance—would be eligible to financial support
like they are exempted from residential taxes by the local government unit.
Although the Almeda home is a legacy in the family name, its history is still unclear. No
one really knows who built it, and there has been gossip about the neighbors originally owning

13. 13
this house (Agulto, 2017). It has also undergone many renovations, which are regretfully not
allowed for national cultural treasures according to R.A. 10066.
In search of suitable models for the research, the researcher crowdsourced on social media:
“Is anyone familiar with any national artworks being displayed at banks or non-government
offices?” Many mentioned Bangko de Sentral, others mentioned UCPB, and one mentioned SGV
& Co. (a professional service firm). But one that Laurie Almeda Dionisio mentioned was the Las
Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan where it is said that heritage/historical houses that were
dilapidated from all around the Philippines were bought and delivered here for reconstruction and
so that visitors can experience the Philippines’ beautiful houses.
VII. Conclusion
Although the houses are fitting to the description of national heritage sites, there may be some
things that the cultural organizations overlooked such as the financial status of the current owners.
The proposed budget for Culture and Arts for 2017 sank from P188 million in 2016 to P31 million
(Geronimo, J., 27 September 2016). Rather than claiming the title of national heritage sites, the
researcher suggests that the owners (who can already financially maintain their ancestral homes)
continue with what they are doing since they are already exempted from residential taxations.
Perhaps they should instead follow the models of the non-government organizations that are
handling national pieces of art. Or, if they do successfully claim titles of national heritage sites,
perhaps the budget could be allocated to the local government unit and be allocated into the
preservation and reconstruction of some cultural sites that were demolished prior to being declared
local cultural sites.