The sugar barons of Negros Occidental lived in an era long forgotten. They lived in mansions in the middle of sugar plantations, attended by their servants and money seem to be overflowing. It is a life that most of us can only dream of. Thanks to Imelda Tinsay of Next Stop Negros Tour, my friends and I got a glimpse of the life of the hacenderos even just for a day.
I am as much a stranger to hacienda life as the next tourist. I grew up in Iloilo and the social structure there is much different from that of Negros. Landholdings were not as large and the main crop is rice and not sugarcane. So, when Imelda invited me and my friends for the Negros heritage lunch tour, she did not have to ask me a second time.
Manapla is around an hour’s travel from Bacolod City. Aside from the famous Manapla puto (rice cake), the town is also where you can find Hda. Rosalia , the ancestral home of one of the sons of Yves Leopold Germain Gaston, Jose Gaston and wife Consuelo Ascona. Yves Germain was a Frenchman who settled in Negros Occidental and was instrumental in modernizing the sugar industry by bringing in “horno economico”.
The Chapel of the Cartwheels
The white mansion stand proud in the middle of the estate. No sugar baron lives here anymore but a servant of the church does, Monsignor GG Gaston. It’s not surprising then that inside the estate is a unique church, the Chapel of the Cartwheels. Msgr. GG was the one responsible in designing the chapel as a way of acculturation of the local culture in the church.
All the parts of the chapel were made out of cartwheels and other farm implements. The benches were made by families who attended the mass, one bench for every family. The candle holders were made out of mortars and the pestle was turned into a holy water container during christening. From afar it looks like a salakot, Filipinos’ native hat. You can’t find anything like it anywhere in the Philippines.
The Jose Gaston Mansion
Imelda then toured us around the mansion which was built in the 1930s. The high ceiling, large windows and wooden floors were typical of the period. The mansion was featured in the Peque Gallaga classic movie Oro, Plata, Mata. I was half expecting to feel something creepy as what they say of old houses. But my fears were unfounded. Besides, our noise was enough to scare any spirit lurking around.
I like old houses for they have their distinct character and seem to be frozen in time. The mansion must have witnessed a lot of happy moments and even challenging times. Msgr. Gigi kept as much of the original furniture of the house. The knitted bed sheets were still the works of Doña Consuelo who stayed at home to take care of the family. If you think that’s an easy job, think again. She and Don Jose had eight children! Even with all the servants they have, that is still one tough job. During World War II the whole clan stayed in the mansion. Imagine the fun and chaos!
We went up a steep flight of stairs to the tower where you have a 360-degree view of the hacienda. It’s probably here where you can appreciate the life in a farm. It’s away from the busy life at the city and the fresh air and the excellent view are hard to resist. But the best is yet to come.
The Delectable Food!
Celebrity Chef Jomi Gaston of the Promdi Chef culinary show and owner of Trattoria Uma prepared a feast for us. We had chicken liver pâté and tomato and beans brusqueta for appetizer with a bottle of wine. Lunch was served at the table where the family used to eat. The couple had eight children so the table was really long. We were told the children sat according to age and nobody should sit unless the parents already sat down.
We had grilled chicken liver, fresh salad greens with mango cubes, and crab cake for starter. I thought I already had my fill but I couldn’t resist the creamed dory with tomato-caper sauce, osso buco and Msgr. GG’s Adobong Milyonaryo. We had the opportunity of meeting Msgr. GG and we asked him why the name. He said somebody described his adobo as very rich in flavor thus it came to be known as Adobong Milyonaryo. I thought it was aptly named since most of those who had a taste of his adobo must have been rich also. I just hope the luck would rub on to us as well.
Chef Jomi ate with us and we were surprised at how down to earth he is. Conversations vary from Facebook, horror movies, food, celebrity gossips and comparing notes on Iloilo and Negros. We even thought of opening a Facebook page on Iloilo vs Bacolod! It was just a friendly banter so nobody got hurt except for the panacotta on fruits which was gone in seconds.
The afternoon breeze at the hacienda was very tempting to have siesta and I imagine that’s what they do in the old days. Hacienda life must be bliss. No wonder a lot of foreigners, just like the Gaston family, had made Negros their home. I’d like to think it’s more than just the money that the sugar industry brings. It’s the landscape, the culture, the food, and the charming people. As they say, Negros is sugar and more.
For more inquiries on Negros Heritage Lunch Tour, contact Imelda Tinsay
Tel. No.+63.34.4355377
Mobile:+63.917.5122071
Email: nextstopnegrostours@gmail.com
www.nextstop-negros-tours.com
Photos by: Anne Valdez and Maymee Mojeno