This week I was inspired to write about how cultural heritage preservation can be one kind of climate change initiative. The idea is not new, but it has long been ignored by many Filipinos who wish to modernize without responding to the cultural asset of the Philippines, particularly tangible heritage. Tangible heritage can be divided into several kinds of heritage materials, such as visual arts (painting, sculpture, etc.), crafts and architecture. On the other hand intangible heritage are kinds of heritage that cannot be touched, but can be perceived by other senses like dance, music and customs.
One such kind of architectural heritage that I find beautiful but ignored is the
Bahay na Bato, or house of stone. It was developed during the Spanish period in the Philippines; the first stone houses were built around the 18th century up until the early 20th century, when condominiums and apartments became popular. Many of these kinds of houses still stand today, but are in terrible condition or are even near condemnation. These structures must be preserved, not only because of their historical importance, but also because this kind of house, because it uses natural products, can be a factor in adapting climate change in the Philippines.
Note: To have made this more fun to write about, I wanted to get comments from my friends over at Tumblr.com and so it's not just me who's putting in ideas and comments into this blog but also my friends. This week, my co-writer is Margot Manalo because she was the only one who replied. For Tumblr.com users reading my blog, if you want to follow us, just look for "The Stuff We Slurp" and "Oh No I'm in My 30's" to read some awesome stuff. We just might follow you back!
Introduction
The
bahay na bato is a form of Philippine architecture dating back to the 18th century. Its main influence is the
bahay kubo, which has a "steep roof, elevated quarters, post-and-lintel construction, and maximized ventilation." These characteristics are seen in the
bahay na bato. Because the Philippines is frequently visited by earthquakes, the
bahay na bato has "wooden legs," and "a stone skirt" around those legs make the house more earthquake-resistant. To quote the Cultural Center of the Philippines Encyclopedia on Art (Volume 3):
The wooden frame gives it both flexibility and stability, while the one-storey high-stone wall is likely to collapse.
At the same time, the
bahay na bato is a structure that shows Filipino genius in using the creative process to adapt different influences to make it really Filipino.
The bahay na bato represents the apex in the development of indigenous Filipino architecture, because it expands the prototypal structure of the ethnic house from a one-room dwelling to a multi-roomed house of grand scale while preserving the basic features, and because it adapts Western architectural influences to form a synthesis of native and immigrant art. The bahay na bato is a product of economic progress and cultural adaptation, and as such is a symbol of the affluent Westernized Filipino. It stands as a reminder of the social situation in which it evolved, a situation which has not significantly changed even with the introduction of democracy, public education, and free enterprise. (p. 25)
However, ever since the 1930s when condominiums and apartments were on the rise, building these houses and even seeing them became quite uncommon. We still see these houses, but not in their once-wonderful forms filled with history, culture and warmth. Some of these houses are either abandoned by their owners, or have been rented by several families with lower incomes.
Nonetheless the evolution of the
bahay na bato is still ongoing, albeit slowly and minimally because of tastes and trends in housing. Now with the plight of climate change and global warming, I believe that it might be a good time to revive this building method because of its notable principles of natural ventilation (with the big windows and use of natural materials) and spaciousness (many families can fit in the house!). In the next section we will analyze the pros and cons of building a
bahay na bato.
Commentaries by Myta and Margot
Margot says: It's a very "fabulous idea" since "it is an art in itself... and its relevance to adapting to climate change makes it more appealing... but economically speaking, it's not something the masses (who could afford to build their own homes. Come to think of it, it's so hard to afford your own land nowadays) who would catch on to and with modern twists; it's going to be hard to be faithful to the original (you know, electricity, consideration of security, etc.)
The
bahay na bato, in truth, was a house for the very affluent
illustrados and
peninsulares. Even today, if we are to build the
bahay na bato, it will cost an arm and a leg of several people. "But hey, if one could afford it, why not... it could never come close to cold towering condominiums."
However the common Filipino man only wishes to have a roof on top of his head, regardless of design, as housing is an issue in highly urbanized areas in the Philippines, and it will take some lobbying and some convincing to make this happen. Life in the 17-19th centuries were extremely different from the 20th-21st centuries.
Myta says: "Housing is a major issue because of mass migration towards big cities in pursuit of greener pastures... the most ideal thing would be to have the government subsidize housing projects for lower economic classes..." wanting to build a
bahay na bato may sound ridiculously elitist (Margot will counter me later on that) but "in the long run having houses like these in different parts of the metropolis can inspire people to make their own houses" like those with proper awareness programs on green architecture and basic classes on how beneficial thinking about the long run is. "It does not have to be as grand as the" original "
bahay na bato, but it has has to be practical."
Note: Just this evening I realized that my own house is a practical and modern adaptation to the bahay na bato
because it has a garden, an azotea
of sorts, a living room which is connected to the dining room and the kitchen. These three rooms I mentioned are on the ground floor. We actually have something like a basement where we store things, but it is connected to the garage through a hallway, pretty much like a zaguan
. However the bedrooms are upstairs, but that's the main difference. The walls are tall, and the house is generally spacious. There are big windows with screens to let the air and natural sunlight in.
The biggest hurdle I thought of was that "Filipinos will worry about having" no "roof on top of their heads" and so there won't be any room for proper discourse. Another solution can actually be to ask Gawad Kalinga or Habitat for Humanity to, instead of painting houses with bright unsightly colors, develop a compound of houses that look like several
bahay na bato stuck together. Start with two families, then three, then five, until the compound is filled up. Then other NGOs who are education-oriented can teach kids and even parents the proper ways of caring for the house, climate change initiatives, and how (if they need jobs) being a good cultural person and steward of the earth can actually help them find jobs as carpenters, sculptors, and the like.
In reality though, owning a
bahay na bato is expensive to maintain if the budget is low. However I keep thinking about the long run: spacious houses promote proper human health and development as well as contribute to the adaptation to climate change. And this idea is still a distant reality because of the myriad of issues in our country.
Margot says: People will worry about breakfast tomorrow morning before lunch (figuratively speaking). "To have at least an elitist, idealistic dream is free. It may not be for everyone; it's a tall order but it's a start that may lead to something big... We can never tell... maybe one day, somewhere over the rainbow, Filipinos will have rows and rows of beautiful houses line a modern residential street because by then we had just achieved 'moving on' from our relationship with 'third world country.'"
To quote directly:
Now, low-cost housing, as the name suggests, equals to inferior materials. I know, how sadly short term. As i pondered on it, has anyone else noticed how that + a countless generation of Filipinos have this vicious cycle of always pinning their hopes on the next in line? How many times and from whose faces have we heard the variation of the words “naasa ako na ang anak/apo/apo sa tuhod ko ang aanhon sa atin sa hirap” - the very same mouth from where that was heard is the same body toiling for that piece of a dream and a hope that whatever they had started, it would keep evolving for the better, generation to generation.
Note: What Margot is saying here is that Filipinos unconsciously experience what the Buddhists and Hindus call "samsara," or that vicious cycle which is hard to get out of. The whole idea of having a home has so many philosophical implications and gets very complicated in the end.
On the subtopic of the spaciousness of the house leading to quality health, one example is Villar's housing projects. "While his intention was good, look at how his housing empire created a trend for a housing community of small proportions..." Just like cigarettes, we tend to sell things individually instead of in bulk, or in big packages because for some reason we think that we will earn more if we sell products in small proportions. I don't really understand that concept, but somehow to many managers, it actually works.
This leads to people thinking that small houses are homes, which can sow some unfortunate results.
Conclusion
The
bahay na bato, which is a product of the Filipino innovative mind, has come a long way in terms of evolution, dating from pre-Hispanic to the dawn of a new century. It is a reminder that we are connected to the earth, and that, no matter how much we are shaken by the earthquakes that plague our lives, we remain intact and strong. It is also a reminder that we are artistic, innovative (sorry for using the word in the same paragraph) and show a strong love for community and proper human health. It is not only an abode of the wealthy, but for those who really know how to live -- practical, and family oriented.
Unfortunately today, because of so many socio-ethical and environmental problems, as well as the rise of small housing projects and small condo units, the values of community, health and innovation are not given priority. The image of the
bahay na bato to the Filipino simply remains a house during the Spanish occupation, and no longer a standing reminder of our identity.
This is why I am pushing for the realization of this project of creating a compound of
bahay na bato -- at least an adaptation of it. Acquiring money is so hard to these days, and we must adapt to the times, both financially and environmentally. The
bahay na bato respects the principles of natural ventilation and social development. Political will is strongly required in the realization of this idea, as well as private foundations who strongly believe in education people about climate change initiatives. This must be a Metro-wide effort (to make it national would be something near impossible to do because not all cultures in the Philippines have
bahay na bato) and educating children about this must be the responsibility of parents and academic institutions. For a better Manila... I think this will work.
But that's just me, of course.