Goldenstate College, Inc.

“ANCESTRAL HOME IN THE CITY”
(This was the article that came out in Manila Bulletin and Sun Star Davao last Oct 18, 2010”  

By Henrylito D. Tacio
Photos by Michael H. Chan

“I wanted to preserve the memories we had during our childhood days when we used to visit our grandparents.  Also, I need a structure that can house various antique pieces that we have collected,” says Warren A. Manilay, owner and chief executive officer of the Goldenstate College in General Santos City (known to the locals as Gensan).

Manilay is referring to the ancestral house that was built at purok Malakas in barangay San Isidro, some four kilometers away from the city’s plaza.  The local government is promoting it as one of the city’s tourist attractions.

“Several tourist groups have come to the place as it is very unique to the area,” he says.  “As a city, Gensan is still very young and to have Southern Luzon artifacts in its midst is something to be awed with.”

Manilay and his wife, Sara Jane (with whom he has four children: Pia, John, Deck and Jen), were originally from San Pablo City in Laguna. In 1992, the family came to Gensan when he was assigned as personnel manager of the production center of San Miguel Corporation’s agribusiness division in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

Since then, the couple decided to settle in Gensan for good.

Then, something happened.  His wife started collecting various antique pieces from religious pieces, chests, chairs, lights, and cabinets, among others.  “Our residence was instantly transformed literally into a museum,” he recalls.  “At that time, I had no eye for antiques and
thus did not appreciate any of them.”

To get rid of those “trashes and junks,” he suggested to his wife of transferring the items in their half hectare adjacent lot.  An idea came out of nowhere: “My wife thought of placing them in a structure that would fit those collections. It was then that I thought of
bringing over our ancestral house in Batangas.”

Fortunately, Manilay started to appreciate the beauty and value of the items he once considered “trash and junks.”  Today, he says of them: “They look like gold bars and diamonds to me now.”

But bringing the ancestral house to Gensan was easier said than done. “The basic problem then was locating the parts of the house because it was already torn down since no one was taking care of it anymore (after we left) and were sold to somebody who  intended to use them as
firewood and the rest for junk sales,” Manilay says.

Manilay had to buy again those original materials. “I was able to retrieve some lumber parts such as the flooring, beams, windows, doors, jambs, picture frames, chairs, tables, bed, kitchen utensils, and the like,” he says. “I had them loaded in 20 footer vans, 5 of them in a six-month period.”

Arranging for the shipment, how the retrieved materials would fit in the vans and of course the shipping cost made the transfer quite difficult.  But the hardship was worth it.

While waiting for all the materials to arrive, he started to build what became later on as the ancestral home.  The ground floor area is 8 by 10 meters.  The second floor is of the same dimension. The height of the building is 10 meters.  “The dimension is only about one fourth
of the original structure as we were not able to retrieve all of the materials,” Manilay laments.

The house structure was designed by a professional architect “as we wanted to make sure that it will not fall down,” Manilay says.  “But putting in the doors, windows, the ceiling, my wife and I designed them. We incorporated our personal touch on where everything should be
placed or installed.”

If you think Manilay is a fine arts graduate, you’re wrong.  He had his Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.  He took his Masters in National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines in
Camp Aguinaldo Campus.  Likewise, he has a Doctorate in Peace and Security Administration in Bicol University at Camp Crame Campus.

Actually, I never thought that there is an ancestral home located in the midst of Gensan.  But my friend, Michael H. Chan (a photographer who took the photos in this feature), brought me to the place.

As I entered the area, I was reminded of Savannah, Georgia, one of America’s most beautiful cities I have visited.  Although elegant, Savannah remains a bit quirky.  On Abercorn and Bull, you’ll find a host of historic treasures, including Colonial Cemetery, which is more
like a park than a graveyard, and several houses that are more like museums than residences. These beautifully preserved old homes – including the Juliette Gordon Low National Girl Scout Center – showcase the furniture and décor of specific periods in Savannah’s history and are vivid reflections of bygone days.

The ancestral home is a sight to behold.  Sort of a museum, priceless collections abound inside the house: typewriters, telephone, radio, bottles, cabinets, paintings, necklaces, and various memorabilia, among others.

Not only that; the home also houses some of vehicles from the past: 1917 White truck (with half of its body made of wood), 1965 red mustang V8/ 289 engine, a Ford Falcon 6 cylinder 1962 car, a 1972 Mini Cooper, and a 1979 Mitsubishi Minica.  Also, you will find three units of Lambretta Scooters Series I to III ranging from 1959, 1962 and 1968, respectively; a BMW 60R 1960 series; a Villiers motorcycle 1938 series; and two units of Harley Davidson motorcycles (1941 and 1942 series).

“The series II Lambretta scooter has charcoal sketches of Manny Pacquiao’s fights and friends,” he says with pride.  “The Packman, as a great fighter, can be immortalized in such a work of art using the body of the scooter as the canvass, the scooter being an immortal brand itself.”

The ancestral home is an art in itself – much more those priceless collections that are packed inside.  Aside from being a storehouse of various collections of antiques and memorabilia, what is the use of the ancestral home?

“We have used the ancestral home to accommodate our visitors especially for dinner or just to show what our hobbies are,” Manilay says. “We have not actually opened it for commercial basis although we will accept reservations for small group dine-ins, catering, pre-nuptial photo shoots.”

According to Manilay, the ancestral house is maintained by only one person, but the whole compound is managed by five people who look into the cleanliness of the surrounding, taking care of plants, trees, birds, and monkeys, among others.  They also do some carpentry/masonry works.

Manilay’s final words: “The establishment of the ancestral home was founded with passion. Everything in it may look junk to somebody just like how I looked at them before. Now, I look at everything as jewels, all priceless. I want everybody to visit the place to feel the same passion. Feel something new with something old.”

There is no entrance fee to visit the ancestral home.  All you have to do is contact him at this number (09209476075) or his secretary (09236580162).  You can also take a peep of the house via incorporated articles in its Goldenstate College web site: www.goldenstate.edu.ph.

 "RELATED ARTICLE ON THE ANCESTRAL HOUSE WHICH WAS FEATURED IN MANILA BULLETIN CAN ALSO BE SEEN AT  http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/282479/ancestral-home-city"