The fact that we had to call ahead to set an appointment to view an ancestral house was enough to rouse my curiosity and raise my expectations. The Manuel Severino Hofileña ancestral house did not disappoint, and the unconventional and highly entertaining host, Ramon Hofileña, was beyond expectations.
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Living room downstairs |
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Showing off his printmaking skills |
Somewhere in the conversation he mentioned he had 200 photos of himself in the nude. He's the second person to impart this piece of wisdom: take a photo of your nude self while you're still young because years from now, you'll be very glad you did!
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8hM6Tf4Lulk/Tz3c16V8N4I/AAAAAAAAAXU/uV4z2d72glw/s400/IMGP8856.jpg)
On a serious note, the man shared his views on the country's future on the arts because, admittedly, hardly anyone gets noticed here. He cited Lamberto Hechanova, who won several art contests abroad but is seldom written about and recognized in his own country. He commented on how our education program lacks essential elements to make our youth well-rounded individuals. Hearing him air his opinion might make one think that the man's point of view of this country is highly cynical but if you think about it, he already spent a good chunk of his years promoting arts and culture in the country (and is still doing it now). His ancestral house was the first house in Silay to open its doors to the public. Since then, 2 more ancestral houses have opened for viewing. He said he might be able to convince some more families to do the same. He holds the Annual Cultural Tour of Negros Occidental (ACTNO), the longest running cultural tour in the country (on its 40th year), every Saturday of December. Now if all cynics were like him, we'll be out of the rut we're in in a few years time.
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Ramon's parents |
All photos by Aaron Manila.
Hofileña Ancestral House is located in 14 Cinco de Noviembre, Silay City. Call (034) 495 4651 to set an appointment before visiting the house.
This post is a part of The Negros Occidental Chronicles.
This is my entry for the PTB Blog Carnival for the month of September 2012, dubbed as "The Visayan Roundup", hosted by Ding of Pinoy Explorer. Click on the logo below to read the entry.
To view all the previous Carnival posts,click on the logo below.