By Maya M. Padillo
Sprawling in a half hectare property in the downtown area of General Santos City is a goldmine of valuable things that are rusty, weathered, chipped and vintage – The Manilay Ancestral House.
It is home to almost 300 antiques in various sizes: old telephone, mobile phones, typewriter, teacups, coffee cups, plates, kitchen utensils, statues, old furniture, and more. Some of these items are for loans.
“Meron pa akong mga items sa bodega (We still have items in the stockroom). My favorite items are the old telephones. My first beeper and cellphones are also on display,” said Warren Manilay, owner of the Manilay ancestral house. He is also the chief executive officer and chair of the board of the Goldenstate College in GenSan.
The house is also a domicile of religious statues like the life sized statues of the Virgin Mary, the miraculous image of Jesus Christ, various Saints, and the more than 500 years old pregnant statues of the Virgin Mary from Pampanga, which are also the most expensive among the collections.
“Ang isa dyan galing pa sa lola ko. Nakita ko na yan noon pa sa bahay namin (One of those (items) came from my grandmother. I already saw that in our house),” Manilay said.
At the verandah on the side of the house are vintage cars and motorcycles on display. The four wheel cars are all functional. A scooter with a signature of boxing champ Senator Manny Pacquiao is a crowd drawer. A 1941 Harley Davidson that is still being repaired will be on display soon as well as a mini cooper that is currently being rehabilitated.
The concept of building the Manilay ancestral house started with his wife, Sara, who loves collecting items small antique pieces that she all brought to their home. However, their house cannot accommodate all the collected items that include cabinets, life size statues, vintage bed, furniture, etc.
The Manilay Ancestral House was erected with some parts taken from a 100-year-old house in Batangas owned by the Manilays. After one and a half years of bringing all parts of the old house in GenSan, the house was completed in 2007.
“When we visited our old house in Batangas we discovered the roof was gone, the flooring was already drenched and some of the woods were sold to be used as firewood. Other parts of the house were kept at the back. I gradually brought item per item here in Gensan. Thrice a year, we buy surplus items/furniture for the school at HMR sinisingit ko ang (I just put in) lumber, windows, dingding, pintuan sa barko (walls, door of the ship),” he said.
It was also the time when Manilay started to appreciate antiques that he used to see as trash and that might bring bad spirits. His interest turned into passion and started collecting items wherever he goes.
He also started collecting rubbish vehicles that can be repaired or rehab like vintage cars and motorcycles from his friends in Manila. He also goes to the junkshops for antique motorcycles. “I even found one stashed in a sack already in complete pieces,” he said.
Presently, the house has become part of the trip when in GenSan as educational destination. It becomes part of the tour guiding program of the tourism classes in the city. It also serves as amusement place for grade-schoolers and pre-schoolers.
“Our tagline for the house is ‘discover something new with something old’. Ang iba hindi pa nakakita ng mga katulad nyan (Others have not seen like that before). This also aims to stimulate others to appreciate antiques,” Manilay said.
He said the plan now is to go commercial and cater small groups interested to use the place as wedding related events, meetings, dining, honeymoon and entertainment. He said the plan also include of building a mini church with designed similar to the old churches in Bohol for their religious collections.
“The plan is to build another similar building in front of the house to put other items. Camera clubs from Davao go here for a pre-nuptial photo shoot,” he said. Construction is now ongoing for the fountain and when fully commercialized they are also planning to open a coffer coffee shop and a restaurant.
Currently, a P30 entrance fee is required for bigger groups. For photographers rate, a per photo shoot is P3,000 for first three hours and P500 succeeding hours.
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