Pitch : The Heritage Keepers Four Ilonggos an architect, Eugene Jamerlan; businesswoman Teresita Liit Celiis; a banker, Lut

t Camia, and a chef, Tibong Jardeleza have one thing in common, a passion for history-- bringing the gift of the past to the present. The architect, Eugenes is a dedicated student of history and his great love is to capture pieces of the past in mortar and stone, in savory morsels , in remembrance of events, in expressions of the spirit, finding the meaning of these in the now . Liit is the president of her familys real estate firm but her avocation is the preservation of the valuable buildings and monuments and the stories they carry. Lut is a banker who is devoted to the Balay na Bato , her family home and a historical artifact. Chef Tibong revives old family recipes, most of them , well-guarded secrets and with much flair, transforms them into nouvelle cuisine. Iloilo is a storied place and graced history as a Queen, reigning supreme after the Philippine American war ;her resplendent mansions constructed from sugar money , her haciendas green and teeming with the sweet cane and the sumptuous lifestyle that evolved from all these. The structures that still line the main street Calle Real, albeit tarnished by time ____________are not anachronisms amidst the harsh glare of neon and the bumper to bumper traffic but evoke the cultivated, polished and courtly way of life of another era. Eugene conducts Heritage Tours and today I join them for lunch done by Chef Tibong right at the heart of the old Iloilo market . nt counter . The Chefs ancestors used to be the meat suppliers to the friars and the family has , down many generations kept the secret recipes of sausages, hams, bacons that the priests loved. On the slabs of cement ,where produce is sold, is spread out a veritable feast and the most memorable for me, a vegetarian is mangoes in a caramelized sauce of jackfruit and muscovado.This is ambience, truly at our back, the oyster delivery just arrived from Capiz , is now being sorted out. To the far left is an ambulant barber sets up instant shop, and right beside him is the longaniza stall with several varieties of the native sausage: hamonado, garlic-infused; other vendors take time out, gossiping in small groups, playing baraja (card games).

We visit several homes, each representative of a certain way of life the Javellana mansion an eighteenth century edifice ; home to a lady whose family would spawn one of the great fortunes of the country , Mariquit Javellana Lopez-; the Concepcion chalet; the Camia Bahay na Bato in Arevalo

reflecting the graciousness of that era including the little known Japanese influence found in the architecture. In all these sites, Eugene tracks the past and the lifestyles evoked. What we see imprinted on all these, in delicate traceries of barandillas-, in the minute details of crockery or garapon used for storage of the afternoon snack or merienda (instead of plastic containers), in the charming crocheted doilies that line the gleaming side tables-- is the legacy of a gentler time. The Javellana Mansion is an Antillan house, one highlight from the glory days of the sugar barons has been preserved and now revived by a grandson Panchito Lopez Pucket , who refurfubished it just as it was in its brilliant days. Homes such as these, according to another historian, T. Maximo Kalaw were built for posterity, to house generations upon generations giving a message of stability and prosperity. The owner was a money lender and its ground floor there was a huge cement vault where cash was kept. It was originally the home of Mariquit Javellana Lopez who would be married to the former Vice President, Fernando, toto Nanding Lopez. It was from this house that she eloped, as a sixteen year old lass with her love whom her parents disapproved of. The house was not as grand as the ones close to the plaza but typifies a wealthy businessmans stronghold with its wrap-around balcony of finely crafted wrought iron and its ground floor entrance large enough for a caruaje to park right in front of the elegantly polished stairway that leads directly to the office of the former Vice-President. The house is both beautiful and functional with an area for the business of the owners banking and weaving ; an imposing office, an Oratoryo or prayer room and the open, gracious sala or living room with luxurious seating areas arranged for socializing. As we move around, there is a group of youngsters doing a video shoot for a school project the girls all dolled up, the boys , elegant as they pretend to lounge around the gracious sala (living room). In albums lovingly preserved, the visitor is regaled with high profile photos of the Lopezes with kings and Prime Ministers ( King Bhumibol of Thailand) -- power and beauty (Dewi Sukarno).

The rest of the article contains photos of Antillan houses, bahay na bato and commercial buildings of the 19th century still existing; interviews and narratives of the other history buffs and how Jamerlan pulls these all together to make it relevant