Before
we went off Gumasa in Glan, Sarangani Province for the Sarbay Festival, we had a
valuable side trip in General Santos City on June 3 in the afternoon in Manilay
Ancestral House. It was a perfect opportunity for me to visit the place as I
was looking for places with historical value the fact that I am in an early leg
of crafting a historical tour package for my beloved hometown.
Manilay
Ancestral House is a heritage structure nestled in a modern city known for its contemporary
attributes. The collection of old stuff here shows the tremendous interest of
the owner on numismatism. It also shows extraordinary exhibit of patience,
especially since all of the materials are gathered all throughout the country.
We
met the owner Mr. Warren Manilay in a separate venue in Gensan because he was
busy with enrolment as he also runs a tertiary school there. There we were able
to ask him several questions about his ancestral house project. He said it was
coined out of a hobby, him being into it ever since. The house was then tailored
continuously using old materials obtained from as far as Batangas in Luzon.
From
the looks of it the house really declares a throwback theme but it was only
erected in 2007. The architecture was well-researched by Sir Warren to camouflage
it with yesteryears, which according to him also one of the hardships in the
construction phase.
And
then after construction he filled the house with his wide array of collections –
from currency, music, religious materials, old pictures, etc. He even said the collection
process was also extensive where he had to buy some of it from friends. He also
used to visiting junk shops to scout for more valuable materials that would be
part of his pool of antique resources.
Outside
the house is a display of vintage cars and motorbikes. Mr. Manilay revealed the
cars are among his most expensive collections. Some of them not really familiar
to me but I simply love the White Vintage Car, a favourite selfie background to
some- if not all. There is also a Manny Pacquiao-inspired motorbike in the pool
with actual signature of Manny. Sir Warren said the motorbike simply gained
popularity all over Gensan as it was exhibited in one of the malls in the city
and was unveiled in the very day Pacman celebrated his birthday.
The
Manilay Ancestral House to me is a revelation of the hard work presented by the
Manilay clan in Gensan. It has become now an integral part of the city tours
and a destination for those who love to throwback. As Sir Warren would put it, “I want
to make this an educational tour destination.” And with more people visiting
the place, he is now planning to put other structures like coffee shop and
function hall.
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