Aired (July 13, 2024): 13 taon na ang nakalilipas mula nang huling bumisita si Howie Severino sa Biñan, Laguna. Dito matatagpuan ang mansyon ng mga Alberto na kamag-anak ng ina ni Dr. Jose Rizal na si Teodora Alonso. Mansyon ito na naging saksi ng mga lihim ng pamilya ni Rizal.
Makalipas ang mahigit isang dekada, muli itong babalikan ni Howie Severino. Ano-ano na nga ba ang pinagbago ng mansyon? Panoorin ang dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino para sa #IWitness, ang #AngPagbabalikSaBiñan.
#iBenteSingko
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
Makalipas ang mahigit isang dekada, muli itong babalikan ni Howie Severino. Ano-ano na nga ba ang pinagbago ng mansyon? Panoorin ang dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino para sa #IWitness, ang #AngPagbabalikSaBiñan.
#iBenteSingko
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
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FunTranscript
00:00In 2011, I visited the town of Binan in Laguna for a documentary.
00:29As time went by, a lot of things changed in the town.
00:34I saw a town that was progressive,
00:40lively, and full of people.
00:47But there were still things left from yesterday
00:53that I didn't expect to see until now.
00:59I've been waiting for a new day.
01:04I'm going to a new town.
01:13I've been waiting for a new day.
01:19I'm going to a new town.
01:23I'm going to a new town.
01:36When we last came here,
01:39the house was being demolished.
01:41There was no roof,
01:43and no one knew what would happen to it.
01:54I'm happy to be back to my historical heritage.
01:57Thank you.
02:01When we first came here, there was a gate here.
02:04There were signs that said,
02:06no entry,
02:08private property.
02:09We knocked, but no one answered.
02:10We knocked, but no one answered.
02:21In just a month,
02:23we lost a part of our house.
02:33The walls and ceilings were demolished,
02:36and there were no walls and ceilings
02:38that witnessed the history.
02:42The foundation was also demolished.
02:50The historic mansion in Binat
02:52was slowly being demolished.
03:00This is where we entered before,
03:02but there was a lot of mess.
03:05There was no hope that the building would be rehabilitated.
03:14But now, it's a performance space.
03:18Even rehearsals take place here.
03:23Before, it was strictly prohibited to enter here.
03:27Now, it's open to the public,
03:29and it can be used for free
03:31due to the support of the local government.
03:47Wow, okay.
03:48It's spacious here, right?
03:49Yes.
03:50We're here in the second floor.
03:51Vicky Pacris, an employee of Binan LGU,
03:53took me around.
04:01She said that she only visited different houses before.
04:10It's big.
04:12I didn't know that this was the ancestral house of Teodora Alonso.
04:17When I saw your documentary,
04:19I started to know that she was important in Binan
04:24and in the history of the Philippines.
04:27So, this is where you got married?
04:31You made it like a gallery.
04:33Yes.
04:34The artworks here were also made by local artists of Binan.
04:42The plaza is beautiful, right?
04:47As a Binanese,
04:49I was more proud to introduce myself as a Binanese.
04:55For every Binanese,
04:57this is a part of our soul,
04:59and we will share it with others.
05:04You can see some old utensils here,
05:07but these are donations,
05:09and they are not part of the ancestral house.
05:12Is this also a gift?
05:13Yes.
05:14This is also old.
05:15It's made of wood, right?
05:16Yes.
05:17So, this used to be a gazera.
05:19It's beautiful.
05:25This was all made by hand.
05:27It was carved.
05:30Even the mirrors.
05:33But all of these were donated.
05:35Yes.
05:36The interiors were removed.
05:38Yes.
05:40From here, sir,
05:41we can see the whole plaza of Binan.
05:45The view is amazing, right?
05:52Was there a church here before?
05:53Yes.
05:54Is this still the same?
05:55It was small before.
05:57So, you enlarged it?
05:58Yes.
06:00It was like a chapel.
06:01It's like a natural calamity.
06:03It was a earthquake,
06:04and then it was burnt.
06:05And then it was like this.
06:06It's like a big fire.
06:07It's like a fire.
06:08It's like a fire.
06:09It's like a fire.
06:10It's like a fire.
06:11It's like a fire.
06:12It's like a fire.
06:13It's like a fire.
06:14It was like a fire.
06:15And then it was burnt twice.
06:20During the Spanish occupation,
06:22the towns like Binan were plundered.
06:25The plaza and the church are located in the center.
06:29The offices and government buildings are also there.
06:34And there are some houses like this
06:39where the important families of the town live.
06:45This is part of...
06:46Of course, it's a high school.
06:48Vicky is also a part of the cultural mapping
06:50that was done in Binan.
06:53So, what is the cultural mapping that was done here?
06:57The cultural mapping was done in a six-month period.
07:01And then,
07:03the heritage of Binan includes natural heritage,
07:07tangible and immovable,
07:09old houses, and old structures.
07:15One of their discoveries is the bell
07:18that Dr. Jose Rizal is referring to
07:21in his novel, No Limitangere.
07:26Binan is said to be the base of the town mentioned in the novel,
07:34the town of San Diego.
07:36So, way back during Rizal's time here,
07:39there was a strong rain
07:42and then there was an earthquake
07:45and the bell tower of Binan was hit.
07:50Specifically, the bell tower of Santa Barbara was hit.
07:55It was hit now.
08:08The bell tower of Binan
08:11was hit by an earthquake.
08:25This is the same bell that was used in the past, 1841.
08:40The people of Tigarito know that this event really happened here at the Church of Binan.
08:50And this is the proof.
08:52There was an earthquake.
08:54Until now, this is the proof.
09:00Like the Church, there is a deeper history hidden in the Alberto Mansion.
09:10In the family tree that Rizal made in 1896, his last year in the world,
09:15his father's family is almost complete, Francisco Mercado.
09:19But from his mother, Teodora, there is no heir.
09:27Because of this thought, I met Dr. Vimbo Santamaria.
09:36He praised the story of the Rizal family because he doesn't want people to forget
09:41that Rizal has a connection to Binan.
09:45Dr. Santamaria is one of those who move to stop the demolition of a historic house
09:50from the land where it is being built.
09:53Rizal's heroism played a big role.
09:58His mother.
10:00And then you hear people say,
10:02Alberto's house is not only for Rizal's mother.
10:05How can you say only?
10:06Only for his mother?
10:08That hurts, you know?
10:10For a woman who has sacrificed a lot for her son, for her family,
10:17and for the whole country.
10:19Because if Rizal is not there,
10:21our countrymen will not think of having an equal treatment.
10:29Jose Rizal was only 10 years old when an event began
10:33that would give meaning to their history.
10:36He has an uncle, Jose Alonso,
10:38a brother of his mother who is often in Spain.
10:42Teodora is also the name of Jose Alonso's wife, Teodora Formoso.
10:48The book of history contains the story of Gregorio Saide
10:51who often travels abroad, Jose Alonso.
10:55His wife, Teodora, and their children are left at home.
11:00Sometime in 1872,
11:04Jose Maria Alonso came home from his trips to Europe
11:10and found the house to be deserted, empty.
11:14Teodora?
11:16Teodora!
11:17Senorito! Senorito!
11:19The wife was not there, the children were there, nobody was there.
11:23He's gone, senorito.
11:25What's that? What's the problem?
11:27Because...
11:29Because...
11:30Because senorita is not here.
11:32The wife went with another man from Gregorio Saide's book.
11:37He wrote that.
11:39What?
11:41It's so sad that Jose Maria Alonso lost his wife.
11:49It is also said that Teodora Alonso's favorite
11:52was Rizal, the cousin of Jose Alonso.
11:56That's why in this situation,
11:58Teodora Alonso even went against the will of her husband, Francisco.
12:03Actually, in Mrs. Bantug's book that I read,
12:07she was being stopped by Francisco's grandfather, Lola Lola.
12:11They call her Lola and Kikoy.
12:14Don't mind her, she's fighting with her husband.
12:16Why does she want to separate?
12:18It's natural, she went with another man.
12:21But Teodora still didn't stop.
12:26Doc believes that because of Jose's anger towards Teodora's wife,
12:31he helped her in a part of the house.
12:34Jose!
12:36Let me go, Jose!
12:38I don't want to be here, Jose!
12:43She chose Teodora Alonso as her husband.
12:47That's where she stayed while Jose Maria was gone.
12:52This story was also translated by Barbara Gonzales,
12:55granddaughter of Rizal's cousin, Lola Maria.
12:59Jose Alberto had a wife who was from the peninsular.
13:02And his wife was always traveling.
13:05She was in Madrid, I think.
13:09Sometimes, Teodora would bring her snack,
13:12along with her eldest son, Saturnina.
13:16Now, Teodora Alonso and Saturnina went to their house
13:20and made a snack.
13:23I brought a snack in case I'm hungry.
13:26And the snack, when she gave it to him,
13:29she took the snack and put it on the floor.
13:32She called her dog.
13:34Ronquillo!
13:36Ronquillo!
13:38Ronquillo, my dog!
13:40Come here, come here.
13:43Benaki, benaki.
13:45Her dog ate it.
13:47The dog died.
13:48Because of what happened to the dog,
13:50Teodora Alonso was branded by Teodora Formoso
13:53that she planned to kill him.
13:55There's a taste in food.
14:02So, out of anger, she called the head of the Civil Guard.
14:06She said he was a lover.
14:08That's why Teodora was arrested
14:10because she was not allowed to smoke.
14:15The reason why Teodora Alonso was imprisoned
14:18for more than two years
14:20was because of her smoking habit.
14:33Even though Teodora confessed,
14:35she was not released
14:37as promised by the mayor.
14:41My question is,
14:43why would I feed my snack to a dog
14:47if I didn't know that the dog would die?
14:50Maybe she fed her dog first
14:54before feeding the snack.
14:56So, free, ma'am?
14:57Of course!
15:02More than a hundred years later,
15:06more than a hundred years later,
15:11the house that was once the home of the Alonsos
15:14is now the property of the Albertos.
15:18GMA News interviewed Jerry Alberto
15:21while discussing the issue of demolition.
15:25He is the owner of the house,
15:27grandson of Jose Alonso,
15:29the nephew of Teodora Alonso.
15:33This is not the house of Teodora Alonso.
15:36Teodora Alonso was not born here,
15:38although she is my grandmother.
15:41But this is not every house in the Philippines.
15:44It's a heritage house.
15:46Teodora Alonso was never born here.
15:49She was born in Santa Cruz,
15:51and the worst part,
15:53her birth certificate in Santa Cruz
15:56was turned down because of some family reason.
16:02In 2010, the news spread that
16:05the house in Binan was being demolished.
16:10Dr. Santa Maria's group,
16:13the United Artists for Cultural Conservation
16:15and Development of Binan,
16:18We mounted a cultural protest
16:21to express their opinions on this issue
16:25to be a part of the advocacy
16:28to save the Alberto House.
16:31In front of Alberto's house,
16:33they played music and drama.
16:40It's been more than 10 years
16:42since we first interviewed BJ.
16:44He is now the head of
16:46the Binan City Culture History,
16:48Arts, and Tourism Office.
16:51BJ is still serious about the fight
16:54they started with Doc Pimpo
16:56to save the mansion.
16:59For one, Doc Pimpo's efforts
17:01really started because
17:05our group became an instrument
17:08to drumbeat the advocacy.
17:11So, for one,
17:12our group did the research,
17:15our group wrote to each
17:17of the residents of Binan
17:19on the importance of this.
17:21Our group coordinated
17:24with the local government
17:25during that time
17:26to really save the house.
17:27Normally, yacal.
17:30Aside from Doc Pimpo and BJ,
17:32the mayor of Binan
17:34gave a lot of support
17:36in the fight against Alberto.
17:38They passed a city ordinance
17:40declaring the Alberto Mansion
17:43as a local heritage site.
17:45We expropriated it.
17:46We were issued a writ of possession.
17:49Now, whoever you are,
17:51you are a Binan resident,
17:52or even if you are not a Binan resident,
17:54you can enter the Alberto Mansion.
17:56Before, only the peninsulars
17:59were allowed to enter.
18:01But a lot of people
18:03agreed to the project.
18:06People said,
18:07we don't need to waste money.
18:08Very few LGUs
18:10are able or willing
18:13to expropriate a property.
18:15First of all, you will reduce the number of tenants.
18:17And true enough,
18:20I almost lost my second term.
18:23Every time there is a lack in the city,
18:25that's what people are teaching.
18:27That's how it should be.
18:28It shouldn't be done.
18:30Now, when they saw
18:32that the whole plaza was complimented,
18:34the identity of Binan
18:36was established.
18:38That you can be a city
18:40that thrives
18:41without abandoning your heritage.
18:44It's possible.
18:45And you can see the surroundings of the plaza.
18:48Businesses thrived.
18:50Even I,
18:51I didn't believe then
18:53that the mansion in Binan
18:55still has hope to be saved.
18:58We can build
19:00without abandoning our heritage.
19:04That's why I was surprised in 2019.
19:07Doc Bimbo invited me
19:09for the inauguration
19:10of the new house.
19:12This is quite a victory for one,
19:15because it's the power of eminent domain.
19:18It's the power of eminent domain
19:20that the LGU used
19:21to save this house.
19:23And not all the time,
19:25the power of eminent domain
19:28is used for heritage conservation.
19:30Now, it's a testament
19:32of people power for heritage.
19:35People who helped each other
19:39to grow,
19:40to fight
19:42what should be in Binan
19:44and what is the identity
19:45and history of Binan.
19:47How important was the role
19:50of Doc Bimbo,
19:51of Santa Maria
19:52in preserving,
19:53in the movement
19:54so that the building
19:56will remain there?
19:57Really,
19:59he's the one I consult.
20:02He's the one I'm with
20:03in NHI,
20:05NCCA,
20:06in the National Museum.
20:08He's the one we're with.
20:11I didn't expect
20:12that would be the last time
20:14I would see Doc Bimbo.
20:18He died of liver cancer
20:20in April 2020,
20:22four months after the inauguration.
20:25He's really fond of antiques.
20:28That's what makes him happy.
20:31He's really fond of culture,
20:33of the past.
20:34That's why in Santa Cruz,
20:38you might think he's a doctor,
20:40but he went to the culture.
20:43Because he really loves culture.
20:46At that time,
20:47he was really in a bad state.
20:50But he still insisted on going.
20:52Even though they couldn't see
20:55Doc's feet,
20:57they were still fine.
20:59But he still insisted
21:00because of his advocacy.
21:02He wanted to see again.
21:05So he still went there.
21:08But Doc's condition
21:09was really worse at that time.
21:12Although Binan has a writ of possession
21:15of Alberto's land,
21:17a large part of the mansion
21:19has been moved.
21:21Where did it go?
21:37You can see around Plaza de Binan
21:39that some businesses
21:41have moved their property
21:43out of their houses.
21:46After building Alberto Mansion,
21:49most of the old houses here
21:51would want to be declared
21:52as local heritage site.
21:54Then there are some houses here
21:57that on their own,
21:59they volunteered
22:01to fix their houses.
22:04To be honest,
22:05many parts of the house
22:06are just replicas.
22:09Which part is the original?
22:12Hagdan is original.
22:14This column of park,
22:17I have a picture of that.
22:20The big trees.
22:24A large part of the original mansion
22:26was moved to a community
22:28of old houses in Bataan.
22:32Alberto Mansion,
22:34named after Casa Binan.
22:38When you talk about heritage,
22:40you talk about conservation,
22:42you talk about preserving it on-site.
22:46Alberto Mansion,
22:47it was preserved on-site
22:49where the memory of the people,
22:52the local people,
22:53lies in this place.
22:57Even if you say
22:59that not much of the original structure
23:02is not with house anymore,
23:05I would still consider this
23:07as a heritage structure.
23:09Because heritage
23:10is still encompassing in memory.
23:15When can you say
23:16that the building is authentic?
23:18Because we noticed
23:20that there are a lot of replicas,
23:22there are a lot of houses
23:23that are not from the original.
23:26Is this building still authentic?
23:28I think the biggest percentage
23:30is the location.
23:32You know, when you step there,
23:34this is where Jose Rizal stepped.
23:36In this place.
23:39The newly renovated mansion
23:41is not just good for their town,
23:44because it was also benefited
23:46by the people of Binan.
23:48Because it is in the middle of the city.
23:52So, the re-establishment of Alberto Mansion
23:55sparked an interest
23:58in each of the people of Binan
24:00to re-embrace their identity,
24:02to re-embrace their heritage.
24:06If you think about it,
24:07you can just leave the house
24:09as it is,
24:10or move the building
24:12that was built by the mall or coffee shop.
24:15But for a prosperous community,
24:18the house is not just a simple house.
24:22It reflects our identity
24:25and importance to history.
24:38In the Plaza of Binan,
24:40in front of the mansion,
24:42I saw that the re-establishment
24:44and modernization
24:46can be combined
24:48to value the wealth of the past.
24:54I saw that the re-establishment
24:56and modernization
24:58can be combined
25:00to value the wealth of the past.
25:08Among the people we interviewed in 2011,
25:11there are those who have passed away.
25:14Doc Bimbo
25:17and Barbara Gonzalez
25:19are the grandchildren of Rizal's brother.
25:24Many are passing away
25:26without fulfilling their dreams.
25:29In Binan,
25:30we can say
25:32that for those who moved and hoped,
25:35they did not lose hope.
25:38Who would have thought after 10 years?
25:40That's 10 years.
25:41That's a 10-year battle.
25:42Who would have thought after 10 years
25:44that the house is still here?
25:46Because back then,
25:48it was demolished from the inside.
25:50When it was demolished from the inside,
25:52of course,
25:54the structure was not in good condition.
25:57The roof was demolished.
25:59After the roof was demolished,
26:01it was waiting to be saved.
26:03All along,
26:05we thought that there was no hope.
26:08Other battles were lost,
26:10but the struggle was still going on.
26:15We are all in our prime,
26:17but there are some
26:19who are moving and dreaming
26:21for the country
26:24and will succeed.
26:28From Binan, Laguna,
26:30I am Howie Severino.
26:33And this is Eyewitness.
27:03R.I.P.