Taal, Batangas, the Philippines

April 30, 2011

What better way to make history come alive than to wear it? I couldn’t pass up putting on the past when I got the chance.

The heritage town of Taal lends itself to a little historical cosplay. A few hours south of Manila, the town can well be a century away after a quick costume change. Generally regarded as the center of Tagalog culture, Taal has preserved its tangible and intangible heritage, such as ancestral houses, traditional local cuisine, cottage industries, and one Baroque church, the largest in Asia.

Period Costume Photo Shoot at Villa Tortuga, Taal

One such heritage house is Villa Tortuga. The name is derived from the Spanish word for turtle, which used to thrive at the banks of Pansipit River behind the house. Built in the 19th century, this bahay na bato has been restored and converted into a bed-and-breakfast by fashion designer Angelito Perez. As an added attraction, he has established the Villa Tortuga Colonial Tour, a day-long affair that includes heritage house hopping, a traditional luncheon, and a period photo shoot.

Lito Perez of Villa Tortuga with friends Rogie Reyes (L) and Edgar Madamba (R)

Lito rolls out racks of colonial-era costumes he has amassed in his decades-long career in the fashion industry. He picks out a white suit for me, the fabric starched to crease-free perfection. I gamely don the turn-of-the-century outfit, which feels stiff, stuffy, and preposterously ill-suited to this hot and humid country, especially at high noon in high summer. The voluminous fabric effectively restricts movement of the typically free-spirited Filipino.

Strike a Period Pose @ Villa Tortuga, Taal

A jabot tie (a ruffled bib secured around the neck) and a color-coordinated Panama hat complete the ensemble. The attire and accoutrements ascertain that only my face and hands are exposed. Such clothing dictated by Western decorum fit for frigid European weather feels rather stifling in tropical summer despite the air-conditioned sala of Villa Tortuga. I will only cover up in this manner for special occasions, but turn-of-the-century Filipinos concealed their discomfort – and their skin color – on a daily basis. Our loincloth-clad ancestors must have felt likewise sartorially smothered in colonial clothing!

A Brown Man in a White Suit
Clergy with a Cross: Even the Devil Wouldn’t Recognize Him

Fellow bloggers Joel and Ian, the Brown Man, play dress-up with me. Ian is a study in anachronism in his all-white number and Mohawk ‘do with an unwieldy DSLR strapped to his neck. Joel portrays a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing friar to the hilt, cloaked in a shimmering red robe and brandishing a cross over the devilish grin on his face. Another tour group joins us in the period photo shoot. The women dress up as Maria Clara, the quintessential Filipino woman, in that distinctive striped gown and embroidered chemise, coyly hiding their smile behind their spread-out calado fans. A trio of men appears practically incognito as monks in brown hooded robes. The affair is a virtual dress rehearsal for Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere.

Dramatis Personae @ Villa Tortuga

After the photo shoot, the group gathers at the comedor for a luncheon of local cuisine: pork adobo contained in a hollow halved pineapple and gourmet tulingan (mackerel) in sliced tomatoes, among other scrumptious dishes. Dessert comes wrapped in banana leaf – suman sa lihiya (a kind of glutinous rice cake), which goes down well with a cup of tsokolateng binatirol (hand-whisked chocolate). At Villa Tortuga, we not only wear history, we also eat it.

Table Setting @ Villa Tortuga
Shredded Tulingan (Mackerel) in Sliced Tomato
Pork Adobo with Pineapple

A special shout-out goes to Rogie Reyes, one of the prime movers in Taal Active Alliance Legion, for cooking up this celebration of local cuisine and history. Even the servers’ uniforms are consistent with the period theme.

Flanked by Flappers @ Villa Severina in Taal
Harana @ Villavicencio Ancestral House in Taal

It is the weekend of the first El Pasubat Festival in Taal. All of the town’s heritage houses are buzzing with activities. I find myself flanked by flappers in Villa Severina and regaled by barong-clad young men serenading a damsel under the watchful eye of her mother, both wearing baro’t saya, in the Villavicencio House. Young couples in Filipiniana garb perform traditional dances at the front lawn of the Agoncillo Heritage House.

In all these houses, I stand as a witness to the past, if you will. But only in Villa Tortuga is history a sensuous experience, where the past takes on texture, taste, and volume; where our cultural tradition feels like second skin.

Silhouette on Capiz @ Villa Tortuga

*****

For inquiries and reservations, please call or text Lito Perez at +63 927 975 1683.

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