Balay sa Karaang Kapari-an

Contemporary houses built with style and elegance is the current trend these days. Modern quarters touched with sophistication can be seen everywhere. Whether you’ll be walking your way to the city, having a joy ride to the countryside and frolicking at the beach, innovative domiciles are such a sight to behold. With all these unique and new structures, people forget the beauty and splendor of having an antique and traditional house as a place to reside. But not for Val Sandiego.

Val owns this inimitable dwelling place standing at Pari-an, Cebu City. He has preserved this 17th century house handed down to him by his ancestors. A view from afar would certainly catch the attention of passersby and sidewalk vendors.

Val modestly shares that it required a lot of patience and hardwork to preserve old houses. It took him a great amount of time to perk up its structure and refurbish its foundation. Obstacles were inevitable as Val keenly worked on improving this abode. Financial reasons didn’t hinder him in reviving this ancient structure for he persisted, mainly because he wanted to leave a legacy to the Filipinos, especially to us Cebuanos. He believes that this is a treasure of our history, a gift worth keeping and worth cherishing.

The 17th century house is open to the public so as to raise awareness on how Val was able to restore this antique building. Since the house has been under restoration for two years, Val asserts that this could be an effective tool for people to observe the lifestyle of a certain period in history.

Last Christmas, Val led in reviving the old tradition of Pari-an in which the house served as a rendezvous for kids who acted as carolers and shepherds and prepared them in going to the Cebu Cathedral. They called it the Pasko sa Karaang Kaparian which was the opening salvo for the Misa de Gallo. Children from both barangays Tinago and Pari-an were enthusiastic and looked forward to this event to become an annual happening.

For Val, it is a big challenge for him to train the kids, especially the out-of-school ones. Teaching them for such an occasion makes them feel that the community accepts them. Val aspires that this annual activity would continue for years, as this is indeed significant not just for the people but for the juveniles involved.