Tale of Palo, Leyte house/George Tagle’s flowers
This is a yet unfinished tale of a house in Palo, Leyte. How it ends is still to come.
The Acebedo-Pedrosa house stands at the corner of Pio Pedrosa Blvd. and San Salvador Street in Palo. It was built in 1840 by Marcos Acebedo and Anastacia Mora. According to family records, the house at one time or another housed the municipal hall and jail, post office, and municipal school. During the Philippine Revolution against Spain, it served as the headquarters of the Katipunan Resistance in Leyte. General Douglas MacArthur made it his quarters upon landing in Red Beach. Later, President Sergio Osmena Sr. and his retinue stayed in the house. Thus, the house may be said to be the first seat of the Philippine government in exile when it returned to the Philippines. Stories are told of the ground floor becoming a refreshment bar for the officers and soldiers of the liberating army.
The ownership of the property eventually passed to Bishop Miguel Acebedo who sold it to his cousin Luisa Noble Acebedo, who married Pio Pedrosa.
Luisa and Pio Pedrosa begot eight children. Two of them, lawyer Ramon Pedrosa and Lita Pedrosa Hidalgo, representing the family’s foundation, Peace Inc., fear that the ancestral house may forever be gone.
They have reason to feel so. Last August 8 — two months ago, the house’s caretaker, George Almaden Jr ., received a letter from Engr. Angel A. Sia Jr. of the First Leyte Engineering District, Department of Public Works and Highways of Palo, Leyte, instructing the owners of properties along San Salvador street to remove their structures on the ground that they are obstructions and usurp a right-of-way of a national road. Almadden is caretaker of the public library which has been using the Pedrosas‘ ground floor rent-free. The notice instructed the Pedrosas to remove the structure within seven days of receipt of the notice, and failure to do so will compel the engineering district to dismantle the house and charge the cost incurred to the Pedrosas. A second notice dated August 20, 2014, was received by Peace, Inc.
As deduced from documents given to me, the DPWH district decision is in line with the government’s road-widening project. This project widens San Salvador street; the widening involving 10 meters, starting from the center of the street to where the Pedrosas’ and those of about 300 properties stand. With the road widening, the Pedrosa house, which was partially damaged by Typhoon Yolanda, and some of the rebuilt 300 or more houses destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda will be totally eradicated from the face of San Salvador street.
The Pedrosas resorted to asking for intervention by National Historical Commission Chair Maria Serena I. Diokno. Diokno wrote Engineer Asis (Sept. 8, 2014), requesting his office to coordinate with the HRC regarding the rehabilitation and road-widening project. She said although the “’heritage structure’ does not have a national marker nor declared a historical landmark, under R.A. 1066, it is considered an important Cultural Property.”
Despite Chair Diokno’s letter, Sia sent a third notice to the petitioners dated Oct. 2, 2014, to dismantle the properties. On Oct. 21, the Pedrosas and 583 petitioners wrote President Aquino requesting him “to direct the DPWH to listen to us and save our homes and our town.”
In the letter to the President, lawyer Ramon Pedrosa, represented by retired Judge Marino Buban, called the DPWH action “sordid and cruel and arbitrary… the DPWH has baselessly and unjustifiably accused us of violating section 23 of Presidential Decree No. 17.”
There has been no reply from the President’s office to this day.
Surprisingly, the local and provincial governments have been silent on the district engineer’s actions.
Why San Salvador street was chosen to be widened is beyond Ramon Pedrosa. He presents documents showing Regional Development Council resolutions recommending the immediate funding and construction of two by-pass roads named “South East By-pass road to Tanauan” and “North West By-pass road to Cangara.” On June 2, 2005, then Leyte Governor Remedios Petilia sent a handwirtten letter to Secretary Hermogenes Ebdance strongly appealing that the said by-pass roads be immediately funded and undertaken.
According to Pedrosa, constructing by-pass roads that skirt the town of Palo, will save the age-old Bernard Bridge that connects Tacloban and Palo; as it is, it is showing signs of “overuse fatigue.”
Engineer Sia’s road-widening project runs counter to the RDC’s resolutions and recommendations for the funding and implementation of the by-pass projects.
Lawyer Pedrosa sees no connection between the San Salvador widening project to Pope Francis’ visit to Palo. Reports have it that the Pope will visit the Roman Catholic cathedral on Pio Pedrosa street, which is across the Pedrosa house. The pope is reported to be visiting the Most Rev. John Forrosuelo Du, D.D. , metropolitan archbiship of Palo, Archdiocese of Palo.
While all is quiet in the Palo front right now, Pedrosa et al are pursuing their request to President Aquino to completely stop the road-widening project and save a historical edifice and the homes and livelihood of the street’s residents.
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George Sison Tagle will be sharing the best of himself in his 6th solo show on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the Manila B, Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
George will be singing, as well as displaying his art works in his exhibit titled “The Colors of My Songs.”
Flowers remain the single subject and focus of George’s art pieces through the years. Instead of painting flowers on canvas, he paints them on fans, ats, purse and bags, thus making it convenient for one to carry a George Tagle everywhere.
Early exposure to art, and art master friends of his father E.R. Tagle like the late National Artists H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, Onib Olmedo, Jose Joya, and Tiny Nuyda, Raul Isidro, Al Perez who met every Tuesday afternoon at the studio of his father, doing live nude paintings, greatly influenced George’s passion for painting. At 12 years old he was already painting with his father at interaction sessions. At 16, he was assisting his father teach art at the Galleries of Fine Arts.
Aside from painting George was also discovered to have a good voice. He has performed in concerts. He later founded THE Angelos, the singing group which is Asia’s answer to IL Divo. The Angelos has been winning awards from the Philippine Movie Press Club as DUO artist of the year 2014, and Aliw and Global Pinoy as best in concert group. It is the only Filipino singing group invited to perform with pianist David Osborne during the birthday of former U S President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta, Georgia.
On November 25, aside from George’s delightful art works, The Angelos will be singing songs in four languages — Chinese, Italian, Spanish and Pilipino. Joining them are Erjohn Lagaya, concert master of the Asean Symphony Orchestra.
Despite his busy schedule, George is an active Paul Harris member of Rotary Club Manila 101, which gave him several awards, the latest being the International Vocational Service Award. His show on November 25 is intended to raise funds for the Rotary Club Manila 101 “Feeding Program”.
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