In the Philippines, heritage conservation remains a difficult undertaking, especially when it involves privately owned heritage structures and sites. While laws exist to protect cultural properties, their implementation still require clearer direction, stronger enforcement, and greater support on the ground.
Many ancestral houses face uncertain futures because of disputes among heirs, the high cost of restoration, lack of local government support, or the pressure to sell valuable property. As a result, some heritage houses are demolished, while others are transferred to different locations.
Both outcomes carry consequences. Demolition erases physical links to the past, while the transfer of heritage houses removes them from their original communities, weakening the identity of towns and cities and stripping them of part of their historic character.
A highly contested but visible response to this problem can be seen in places such as Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos Norte; Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan; and the Sulyap Gallery compound in San Pablo, Laguna. These places showcase transplanted heritage houses, offering a second life to structures that may otherwise have been lost.
They are, however, different from organic heritage districts where ancestral houses remain in their original settings. Among these places are the World Heritage City of Vigan in Ilocos Sur; San Fernando, Pampanga; Malolos, Bulacan; Pila, Laguna; Taal and Balayan in Batangas; Pola, Oriental Mindoro; Iloilo City; Silay City, Negros Occidental; Carcar, Cebu; Tagbilaran, Bohol; Jimenez, Misamis Occidental; and the largely unknown town of Initao in Misamis Oriental.
In many of these towns and cities, ancestral houses have been adaptively reused as hotels, restaurants, cafes, and cultural spaces. Through such use, these structures gain a new lease on life. They are maintained not merely as relics of the past but as living spaces that continue to serve communities and visitors.
With the support of local governments, private partners, and those involved in online bookings and tourism promotion, these heritage houses are able to attract local and foreign visitors. This, in turn, provides owners with additional income for maintenance and operation.
When this process works, the historic built fabric of a place is preserved. Heritage houses continue to define the character of streets and communities, while also inspiring pride of place among residents. Public appreciation grows, and with it comes a deeper awareness of the importance of heritage protection.
Supporting this broad spectrum of heritage preservation is an online travel platform originally founded in Myanmar, which has since expanded to Georgia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Called Our Heritage Homes, the platform is dedicated to showcasing, supporting, and safeguarding Asia’s cultural heritage. It brings together heritage property owners, heritage-led businesses, travelers, and local visitors who value place, history and local identity.
Called Our Heritage Homes, this platform is “dedicated to showcasing, supporting, and safeguarding Asia’s cultural heritage,” bringing “together heritage property and business owners, as well as travellers and local visitors who care about place, history and local identity.”
The company supports family-owned historic homes and heritage-related enterprises, believing that “these places are living expressions of culture that connect the past, present, and future.”
Our Heritage Homes helps property owners through listings, marketing strategies, bookings, funding opportunities and fundraising support. In the Philippines, it has partnered with close to a hundred property owners. As in other countries where it operates, a portion of each booking is reinvested into preservation, maintenance and restoration initiatives.
Among its Philippine listings are several heritage houses in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, including Villa Angela, Grandpa’s Inn, and Hotel Felicidad; Carlinn Transient House in Sagada, Mountain Province; Casa Vallejo and Peredo’s Lodging House in Baguio City; La Casita Mercedes in Makati; a number of heritage houses in Taal, Batangas; Villanueva Ancestral House in Liliw, Laguna; Camiña Balay nga Bato in Iloilo City, Iloilo; Residencia Orlina and Dumaguete Seafront Hotel in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; Balili Heritage House in Tagbilaran, Bohol; and Villanueva Heritage House in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte.
Its other listings include heritage properties in Ilocos Norte, Albay, Sorsogon, and Negros Occidental, among others.
With its progressive approach, the platform supports both in situ and transplanted heritage houses. It also includes properties inspired by traditional architecture, such as those in Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan, as well as traditional T’boli houses in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
Through such efforts, Our Heritage Homes helps demonstrate that heritage preservation can be sustained not only through legislation and advocacy but also through responsible tourism, community participation, and continued use.
