Our next stop during the Calesa tour is the Syquia Building. An old house of the former Philippine President Elpidio Quirino, now converted into a museum. This two-story house is actually owned by the wife of President Quirino, Dona Alicia Syquia (Sy-Kia).
The in-house tour guide said, Dona Alicia is a pure Chinese, but since President Quirino is a very talented man and well known during his time, her family accepted him, even though he's not Chinese.
This mansion houses all the memorabilia of the family. The first thing you'll see when you enter at the ground floor is the old wagon owned by the late President. A larger than life painting of him is also displayed.
To get to the second floor, you'll have to climb the old wooden stairs. It reminds me of our old house with those beautiful Spanish designs. At the corner from stairs is the old vase, probably one of the gifts to the former President.
A huge living room will greet you at the second floor. At the center is the table with a gold vase on top. This vase is a gift to the former President by the Emperor of China. The seal at the bottom of the vase is the proof of that.
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| Gift from the Emperor of China to the former President (with China's authentication sea) |
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| Replica of the Spolarium display at the grand living room |
You will also find the replica of the famous painting of Spoliarium painted by Juan Luna and his assistant in the living room. The original painting is displayed at the ground floor of the National Museum of the Philippines.
As you tour around the house, you'll find more paintings of the family members'. One of them is Cory Quirino's, one of his grandchildren and a well-known public figure.
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| Old bed of one of the daughters |
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| Antique wooden chest box |
The dining room is located at the back of the house, overlooking the street of Vigan. It's really a nice house and I would love to experience living there. Although it's a bit scary since it's an old house.
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| A bell used to call the housemaid |
The caretaker/tour guide is very knowledgeable and knows everything about the house. He'll even show you the peeping holes on the floor & walls that were used to view the visitors first before allowing them to enter the grand living room.
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| Hallway for housemaids |
Visiting this will really teach you about history. A visit to this mansion is free, but a donation may be given to the caretaker.
Going to the mansion, if not riding a kalesa is easy. You may walk through the Calle Crisologo towards Gordion Inn or the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. It's an old mansion painted in blue and cream located at the corner of Quirino Boulevard.
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