litoligon
Rodriguez Mansion
Found in Sariaya, Quezon. This is accordingly the third house built on this site. The first one was a "bahay na bato" replaced by a more modern residence sometime in 1928 which was owned by twice Sariaya Presidente and twice Tayabas provincial Governor Maximo Rodriguez and his wife Doña Martinita Gala (the wedding godparents of Manuel Luis Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon). MLQ was a habitue of Sariaya since the early 1900s and some of his visits in town in the said period were documented in the book "Tayabas Chronicles: The Early Years" written in Spanish by Doña Concepcion Herrera Vda. de Umali (translated into English by her daughter Nita Umali - Berthelsen, and edited by her grand daughter Karen Berthelsen Cardenas), a Tiaong resident who, as a four year old girl in 1890 came to live in Sariaya with her parents Isidro and Juliana Herrera and establish a copra trading house.
"Gov Mimong" as he was known in town then was the manager of the NACOCO (National Coconut Corporation) , a training instution for the processing of coconut and its by products which in the prewar years used to be located at the east side of town. He was a kind hearted, respected, and well loved member of the Sariaya landed gentry and he was likewise responsible for the said "surrender" of "Kapitan Kulas", referred to as "Ang Kilabot ng Sierra Madre" in the mid 1930s.
The second house was accordingly where the great fire of 1944 started, by the Japanese and the Makapili, who were then panicky over the news of the impending arrival of the newly revitalized and more superior American forces. That fearful period of Sariaya wartime history was referred to as "The reign of terror", when sariayahins locked themselves starting late afternoons and at night, so the old people described, not one soul will be out on the dark streets, and the sound of marching footsteps from the Japanese - Makapili out to arrest and abduct suspected American - Guerilla sympathizers left them paralyzed with fear. The cowered in the darkness and peeped on holes on their walls and windows to see what is happening and some of them, like my father's family, slept in separate houses with neighbor relations. they said that they had stones handy to throw on the roofs of the houses of their neighbors when the feared marching band stopped and knocked on the doors, as warning signals for them to escape. Whatever, those whom they abducted were led in chained human lines into the so-called "Killing fields" of the town, to be shot and then buried.
Accordingly, during the night of the said 1944 fire, these unscrupulous fellows threw gasoline on the stairs of the houses and set them ablaze to prevent people inside from escaping. yet, the secret network of the residents were responsible for preventing deaths that time. And at the said house of Gov. mimong, the good man had already left for Laguna and guerillas helped his wife, two elderly women guests and some relations to escape to the southern outskirts. That fire raged and consumed whole blocks of old houses south of the park for hours and the people were so afraid to come out in the dark because Japanese sentries were posted at the church belfry, shooting at anyone in sight.
Accordingly, among the important artifacts that were burned at the house of Gov. Mimong was the telegram wherein MLQ invited them to be their godparents at their Hongkong wedding . The present house was built either in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the burnt shell of the second house and was owned by another relation of the good Governor. It is now owned by Don Cayo Gala. ( From Eric Dedace of the Sariaya Heritage Council)
Rodriguez Mansion
Found in Sariaya, Quezon. This is accordingly the third house built on this site. The first one was a "bahay na bato" replaced by a more modern residence sometime in 1928 which was owned by twice Sariaya Presidente and twice Tayabas provincial Governor Maximo Rodriguez and his wife Doña Martinita Gala (the wedding godparents of Manuel Luis Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon). MLQ was a habitue of Sariaya since the early 1900s and some of his visits in town in the said period were documented in the book "Tayabas Chronicles: The Early Years" written in Spanish by Doña Concepcion Herrera Vda. de Umali (translated into English by her daughter Nita Umali - Berthelsen, and edited by her grand daughter Karen Berthelsen Cardenas), a Tiaong resident who, as a four year old girl in 1890 came to live in Sariaya with her parents Isidro and Juliana Herrera and establish a copra trading house.
"Gov Mimong" as he was known in town then was the manager of the NACOCO (National Coconut Corporation) , a training instution for the processing of coconut and its by products which in the prewar years used to be located at the east side of town. He was a kind hearted, respected, and well loved member of the Sariaya landed gentry and he was likewise responsible for the said "surrender" of "Kapitan Kulas", referred to as "Ang Kilabot ng Sierra Madre" in the mid 1930s.
The second house was accordingly where the great fire of 1944 started, by the Japanese and the Makapili, who were then panicky over the news of the impending arrival of the newly revitalized and more superior American forces. That fearful period of Sariaya wartime history was referred to as "The reign of terror", when sariayahins locked themselves starting late afternoons and at night, so the old people described, not one soul will be out on the dark streets, and the sound of marching footsteps from the Japanese - Makapili out to arrest and abduct suspected American - Guerilla sympathizers left them paralyzed with fear. The cowered in the darkness and peeped on holes on their walls and windows to see what is happening and some of them, like my father's family, slept in separate houses with neighbor relations. they said that they had stones handy to throw on the roofs of the houses of their neighbors when the feared marching band stopped and knocked on the doors, as warning signals for them to escape. Whatever, those whom they abducted were led in chained human lines into the so-called "Killing fields" of the town, to be shot and then buried.
Accordingly, during the night of the said 1944 fire, these unscrupulous fellows threw gasoline on the stairs of the houses and set them ablaze to prevent people inside from escaping. yet, the secret network of the residents were responsible for preventing deaths that time. And at the said house of Gov. mimong, the good man had already left for Laguna and guerillas helped his wife, two elderly women guests and some relations to escape to the southern outskirts. That fire raged and consumed whole blocks of old houses south of the park for hours and the people were so afraid to come out in the dark because Japanese sentries were posted at the church belfry, shooting at anyone in sight.
Accordingly, among the important artifacts that were burned at the house of Gov. Mimong was the telegram wherein MLQ invited them to be their godparents at their Hongkong wedding . The present house was built either in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the burnt shell of the second house and was owned by another relation of the good Governor. It is now owned by Don Cayo Gala. ( From Eric Dedace of the Sariaya Heritage Council)