Right across the Old Central School of Dalaguete, Cebu is a massive ancestral house owned by the Osorio Family. You cannot help, but feel pity for the family that has sadly not taken care of their old home. Built in the late 1920s, possibly around 1928-1929 this house is owned by the Osorio Family. One of the prestigious families of Dalaguete. The facade is simple, but its size makes up for the lack of embellishment. Capiz windows, clapboard walling and the massive Tugas posts are the hallmarks of this ancestral house. Family members living in the area told us that the house was part of a dispute which led to its eventual dilapidation.
The Capiz windows are numerous and plentiful. The family members told us that they were made in Dalaguete in a small house by the sea somewhere close to the church. The lumber was purchased at the former Luzon Lumber branch at the corner of Leon Kilat street and Sanciangko street in Cebu City. The lumber that Luzon Lumber provided has survived longer than the branch that sold them. Unlike many of the other old houses you may see when travelling south this house lacks the usual embellishment and ornamentation that was accustomed to the period. The family members tell us this was because the family just wanted a home to live in. The size of the family necessitated a very large house and meant that they could spare the bare minimum for ornamentation.
The inside is a complete wreck which was not helped by the destruction brought by Super Typhoon Odette. The house threatened to collapse, but maybe because of some supernatural force or the souls that still hold memories in this home, it refuses. The strong lumber has been eaten away by termites. The rickety wooden staircase has little way of railings. The large wooden Tugas posts are in their natural forms. Unlike other houses which has very thick gigantic wooden posts this house has numerous, though smaller posts. A beautiful home torn apart by nature and human nature. A family member estimates the house will last another 5-10 years before it is condemned and destroyed.
This is a house of modest means. Just enough for a roof and to live life.
-Caretaker (translated)
Interestingly, the Osorios still dominate the political landscape of Dalaguete. From my research, the current Mayor of Dalaguete is from the Osorio clan, too.