Jose Agra / Rosario Villarica House
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Pila, Laguna: A National Historical Landmark

The Heritage Town of Pila, Laguna

The entire month of May is not just a month of Festivals; it was also declared as National Heritage Month following Proclamation No. 439, s. 2003. For this year’s Heritage Month, I joined Laguna and Quezon Heritage and Pilgrimage tour and tour participants, fellow bloggers, and officers of Filipino Heritage Festival Inc. During our Laguna Heritage Tour, we visited the Historic Town of Pila in the Province of Laguna.

Pila Municipal Center
Pila Municipal Center

Travelers within the Philippines have a wealth of beautiful places to go. Pila, Laguna is a town that has had National Historical Landmark status since 2000, just the fourth town in the country to receive this declaration. The historic layout of the town has been preserved, a traditional Spanish style with central plaza and church, and it’s well worth a visit. Due to some kind of oversight, American bombers didn’t destroy Pila, despite hitting many towns in the area during WWII.

Jose Agra / Rosario Villarica House
Jose Agra / Rosario Villarica House

My visit left me with three distinct ‘must-see’ destinations for anyone who takes the time to see Pila.

Shrine of San Antonio de Padua

San Antonio de Padua Church in Pila Laguna
San Antonio de Padua Church in Pila Laguna

Interestingly, Pila is host to the first Filipino church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. The church was named “San Antonio de Padua de Pila” as a dedication to the 350th anniversary of St. Anthony’s death. Franciscan history is rich here.

San Antonio de Padua Church Altar
San Antonio de Padua Church Altar

Two years later, after the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses were declared as a National Historical Landmark, on July 9, 2002, the Diocese of San Pablo proclaimed the parish church of San Antonio de Padua de Pila as the Diocesan Shrine of St. Anthony.

There’s much more to know that I’ll divulge here, but know that the church itself is worth seeing, and learning about its past is exciting and interesting.

Pila Square and Museum

Pila Square
Pila Square

In the Spanish style, central Pila Square is a wide-open plaza, and it’s a nice place to relax and hang out. Check out the 18th-century ornamental fountain in the center. And most importantly, gaze upon the incredible palaces that face onto the square, which typifies the Canarian architecture of the time. Sit on a terrace and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Alava Ancestral House
Alava Ancestral House

The museum is also worth the time, as it houses historical artifacts found right in Pila, including ceramic works that were most likely traded from the Chinese during the 12th-16th centuries. It’s a small museum that won’t take a lot of time to explore, but the collection’s wealth is evident.

The second printing press in the Philippines was established by Franciscans in 1613. It printed the Philippines’ oldest dictionary and the first book printed using the movable type, the Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala. The book is twenty-seven years older than the Bay Psalm Book, the first book published in the United States in 1640.

Antique Water Jar inside Alava Ancestral House
Antique Water Jar inside Alava Ancestral House

The National Historical Institute of the Philippines declared the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses a National Historical Landmark on May 17, 2000. According to Philippine historian Dr. Luciano Santiago, it is the only town in the Philippines that is formally recognized as a historical site by both the church and the state.

Alava Ancestral House

Doctors Cabinet inside Alava Ancestral Home
Doctors Cabinet inside Alava Ancestral Home

There are 28 well preserved and beautiful ancestral houses in Pila. Alava is as lovely on the inside as from the outside. Located a few steps from the Pila Municipal Building, this ancestral house is really hard to miss. Incredible detailing is evident in the exterior woodwork and the inner walls. After a walk through town, it’s nice to enjoy the coolness inside the high-ceilinged ancestral homes of the past.

Old Doctors Clinic inside Alava Ancestral Home
Old Doctors Clinic inside Alava Ancestral Home

Inside the house, many medicine boxes, a Doctors’ Bag, and lots of Doctor paraphernalia are on display. It’s easy to tell that one of the house owners is a medical practitioner.

Casa Bonini Farm Resort in Pila
Casa Bonini Farm Resort in Pila

Before leaving the town of Pila, we headed to Casa Bonini Farm Resort for lunch. Casa Bonini is a family-owned farm resort owned by Alava Family – the same family that owns Alava Ancestral House located at Pila Square.

Lumpiang Ubod
Lumpiang Ubod

The farm resort was full of Mango Trees overlooking a beautiful rice field. For lunch, we had Grilled Pork, Lumpiang Ubod, Kare-Kare, and Ginataang Hipon sa Kamyas.

Ginataang Hipon sa Kamyas
Ginataang Hipon sa Kamyas

Take yourself (or go on a tour) on a Heritage walk in Pila to get an idea of the history this town has to offer. You’ll see the sites above as well as the streets and alleys that make this town a National Historical Landmark.

Ancestral house in Pila, Laguna by Elmer B Domingo via Wikipedia cc
Ancestral house in Pila, Laguna By Elmer B. Domingo – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, cc

How to get to Pila Laguna

By Bus:
Ride a Sta Cruz bound bus from Cubao or Buendia. Tell the bus conductor/driver to drop you off at Pila town proper. Once you reach the town proper, you can start the heritage tour by visiting the Church, Museum then you can roam around town and take photos of the ancestral houses along the national road.

By private vehicle:
From Manila, drive through South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and take the Calamba exit. Take the national road and pass by Los Banos, Bay, Victoria, then Pila. To reach the town proper, just turn left from the highway.

The Heritage Pilgrimage Tour was organized by Filipino Heritage Festival Inc. For details and tour inquiries, please call 0918-6204782, 0949-9388141, (02) 788 2809, (02) 330 2215, and ask for Giselle, Tonie, or Judith.

Want more updates about other Heritage Towns in the Philippines? Follow #TeamOutofTown, on Facebook, TwitterInstagram, Bloglovin, and Pinterest for more travel ideas.

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Written by Melo Villareal

Melo Villareal is the Online Publisher of Outoftownblog.com. He is an Accountant by profession who left the corporate world at the age of 23 to explore his beautiful country and the rest of the world. Today, Melo works as a part-time Social Media Manager for local and international clients. His full-time work focuses on discovering interesting culture, explore different cuisines and take memorable photos from local and international destinations he's visiting.

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