Balay Negrense

After 30 years, I had a chance to go back to Bacolod in 2014. As a child I had no interest or knowledge of the Spanish ancestral houses in Silay. I do remember passing by a big house in 19th (or was it Lacson st., I can't remember or be sure) when I was a child and as with any child's imagination, be scared of it. I imagined the house full of ghouls and ghosts and other monsters. I would take the longer route to school than pass by this house. But that was me, when I was a kid.

Balay Negrense, or the Victor Fernandez Gaston ancestral house, is one of the 28 ancestral houses in Silay, Negros Occidental. Many of the ancestral houses survived World War 2 because the Japanese were awed by the beauty of the architecture of the houses. Balay Negrense also survived pillaging and bombs, but after the war it was abandoned and left to neglect.

The house is now open to the public as a museum. Since it was abandoned by the family, most of the furniture that is on display are either loaned or donated by other families. You will see the various antique furniture donated by the wealthy families of Silay.

What I love about this ancestral house is the bay windows. Built to adapt to the humid and tropical weather of the Philippines, when opened it provides much needed light and fresh air that goes through the house.

The house tour usually takes around 30 minutes and is just one of the many houses that you can visit in Silay.