STORIES UNTOLD Even locals in Bautista, Pangasinan, are largely unaware of Casa Hacienda’s unique place in the nation’s history, during the birth of the Philippine republic and in later de- cades. —PHOTOS BY WILLIE LOMIBAO
BAUTISTA, PANGASINAN—Inside a concrete-and-wood house typical of late 19th-century Philippine architecture, a young soldier-poet penned patriotic verses in Spanish in August 1899 while taking a break from his work for the revolutionary newspaper La Independencia.
More than a century later, the house where the poem was written—known as Casa Hacienda—remains privately owned. Despite its place in Philippine history, its significance is largely overlooked, even by many residents of this quiet agricultural town.
No historical marker identifies the house’s importance. The only hint of its past is a weathered Philippine flag hanging from a wall on the second floor.
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