Maasin's Last (and about to lose) Heritage Structures
- Aug 18, 2017
- 2 min read
"You know what, I love Maasin. I was not born and raised here but my wife is and I appreciate its beauty and still hidden gems. I love its being an urban city but still retain its provincial charm."
- Ricardo Cabras
Maasin – It was established as another pueblo of the Spanish missionaries in the 1700s situated on the extreme Southwest of Leyte Island and is 59.8 nautical miles from Cebu, a thriving Spanish-conquered settlement at that time. As any Spanish-ruled pueblos in those days, the town was dotted with Spanish colonial houses in Antillean style of architecture (yes, those old houses) and a baroque-style Catholic church. Then came the American rule who also influenced every bit of Maasin’s evolution evidenced by the art deco styles some we still see today.
While most of the colonial houses and buildings are replaced by modern structures, some prevailed to endure until today but their existence is somewhat bleak. The city does not have a heritage conservation society to oversee conservation efforts of these structural gems and most people do not have an inkling of the importance and value of these heritage structures for us as a people.
As some heritage houses and structures still around, it is critical that these are restored and be given paramount importance for Maasinhons yet to be born. According to Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Heritage Conservation doesn't mean freezing a building in time, creating a museum or tying the hands of property owners so they can't do anything with their properties. Instead, it seeks to maintain and thereby increase the value of buildings by keeping their original built form and architectural elements, favouring their restoration rather than replacement and, when restoration is impossible, recreating scale, period and character. I hope Maasin and its people will do the same.
Below are the long gone heritage buildings and structures that once a marvel in this little town of ours:
The beautiful colonial houses of Maasin long gone.
The Baluarte was so significant that it was in the official seal of then-municipality of Maasin.
The Floating Table
The Lighthouse
Still exist but in a state of decay or lack of maintenance:
Maasin Public Cemetery (wall and entrance)
Old Maasin Cinema House - The building is no longer showing films but is being used as a store-warehouse for grains and other milled products.
The famous TagCom - TagCom, which means Tagnipa-Combado literally, is a structure just off the reclamation area in downtown Maasin. It is famous for swimming picnics.
Maasin is a beautiful city and no Maasinhon should ever doubt that. The more we take a high regard with the remembrance of the town’s past, the better we can aspire as a people and the better dreams we can dream for the future of the city.
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