NB: Photos taken covertly as the mansion is currently off limits to the public due to the court case in progress regarding ownership. Photos are also the property of the Living Leyte Blog under (ymt).
In the year 1910,
one of the most historical landmarks Taclobanons and her visitors would
ever behold was erected. Owned by an American ex-pat businessman who
was the pioneer of transportation services in Leyte, henceforth the
abode would be called, “Price Mansion” after it's possessor,
one Walter S. Price.
As a wee lass in the
70's, urban legends ran all over town about this family, a particular
one I heard was in reference to their endless supply of cash. It was
told that the Price brood would fill their pockets with coinage from
their chest of treasures and because their wealth was so immense
the children and grandchildren needn't work ever. It was also said
that their cache would never run out even if all they did was
squander it all away in their lifetime. But we know too well that that
killjoy of an adage “nothing is forever” prevails over all things
ephemeral like uhm... money right? So, by the time I had a sort of awareness of
the world around me, it was rumored that the last of the Prices
occupying the mansion was a granddaughter of the progenitor and with the coffers
empty, it was not long after that the building became one of former
First Lady Imelda Marcos' sleeping quarters when she visited Tacloban
City which also happens to be her hometown. In the late 80's, after
the People Power Revolution, this property was one of
many (listed under the Marcos and Romualdez families) which was
seized by the PCGG (Philippine Commission of Good Government).
The Mansion's main entrance.
East-side entrance.
Wrought Iron grills and Capiz shell windows (a hallmark of Spanish-inspired homes in the Philippines).
Going back to the
1940's during the Second World War, Price Mansion took a dramatic
role when it was made as the interim Capitol Building of Leyte and
General Douglas MacArthur of the US Armed Forces resided here after
his troops landed on the shores of Palo to liberate the Filipinos
from the Japanese forces. The quarter which MacArthur occupied in the
mansion was bombed by the adversary, however, the weapon turned out
to be a dud, the general was spared, and the room still bears that
evidence today.
Hole where the infamous bomb meant for MacArthur lodged and failed to detonate.
Remnants of the dud bomb.
The Price Mansion
has a robust piece of history so much so that when it was purchased
by the College Assurance Plan Foundation (CAP) in the 90's as their base of operations in Region 8, the romance attached to this
real estate turned paltry. I mean no disrespect to the purchasers of
the edifice; however, in my opinion, something which bares
significant markings of heritage in any place is simply mismatched
with something as perfunctory as an educational or insurance plan
office. In my journeys, I've just known for properties such as these
to belong to the people of the town just as their history does; however,
if it was never officially donated by the family to the city or
province, then it's status is untenable to be made as a museum and such like.
In the present time
though, one would be sorry to see Price Mansion in a derelict
state and is in obvious need of rehabilitation. The roofs are tainted
with mold, the frame work itself is in disrepair and conspicuous
damages are abundant due to age, atmospheric conditions and
undeniable lack of care. True to the form of it's controversial past,
the property is currently being bitterly contested between two
parties who claim ownership, the CAP Foundation and the
Marcos/Romualdez family. People residing here at the moment are
caretakers under CAP Foundation's employ who cannot be blamed if they
pitch their mosquito nets or hang their undergarments alongside
prized World War II memorabilia like MacArthur's wood bust, two of
his iconic Tankard pipes, documents of Japan's “Instrument of
Surrender,” framed photos of Brig. Gen. Ruperto Kangleon, Vice Pres.
Sergio Osmeña and so on. This boorish irreverence is not their fault
as they simply are hirelings doing as they are told, the question
really is for those who know better, isn't it?
Notable WWII memorabilia misappropriated next to t-shirts and other garments of the caretakers living inside the historical mansion at present.
Liberation route map.
A shot of the interior.
More photos and maps
Suffice it to say,
mismanagement is the bane of Price's Mansion and it runs in the
annals of this house. How unfortunate that something as worthy as
this will potentially fail to transition to the future world of
Tacloban, only becoming a byword and a tale of an era it took part
of; yet, it helps in defining our city and our island as a whole
doesn't it? If its walls could talk what illustrious words would it
speak you think? To sum it up, perhaps Price Mansion was built in the
wrong place and fell to divergent hands through it's time of
existence; it would even be sadder if it were to be just another open and shut case of casting pearls before
swine.
Not a part of the original structure, this monument to commemorate the Leyte Landing was added in the 90's.
