APLAON, FAITH P.

BSTM 1.1 A

EMILIO AGUINALDO SHRINE

Dubbed as the House of History, the Aguinaldo Mansion is the locus of a focal

point in the unfolding of Philippine history. Constructed in 1845, the original

structure of the house was of nipa-and-thatch material. It was reconstructed four

years later using a variety of Philippine hardwood. By the 1920s, major renovation

saw the construction of the tower and the symbolic balcony of the house. It was

also during this period that the house was refurbished with architectural details of

nationalistic themes, masonic symbols, and art nouveau and art deco’s artistic

style prevalent during the early 20th century. The house where the president lived

was donated to the Filipino people in 1963, a year before he passed away. In 1964,

the house was placed under the care of the National Museum of the Philippines

and was declared a national shrine through Republic Act No 4039. By 1972,

Executive Order No 370 transferred the shrine under the care and maintenance of

the National Historical Commission. Today, the house continues to emanate the

vision of a free and proud nation as it perpetuates the ideals of the 1896 Revolution

and the 1898 Proclamation of Philippine Independence. The Aguinaldo mansion

in Kawit, Cavite, site of the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence on

June 12, 1898 was declared a national shrine in June 1964 shortly after the death

of GeneralEmilioAguinaldo. A year before he died, the General donated the

house and part of its ground to the Philippine government, a fitting last act and

grand finale, it seems, for the man who played so crucial a role in the history of his
country. The house was first built in 1845 from wood and thatch materials. Emilio

Aguinaldo was born there on March 22, 1869. It was reconstructed in 1849, and

then again in the early 1920s. The main section of the house is a pyramid-like

structure capped by a spired tower at the very top. It takes five flights of stairs and

a ladder to complete the climb from the first to the highest floor. A museum

occupies the ground floor, an area which used to be unwalled as was the

architectural fashion of the past eras. Perhaps this area was used for storing grain.

The second floor consists of the General's bedroom, the grand hall, the dining

room and kitchen, a conference room and an azotea.

The next floor features a mezzanine library which overlooks the grand hall like an

alcove or balcony. A corridor leads to the eastern wing of the mansion where the

General's daughters used to live with their families. Another flight of stairs takes

one to the Ambassador Room, once used as a study by the late Ambassador Jose

Melencio, the General's son-in-law. The next set of stairs leads to the General's

other bedroom, said to be the one he used in his last years. A brass bed, and a

huge roll-top escritoire -- the latter being a baffling phenomenon since its size

couldn't have permitted it to be transported through the narrow stairway -- are the

features of the room. From the tiled terrace, one may have an excellent view of the

Manila Bay and the shoreline of Cavite.

A narrower flight of stairs, now barely a foot wide and almost ladder-like, leads

finally to the tower, said to have been the General's favorite spot. The house

interiors are a collector's dream: four poster canopied beds, an armoire, loveseats

with inlaid ivory, Vienna rocking chairs, and China cabinets. Most of these are of
varnished Philippine hardwood, the kind that, in this day and age, are either rare

or too expensive. Furniture, and even pillars and doorways, are carved ornately in

varied styles: rococo, baroque, and Gothic.

Some of the pieces yield certain delightful surprises. The clams for instance,

which adorn every post or pillar in the spacious reception hall, can actually be

pulled out from the wall to serve as pot stands. A number of chairs and cabinets

have secret compartments, which, one might imagine, must have served a

critical purpose in the past: to conceal important documents, or even weapons,

perhaps. There are secret passages too. One that leads to the General's

bedroom on the second floor is camouflaged by a wall of shelves at the landing

of the main stairs. Another leads from the kitchen to the air raid shelter below

the ground floor. This one is concealed by a slab of wood which served as a

dining table. Along the narrow stairways to the upper rooms, wall panels may

be opened to reveal storage areas for mattresses, brooms and other utilities.

Similarly ingenously hidden cabinets are found in the bedrooms.

The main spectacle, of course, is the grand hall. Here, revolutionaries long gone

must have held secret caucuses and made fateful state decisions. At the end of

this rectangular room, is the historic window -- a balcony had been added and

used often by the General and state officials during Independence day

celebrations -- from which the Act of Declaration of Independence was read

eight decades ago. This room is a vital expression of one man's affair with

history and his country. The floor is a mosaic of wooden trapezoids, a waxed-
and-polished jigsaw puzzle of flags. Even the pillars on the way to the dining

room exhibit these mosaic flags. The ceiling is a gallery or soaring symbols:

"Inang Pilipinas," the eight-rayed sun depicting the revolt of the eight provinces;

and the furled flags and dove. The latter is a symbol of the hero's aspiration for

Philippine recognition as a member of the League of Nations. A relief map of

the Philippines adorns the ceiling of the dining are Behind the mansion is the

tomb of General Emilio Aguinaldo, who died of coronary thrombosis on

February 6, 1964.

Documentation:

Reference:

http://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/emilio-aguinaldo-

shrine/wppaspec/oc1/cv0/ab35/pt424

http://www.msc.edu.ph/centennial/shrine.html