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The property is in the shape of a letter L,as in Leah, my mother’s first name. My grandfather had acquired the piece of land from surrounding neighbors, except for the piece of quadrant on the northeast, currently the site of the only gas station in town (the others have followed modern zoning rules that limit their location to the town’s outskirts).

The existing house stands on the corner of the property, approximately 10m X 18m. This particular spot is ideal for commercial space as Moore Street runs perpendicular to the property and leads to the downtown area. 

The empty lot occupies two thirds of the property at approximately 600sqm.

There was so much discussion among family, friends, and architects on where exactly the new structure should be built.

First off, there was no clear agreement on whether the whole abandoned area should be purely residential and leave the Moore residence to eventually be developed as commercial space or keep the option of providing expansion for commercial space on the empty lot. I was reminded that the stretch of the property’s frontage was 44 meters to the south and 10 meters to the east (facing the commercial area). That had a lot of potential for commercial space.

So we agreed on having Mama’s house by the rear end (north) of the property. That would provide her with privacy and at the same time, allow the front end of the property flexibility for future commercial ventures.

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Demolish? Restore? Build?

There was a discussion before on either putting up a new structure on the abandoned lot or rehabilitating the Moore residence. Of course, restoring the old house was always the priority as it has become more than just my family’s home- it’s become a landmark on that side of the province.

In my infrequent visits, I would notice small improvements made by Mama - replacing the wooden stairs with cement steps, a garage with a veranda on top - changes that did not really make the structure sturdier or even more beautiful but gave my mother comfort. And indeed the interior felt homey and gave a calming and nurturing effect.  Despite sprucing up the home with very personal things, Mama knew that everyone including herself, could feel the age of the structure. 

The flooring slightly slopes onto one side, and in some areas creaks under your step. My cousin, a doctor who practices in the province pointed out to me that the whole house seemed to be twisting more and more each year. He brought me to the middle of the living area and he told me to look up at the ceiling. The frame that held the pitched roofing, which ran the entire length of the house, indeed twisted to a certain direction!  I would also feel tremors when trucks pass by the house. Ventilation was bad as Mama sealed the rear balcony to make way for more closet space! 

After much deliberation, and considering the fact that the house was hastily built, we decided to build a new structure on the adjoining lot. There was also a lot of talk that the Moore residence sits on very valuable land and if the lot were to be redeveloped into commercial spaces, Mama would stand to earn a lot!

I saw the practicality and the logic behind the idea and I easily agreed. Ironically, I’ve been extremely critical with businessmen in Manila who demolish old structures in Malate and Ermita disregarding heritage and history to make way for malls and other commercial establishments. Funny how life forces you to contradict yourself!
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Go!

After so many years, the plan to put up a new structure in the province is a go! Last November, I went home for the holidays and inspected our old house and abandoned lot and checked the other modern structures in town. There were quite a few. Very few.

Newly built commercial space of Dr. Romy Lim, Lawrence's uncle. This structure is at the heart of the commercial area, a block away from our old house.

Three story commercial/residential building of my friend Lawrence Lim, who relocated from L.A. The photo doesn't do justice to this structure.  It's never finished as the family continues to expand and develop the structure.  Lawrence and his family live on the third floor.

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Plans plans plans

Samar has been recorded as one of the poorest provinces in the country, probably another reason why we, the children weren’t very much interested in its affairs. Blame it on the geographic location, which is directly on the path where most tropical typhoons take during the wet season. Blame it on lack of industry. Years ago, Catarman was only known for rice and coconut and the New People's Army. Blame it on too much politics, which is endemic in any part of the country (the irony is that my family were very much involved in politics). 

Admittedly, we were not fond of our hometown, even in our adult years. However, I had always imagined restoring something in the province. I dreamed of a house where we could keep all the memories of our family. In the late 90s, I had talks with my architect friend Alvin Matias, to design a bahay na bato that would replace the old Moore residence. I also asked him to do sketches for future residential and commercial structures on the abandoned lot. His original plan was a beautiful and grand recreation of our old ancestral home, which I am certain would pop out in the town. But it also looked too expensive (tegula tiles alone for roofing would run in the millions!) and impractical in the future. Besides, the big fire of 1965 already gutted two beautiful ancestral homes down. I couldn’t imagine losing another one.

Thanks to Alvin for his vision and patience all these years. To my surprise, Mama has kept the original designs and I’ve uploaded it here should Alvin by chance get to read this. Sadly, he’s not part of the final redevelopment, which I had hoped he would be.

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