Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

View of the hotel grounds
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is located in Luzon
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Location in Luzon
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is located in Philippines
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Location in the Philippines
TypeHeritage beach resort
LocationBagac, Bataan
Coordinates14°36′09.6″N 120°23′06.9″E / 14.602667°N 120.385250°E / 14.602667; 120.385250
Area400 ha (4,000,000 m2)[1][2]
OpenedJanuary 2010 (2010-01)
FounderJose Acuzar
Operated byMarivent Resort Hotel Inc.
Websitelascasasfilipinas.com

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for "Acuzar's Philippine Houses") is a beach resort, hotel, convention center and heritage destination in Bagac, Bataan, Philippines.[3]

History

Jose Acuzar, the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc., started to rebuild Spanish colonial-era mansions in Bagac in 2003. In January 2010, the area was opened to the public as Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar,[4] although the area was already being used as taping location of the GMA Network series Zorro ten months earlier, in March 2009.[2] It was placed under the management of Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corporation.[4]

Las Casas Filipinas temporarily closed in early 2020 due to community quarantine measures imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in July 2020.[5][6]

In November 2021, it was named the "Best Historic Hotel in Asia and the Pacific" by the Historic Hotels of America, which cited it as one of the hotels that "best celebrate its history in the guest experience and provide exceptional customer hospitality and service."[7][1]

Aside from Zorro, it was also used as a filming location of Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,[8][9] Heneral Luna,[9] Maria Clara at Ibarra, FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, Widow's War and the upcoming movie The Last Resort.[10][11]

Features

Las Casas Filipinas covers an area of around 400 hectares (990 acres)[1][12] in Bagac, Bataan. As of January 2021, its lodging consists of 128 guest rooms and 63 "elite casas." [12]

Heritage houses

The main attraction of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is its heritage houses, which were transplanted from outside Bagac, Bataan. The houses were disassembled at their original location and reconstructed inside the premises of Las Casas Filipinas. Damaged structures were meticulously reconstructed by a team of skilled artisans and laborers using the original source of raw materials and construction methods of the time. This included using old methods for manufacturing components like Spanish mission tiles, bricks, grills, mosaics, stone and wood carvings, and so on.[13][4]

This method of heritage conservation has been contentious among conservationists, as they believed their original communities could have benefited from the structures had they been restored on site.[14]

However, the heritage park's founder, Jose "Jerry" Acuzar, stated this was done to save the structures. Heritage conservation gets little-to-no funding from the government, and the structures were neglected and decaying in their original communities.[4] Acuzar, a draftsman and real-estate magnate, was inspired to do the project after traveling around Europe and witnessing preservation efforts on heritage architecture. His son being an art history graduate also played a part.[13]

In 2021, the Department of Tourism, under Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, lauded the heritage park for its preservation efforts.[12]

Houses included in Las Casas Filipinas are evaluated for their historical, cultural, and architectural value. Most structures date back to the Spanish colonial era, but some were built later, such as the Casa Lubao, which was built in 1920 during the American era.[4] The heritage park also includes a torogan, a Maranao royal clan house from Lanao in Mindanao.[15]

Among the notable houses transplanted to the heritage park are Casa Bizantina, Casa Hidalgo, Casa Jaen I, and Casa Unisan.

Other structures

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar also hosts a small church known as the Sanctuario de San Jose.[16] Other features include the Napiya Spa, a swimming pool.[17] The Tulay ni Lola Basyang is a bridge that crosses the Umagol River and is a replica of the old Puente de España in Manila.[18]

  • Sanctuario de San Jose
    Sanctuario de San Jose
  • Rows of houses lining Umagol River
    Rows of houses lining Umagol River
  • Hotel de Oriente
    Hotel de Oriente
  • Cobblestone-covered street
    Cobblestone-covered street
  • Tulay ni Lola Basyang
    Tulay ni Lola Basyang

References

  1. ^ a b c "Why Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar should be in your next itinerary". Philippine Star. December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Dimaculangan, Jocelyn (March 27, 2009). "ON THE SET: Zorro in Bagac, Bataan". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "...a New San Jose Builders project". Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e Orejas, Tonette (April 29, 2012). "Where memories, heritage line the streets". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar reopens". The Manila Times. June 16, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar to reopen doors in July after 3-month lockdown". The Philippine Star. June 16, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Lim, Ron (November 16, 2021). "Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar named Best Historic Hotel in Asia". GMA News. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  8. ^ "Las Casas revisits past through biopic film 'Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral'". BusinessMirror. September 28, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Iconic Locations Inside Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar To Cure Your "Goyo" And "Heneral Luna" Hangover". Metro Style. ABS-CBN Publishing. September 16, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Bea bumalik sa lugar na nag-propose si Dominic" (in Filipino). Abante Tonite. May 16, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Courtesy Call of 'The Last Resort' Production | RTVM". May 21, 2025. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Quismorio, Ellson (January 31, 2021). "DoT chief cites Las Casas' way of preserving local historical sites". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "For Jerry Acuzar, restoring the heritage houses in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar took a village". GMA News Online. No. 19 June 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  14. ^ Ranada, Pia (November 3, 2012). "The tragedy of Bahay Alberto". Rappler. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Art installations inaugurate art space at controversial Acuzar 'heritage resort' in Bataan". Inquirer Lifestyle. May 26, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Las Casas perfect for shoots and weddings". Manila Times. October 5, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Tales of love, lust, and murder at Las Casas Filipinas". GMA News Online. January 4, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  18. ^ Tugade, Edgardo (June 30, 2016). "Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar: Restoring the lost glory of old Filipino houses". Manila Standard. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
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