Balay Negrense

In the Philippines, there are lots of ancestral houses that trace back the country's rich history. Some of these houses have been listed and certified by the National Historical Institute and the National Commission for Culture and Arts as heritage houses.

Silay, Negros Occidental became famous because of its numerous ancestral houses. All of these are well preserved and livable. Thirty one of them have been listed as heritage houses. Some are still occupied by families of the original owners and are not open to public viewing while a few have been converted to offices, restaurants and others.

Due to its collection of well preserved ancestral houses, Silay is sometimes called as the Paris of Negros. It is next to Vigan, Ilocos Sur to be declared as a museum city. The ancestral houses are located close to each other and a tour would take about 2 hours to see them all.

Here is the list of the ancestral houses that you should not miss to visit in Silay:

• Angel Araneta Ledesma – Angel Araneta Ledesma house is one of the Silay’s great heritages. Built on 1937, “The Green House” is presently the Culture, Arts and Tourism Office of Silay.
• Antonia dela Rama Locsin Ancestral House - This house is believed to be the oldest in Silay. This 150 year-old structure is the ancestral home of national artist for architecture, Leandro Locsin. The house, painted white, is a traditional “bahay na bato.” Its original balustrades and metal window grills are still intact.
• Soledad and Maria Montelibano Lacson Ancestral House
• House of Sen. Jose C. Locsin
• Jose Ledesma Ancestral House
• Teodoro Morada Ancestral House
• Balay Negrense
• Manuel Hofileña Ancestral House
• Angel Araneta Ledesma Ancestral House
• Jose B. Gamboa Ancestral House
• Maria Golez Ancestral House
• Don Bernardino Jalandoni Ancestral Hous
• Ancestral Houses of Antonio Novela Sian, Manuel dela Rama Locsin, and Josefita Tionko Lacson
• Vicente Conlu Montelibano Ancestral House
• El Ideal

How to get there

Negros Occidental can be reached through its capital, the highly urbanized City of Bacolod, which is 55 minutes from Manila and 30 minutes from Cebu by air. By sea, it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and one hour aboard sea crafts from Iloilo. By land-and-sea travel, it is seven hours from Cebu. From Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, Bacolod is 5 hours away via Mabinay in the south, and via San Carlos City in the north: 6 hours via the coastal road and 5 hours via the Translink highway in Don Salvador Benedicto.

Big and medium-sized buses, both aircon and non-aircon, ply the northern and southern parts of the province, with terminals in Bacolod. Car rental services are available for travel to any point of the island. Air-conditioned metered taxis are numerous in Bacolod, but the jeepney is still the most common means of transport among the towns and cities.

If you are planning a tour in Silay and choose to spend overnight or days, here are some of the near accommodations that you can check into.

• Nature's Village Resort - Talisay City, Talisay City, Bacolod / Negros Occidental, Philippines 6115
• L’ Fisher Hotel - 14th Lacson Sts., Bacolod City
• Hotel Pagcor Bacolod – Goldenfield Complex, Bacolod City
• Business Inn Hotel - 28 th South Lacson St. , Bacolod City
• Bacolod King’s Hotel - San Sebaslian-Gatuslao Sts , Bacolod City
• Regency Tourist Inn - Lacson Ext. Bacolod City
• Pearl Manor Pension - North Drive-Lacson St. Bacolod City