Cang-isok House — Attraction in Enrique Villanueva

The origin of this dilapidated house is a bit sketchy. Allegedly, a Tejano built this house in the 1800s, a period when a person of means find it appropriate to live in a "bahay-na-bato", a departure from the less sturdy "bahay-kubo". This Tejano House or Cang-Isok House as it is commonly known comes closer to a "bahay-kubo" what with its roof of nipa, wooden stilts and absence of a zaguan below the raised floor. I conjecture that its sliding windows (in contrast to the typical bahay-kubo window which is pushed upwards and propped by a pole to stay open) were made of wood and capiz shell. Its wood (for framing, wall and ladders) is undoubtedly molave or tugas which is endemic in the island. Considering its significance as the oldest surviving house in Siquijor (as alleged), the Cang-Isok House having no historical marker is puzzling. On top of the negligence, the house appears to be undergoing repair but not in the proper context of restoration. Here is a legend counting its days to be erased from memory, if not in the realm of fascination. Anyway, this fascinating house is not within the tourist belt of the island. I am glad that the van I boarded along with fellow tourists and co-employees happened to pass by here. A stop here was not in the official itinerary but I was able to convince the group for a...

I was blessed and feel very grateful to Tejano family to have invited me to their annual family Christmas gathering. I was just walking along the beach there admiring how this house stood for all these centuries in front of the sea, and suddenly this kind gentleman said "Hi, come. Eat!" And so I did :) They offered me everything I'd like to try and explained me how everything was cooked and prepared, like this coconut wine usually only men drink :D Was a wonderful experience. All generations of the family were there including the grandma, who is know 84. Bless her :) At the moment they are trying to recover the house but ofc it takes time and money but from their passion about the house and its history I believe they will do it! This house is a living part of this island history. You must visit! Again, a big, HUGE, thank you to the Tejano family, especially Germ who made me feel at home. Her passion for the house and the food served could be seen in her eyes. Lovely to see :)) God bless you Tejano family. Thank you for...

Another fascinating site in Siquijor is a house said to stand for hundreds of years yet no historical evidence has claimed it even is so... It has a skeletal like structure yet survived dozens of storms, as if an element is holding it on its place.

Said to be built during the 1800s, it is technically the oldest house in Siquijor. In contrast with other houses built in the Philippines during those times, the Cang-Isok house doesn't have the typical "bahay-na-bato" model but follows more closely the older "bahay kubo" model with much higher stilts to protect it from the seasonal rising of tides.

We'll never know for sure if this house is really a hundred years old since it doesn't have any of those black marble inscription from the National Historical Institute you see on any historical sites in the country. All our basis to even classify it as "historical" comes from bloggers and word of mouth from other locals.

It's enigma only adds up to the mystical ambiance...