ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Heritage and gastronomy are two of Iloilo’s main attractions and one can experience both in just one setting – at the Camiña Balay nga Bato.  A LIVING MUSEUM “Welcome and make yourselves feel at home” greets Luth Camiña. With husband Gerard, the couple are among the 4th generation descendants of the Avanceñas, and call this heritage house their home. It took them more than a decade to renovate the structure from its worn out state. “The old house had sawali (bamboo weavings) for ceiling which we replaced with pressed tin sheets as it was a fire hazard” reveals Ms Luth. “We just retained some original structures like the windows with ventanillas (air vents), the escalera (ladder-like stairs) and the stilt-like pillars on the ground floor.”  Eugene Jamerlan, who worked with the Camiñas in the restoration explains that the number of these pillars was a status symbol back in the 19th century. “This house has a total of 24 pillars making the household among the affluent