Yap-Sandiego House
The Yap-Sandiego house was built during the late 18th-century by Chinese merchants residing in Pari-an: Juan Yap and Maria Florido with their three children namely Maria, Eleuterio, and Consolacion. The eldest daughter, Maria, later on married to Don Mariano Sandiego, a Cabeza de Barangay of Parian in the late 1880s.
Through the years the house was used as a boarding house for students of nearby schools and universities until it was acquired by Val Sandiego, a known heritage advocate in Cebu. Wall partitions made of wood once divided the upper level into several small rooms for boarders to rent although these have been removed to bring back the original state of the interior.
The house at present is a lifestyle museum that contains antique furnishings and religious images.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:28 am
Resil Mojares a noted cebuano historian wrote in his book about a mestizo sangley named Ariston Garces who built a stone house in Parian in the late 18th century located in the corner of Mabini & Lopez Jaena Streets which for unknown reasons was later occupied by the Yap-Sandiego family for 6 generations. According to Mr. Mojares, Ariston Garces had a son named Cesario. But what he doesn`t know was that Mr. Garces also bore a son out of wedlock named Zacarias whose mother`s name was Adriana Saberon of Mabolo, Cebu City. It has been known that Zacarias Saberon Garces inherited from his parents a parcel of land (Lot 12429) with an area of 40,400 sq. meters located in Maria Luisa, Banilad Cebu City. That Zacarias Garces had 7 seven children from his wife, Juliana Basay. That his eldest son, Vicente (deceased) bore 3 children whose mother was Corazon Labrador. That Vicente`s eldest child, Juliana Garces, whose husband Dr. Mario Mabalay , has filed a case of Quieting the Title of Lot 12429 allegedly owned by (deceased) Mrs. Esperanza del Rosario Ouano et al. That this case is due for promulgation in the Court of Appeaks Br. 19 here in Cebu City. That I, Dr. Melvin Garces Mabalay-Medical Officer III detailed since May 15, 2006 at the Cebu Provincial Detention & Rehad Center(CPDRC), is the youngest child of Mrs. Juliana Garces Mabalay. In other words, Ariston Garces was my great great grandfather who, according Mr. Resil Mojares, built the oldest stone house in the Philippines & what I know now is the Yap-Sandiego Heritage House.
August 14th, 2010 at 3:54 am
“By the way, Zacarias Garces & Don Paulino Gullas were drinking buddies, ” says Mrs Lourdes Mendoza (91 y.o) of Dona Consuelo Village, Basak, Mandaue City. She`s the only living sibling among the seven children of Zacarias & Juliana Garces.
November 7th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Your house for me is the best, i believe the oldest and most preserved!. I have also chinese roots but a true filipino. Planning to recreate a house like yours to house my collection of filipino-chinese antiques