CEBU: Why Visit the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House

CEBU: Why Visit the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

These are the reasons you shouldn't miss visiting the Yap-Sandiego House when you're in Cebu:

1. It is said to be one of the oldest existing residence in the Philippines.

"Current house owner Val Sandiego, famous choreographer and antique collector estimates it's construction to be between 1675 to 1700."

Facade of the ancestral house

The photo shows the narration of background facts about the 
house:

1. The house is a Bahay na Bato ug Kahoy (House of Wood and Coral Stones).

2. It is located at the corner of Mabini and Lopez Jaena Streets in the Parian district of Cebu City. (note: the Parian district is the area where Chinese traders were required to live during the Spanish period)

3. It was built during the late 17th century by Chinese merchants and is considered to be one of the oldest existing residential structures in the Philippines.

4. The earliest known occupants were Don Juan Yap and Maria Florido.

5. They passed on their house to their SIBLINGS: Maria, Eleuterio and Consolacion.

6. The eldest daughter, Maria Florido Yap, married Don Mariano Avendano Sandiego, a cabeza de barangay of the Parian during the 1880s 

 9. At present, this ancestral house was handed down to noted heritage advocate and dance maestro, Val Mancao Sandiego and his wife Ofelia Zozobrado Sandiego.

Address: 155 Mabini cor. Lopez Jaena Street

This photo shows the house is a corner lot as indicated by the address.

2. It's a well-preserved 17th century house built in a prime location.

It is well preserved therefore you can accurately see how wealthy Filipino-Chinese merchants lived during the 17th century, 100 years after the Spaniards occupied the Philippines. 

Since the house is only about 1 km from the Basilica and Magellan's Cross, this means that the family who lived in this house is wealthy, having been able to build it in a prime location.

You can see from the map below the proximity of the house from the major institutions like the Basilica Minore and the Cebu City Hall and major landmarks like Magellan's Cross and the oldest street in Cebu, which is the Colon Street.

3. The structure is 95% made of its original materials.

According to the guide, the structure is 95% made of its original materials. The walls are made of corals, while the roof is made of tiza.

The original 17th century ceiling.

4. The owners allow you to touch the objects and sit on the chairs.

Unlike other museums, the owners decided to allow visitors to touch the objects and sit on the chairs to give them a multi-sensory experience of a past era.

5. It's still being used by the owners during weekends.

You see a house that has been continuously used from the 17th century to the present.

The room in the 2nd floor being used by the owners during weekends.

We were wondering how the owners can stand the heat sleeping in this room.

We found an aircon at the back of the bed (shown in the photo above).

MORE PHOTOS

FIRST FLOOR:

SECOND FLOOR:

The antique stairs

The first thing you see when you reach the top of the stairs

One of the chairs you can sit on

My son sitting on the day bed.

Street view from the second floor

Cooking utensils inside the house.

You will see later that cooking is also done outside the house.

INSIDE THE BEDROOM WHERE THE OWNERS SLEEP

IT SEEMS THE GAME SUNGKA IS A POPULAR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT.

I SAW SEVERAL OF IT INSIDE THE HOUSE.

THE GROUND FLOOR

AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE

They also have a "dirty kitchen" during the old times.

Contact Information:

ADDRESS:

155 corner Mabini St. and Lopez Jaena St.

OPEN HOURS

9:00 AM - 7:00 PM daily

FEE:

50 pesos per person

HOW TO GET THERE:

By public transportation from SM City Cebu Terminal to Yap Sandiego house: 

Ride the jeep at SM City Cebu going to Labangon Street, and get off at Sikatuna Street

This is the SM City Cebu jeep terminal

By public transportation from Yap Sandiego house to SM City Cebu Terminal:

Ride the 10M jeep: Pardo-Colon-SM ....

...at Zulueta Street, where the Jesuit House is located.

SINGAPORE: Which Budget Airline to Book: Cebu Pacific Airlines or Jet Star Airways

SINGAPORE: Which Budget Airline to Book: 

Cebu Pacific Airlines or Jet Star Airways

To guide you on whether to choose Cebu Pacific or Jet Star Airways for your flight from Manila to Singapore and vice versa, below are the important things to consider to help you decide. Since both are budget airlines and priced almost the same, the points below are crucial in helping you decide which one to choose when booking a flight.

CREDIT CARD PAYMENT OF AIRFARE BY A PERSON WHO IS NOT PART OF THE TRAVELING PARTY OR WHO IS NOT ONE OF THE PASSENGERS 

Cebu Pacific:

To be allowed to check-in and given a boarding pass, the passenger needs to present the photocopy of the credit card used for payment of airfare.

Jet Star:

To be allowed to check-in and be given a boarding pass, the original physical credit card used must be presented IN PERSON by the owner of the credit card to verify the booking while checking in at the check-in counter of Jet Star Airways or at the MIASCOR office at the airport.

The Rule is stated below:

On selected routes, it is a condition of sale, check in and boarding that the original, physical credit/debit card used to purchase the ticket(s) must be presented by the credit/debit card owner for verification at the airport. Where you book travel on these selected routes, you will be informed the need for verification during the booking flow. Prior to check-in, the credit/debit card owner must take the credit/debit card used to purchase the tickets together with his / her government issued identification (such as a passport, identity card or driver’s license) to the Jetstar check-in counter. This requirement applies irrespective of whether the credit/debit card owner is or is not a part of the travelling party. If the credit/debit card is not verified as required, the passengers whose tickets were purchased with that credit/debit card may be denied check-in and boarding at Jetstar’s sole discretion. One verification is required for each return journey." (http://www.jetstar.com/ph/en/planning-and-booking/booking-with-jetstar/payment-methods)

CARRY-ON BAGGAGE LIMIT OF 7 KILOS

Cebu Pacific:

Passengers are allowed 7 kilos carry-on baggage. But the 7 kilos limit EXCLUDES additional items on board such as handbag, coat, laptop bag, camera bag, cane and crutches (for Senior Citizen and/or Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) guests).

They only weigh the carry-on luggage to see if it's within the 7 kilos limit but do not weigh your handbag, laptop bag, camera bag, etc. You are therefore, allowed more than 7 kilos.

For more details, see my post: Cebu Pacific Lite Fare: Hand or Carry-On Baggage

Jet Star:

Passengers are allowed 7 kilos carry-on baggage, which includes all that you will bring in to the cabin. You are required to have everything weighed and tagged. Otherwise, it will not be allowed on board.

For more details, see my post: JETSTAR AIRWAYS: Are they Enforcing the Strict Carry-on Bag Weight Policy for Economy Class Passengers?

REBOOKING OF FLIGHTS

Cebu Pacific:

The fare offered for the new date of flight is the same for both new passenger and rebooking passenger. This means that if you go online and buy a new flight worth, for example, 5000 pesos, the same cost of flight is offered to the rebooking passenger. The rebooking passenger only pays the difference in fare from the original booking + a rebooking fee. This means, if the old fare of the rebooking passenger is 3000 pesos, the fare difference with the new fare is 2000 pesos. Therefore the rebooking passenger pays 2000 pesos + the rebooking fee.

Jet Star:

The fare offered for the new date of flight for the rebooking passenger is MORE EXPENSIVE than the fare offered to new passengers. Although they provide a way to rebook flights, when you compute the additional cost of rebooking, it is always more expensive than buying a new flight for the same route. It's always better to buy a new flight than to rebook an existing flight. This policy shows Jet Star totally discourages rebooking of flights.

MY CONCLUSION: 

Unless Jet Star airfare is so hugely discounted compared to Cebu Pacific, I will prefer to book Cebu Pacific flights rather than Jet Star Airways because of the reasons I discussed above.