The Ruins (The Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson Mansion)

A relatively new addition to the Negros experience is (ironically) this old mansion in Talisay City which was opened to the public only in January 2008.

The Ruins, as it is known today, was the old mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson (1865-1948). Built after the death of his first wife, Maria Braga, it served as the residence of the sugar baron and his unmarried children. It was the largest and probably the most grandiose residential structure built during those times.

Unfortunately, during World War II, the mansion was burnt by the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), the US guerilla forces, to prevent the Japanese from using it as one of their headquarters. Its roof went down, the once 2-inch wooden floors were incinerated, and its contents were all looted. However, because of its robust  A-grade concrete frame, not all were consumed by the fire.

Today, the mansion’s frame stands as a testament of its stately past.

When the sugarcane plantation was divided among the relatives, Pacita Lopez Heredia inherited the 3.6-hectare farmland where the mansion stands. Not knowing what to do with the land, it was offered as a donation to a group of priests. Eventually, the offer lapsed, and Raymund Heredia Javellana, today’s owner, has been continuously rebuilding the place as a cafe and tourist attraction. “It is a work in progress,” he says. “Everyday there is always something new. People who visited before would come back and notice something they haven’t seen the last time they were here.”

The Ruins opens from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm daily. Fee is at 25 pesos per person. It has a cafe inside and a mini-golf course at the back garden for 50 pesos per game. The mansion plays host to various events such as weddings, tours, concerts, movie shoots, and a lot more. For more information, call +63-34-4952790 (landline) or +63-917-8326003 (mobile). You can also email at lacson_mansion@yahoo.com.ph.

Seafood Restos at Brgy. Balaring, Silay City

Balaring, a small barangay in Silay City,  is one of our family’s frequent lunchtime destination. We usually go here after the Sunday morning mass especially when the weather is breezy and the skies are clear.

Hectares of sugarcane plantations hide rows of seaside restaurants such as this. (Tama Plaza, the largest among them)

They offer mostly seafood dishes in their menu, with an exception for ‘staples’ like porkchop. (Which I usually order, to counterbalance the mostly seafood meal.)

For starters, we almost always get a mini-basin of  “talaba” (local oysters) which my father likes.

My sister’s fave is the buttered squid.

Since my mother likes to have her shrimps, veggies, and “sabaw” (soup), what can be more perfect than the “sinigang nga hipon” (shrimp in sour-based soup).

My brother likes the boneless bangus.

Here’s the porkchop, I mentioned earlier.

Sili and calamansi with sinamak and toyo is the perfect all-around sawsawan.

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Here’s how to get to there:

(Brgy. Balaring, Silay City, Negros Occidental)

From Bacolod, take the National Highway going north.   Go past Silay City town proper, turn left at the Dona Teresita Jalandoni Provincial hospital. You will see a number of “Brgy. Balaring” signs, just follow them until you see rows of bamboo restaurants by the sea.

Enjoy Negros!