Casa A. Gamboa is a home, not a hotel or a restaurant. Guests who walk into the property are welcomed like visiting friends.

Such was the case when a busload of media and tour operators arrived on the property in Silay, Negros Occidental, recently.

Homeowner Reena Gamboa set up our dining table in the garden of the 83-year-old home she inherited from her aunt, culinary icon Doreen Gamboa Fernandez. The late food writer grew up in this American colonial-style home built by her parents Aguinaldo Gamboa and Alicia Lucero in 1939.

Gamboa dressed up three long tables with colorful paisley tablecloths to welcome us for a late dinner. She used leaves, small red flowers and native berries called bugnay for the centerpieces. The resin charger plates were designed and produced by her company, Whimsy by Silay Export Inc. Dragonfly charms hung on the edges of crocheted covers of water bottles. The bowls and plates were lined with gold.

Gamboa said that pretty dinnerware shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions.

She prepared a buffet-style dinner. But instead of steel food warmers, she used clay pots and big plates that you often find at family gatherings. Her staff only started grilling the pork belly when we were getting off our bus.

“Are these heirloom recipes?” one person asked her while inspecting the food offering.

Gamboa paused for a few seconds before she answered, “Well, I wouldn’t call them heirloom recipes. But these are the dishes that our family has been eating for generations.”

Comfort food

She served Panay comfort food, the kind every child from Western Visayas grew up with. There was inubaran na manok, a version of chicken tinola with kadyos and banana pith; langka ensalada with gata; and pancit puso ng saging. The pork belly was served with pickled kamias in olive oil.

All were made from scratch. The ingredients used for the meals are from her farm or sourced locally.

“I couldn’t get darag (native chicken). They are not available all the time, but I make sure that the chicken I serve is free-range,” Gamboa said.

She has a strict pandemic rule of reserving the dining space for one party. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a big group or an intimate dinner for two people. It is a haven for sugar associations and corporate meetings that need an outdoor venue for their meetings.

We sat with her for a chat on her porch/dining area the next morning. Gamboa has an engaging personality. She doesn’t mince words and is very funny. Apparently, the only makeup she owns is a lip tint bought under P500.

“You don’t need those in the farm,” she said.

She talked about her mom, Lyn Besa Gamboa, who lives next door and loves to entertain.

Gamboa teared up talking about her Tita Doreen, but her eyes twinkled when I mentioned that I write for this paper.

“Whenever I hear Inquirer, I remember how it was Tita Doreen’s home base. I remember she came here [with Tito Wili Fernandez] for a vacation with Tita Eggie (Inquirer founding chair Eugenia Apostol) and Gilda Cordero-Fernando, and their husbands,” she said.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

The house was also the headquarters of the 5th American Division during World War II. One of its famous guests was Gen. Douglas MacArthur. It was here where the general was conferred with his “fifth or sixth” Silver Star medal.

An excerpt from the essay of Gamboa’s father, Danilo, is found on the top of the stairs of the house. He wrote it on the same year he died. He described the visit in detail including how two Jeeps from MacArthur’s party trampled on his mother’s well-tended gumamela bushes that lined their driveway. He also shared how first-class food was gallantly shared with the family that day.

A framed blowup photo of MacArthur standing at the top of the stairs can be found next to the essay. Gamboa received the photo on the day her father died. It supported her father’s story, which she believed but did not make solid claims to because of lack of evidence.

“So maybe he, my grandparents and aunts were sending me a message to use it to attract tourists,” she said. She is growing variegated dracaena plants which she will place on one side of the stairs to replicate the look of the stairs during MacArthur’s visit.

The house’s history is something she is passionate about. Every piece of furniture, framed picture and newspaper clipping has a story that she is always eager to share. Her grandmother’s wedding and formal dresses still hang in pristine condition inside the cabinet in the living room.

41 doors

Food and history are something guests of her Airbnb can partake in during their stay. She started her bed and breakfast in 2019 but had to stop during the pandemic. Three bedrooms are currently available for guests.

She kept a lot of things original to the house, including its floorboards, ceiling and some of the walls. But the bathrooms were updated to the standards of modern comfort. It’s well kept, clean and very homey.

“Sears Roebuck mail-order catalog was trendy at the time it was built. And that was the height when Lolo had so much money so he ordered everything. The glass diffusers are all original. I haven’t touched the 83-year-old ceiling and it needs repair,” she said.

Her personality can be seen in the artwork and decor. Works of Negrense and Ilonggo artists, including herself, hang on the walls of the house. The chandelier of horns in the living room, for example, was her own design.

But the exterior was her priority when restoring her home. She painted the walls outside white.

“Many people would always tell me, ‘you know, I used to remember passing by there when we were young and it was so beautiful and it was all so white,’” she said.

Some mahogany trees that her brother planted were cut down to make way for landscaping. The mahogany was turned into tables. One tree felled by Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) was turned into a sungkaan.

There are 41 doors in the house. The bedrooms are all on the second floor. Nobody likes to use the living room because it’s the hottest spot in the house, according to Gamboa.

The chimney that was used for baking in the main kitchen is still intact. On the first floor, you can find the atelier for Whimsy by Silay. This is also where Gamboa does and teaches her crafts, including papermaking, soap making and printmaking.

Valuing culture and heritage

It’s a house Gamboa has loved since she was a child. It’s her destiny to live here. After all, she was named after her Tita Doreen and her grandmother Alicia. She is also aware that she’s holding on to it for its sentimental value.

The house is located by the highway, 10 minutes from Bacolod-Silay Airport and an eight-minute walk from Silay Heritage Zone. If she wanted to, there’s enough front-yard space for a commercial establishment.

“But we grew up valuing culture and heritage. An entertainment space will still make money but still preserve our home. Filipinos are so into family. So my cousins, even those I haven’t talked to because of COVID, are most welcome to come home. If they decide they want to die here, they are most welcome. That’s how I feel,” she said.

This is what you’ll feel when you visit this well-loved and well-lived-in house. You step back in time, imagining what the house was like when Aguinaldo and Alicia built it for their children. How happy they were, how scared they must’ve been because of the war, and how they survived it with family intact.

For all of Gamboa’s talk of wanting to earn extra cash, her intentions are pretty clear. She really just wants to preserve her lolo and lola’s home.