Gapan’s Heritage Houses: Nueva Ecija’s Hidden Jewels

(Part 1 of a series on Gapan City)

by Randy R.I. Espinoza

Gapan City is home to the oldest and biggest church in Nueva Ecija, but most people, even Novo Ecijanos themselves, are not aware that the city has some more hidden cultural jewels: its colonial-period houses. Nueva Ecija has never been regarded as a cultural center of Central Luzon. Gapan is overshadowed by the bigger cities Cabanatuan and San Jose and the capital city, Palayan; and the local government itself prefers to market the city as the “Footwear Capital of the North.” These factors contribute to a virtual ignorance of Gapan’s rich cultural heritage.

Isolated from the national highway and a few blocks away from the old city hall and plaza, dozens of vintage houses that date back to the Spanish and American colonial periods dot the streets that criss-cross an area that forms part of the old district centered around the Gapan Church (the Parish Church of the Three Kings, otherwise known as the National Shrine of Virgen La Divina Pastora). These heritage houses that have survived the tests of time – some have been restored, many are in decline, and most are abandoned -- are proud reminders of the historical and cultural significance of Ibon, the former name of the city. Established in 1595, Gapan was one of the first pueblos of Pampanga and its domain stretched as far as Cabanatuan to the north; Candaba, Pampanga to the west; San Miguel, Bulacan to the south; and the Sierra Madre to the east. The town, which later became part of Nueva Ecija, is the oldest town in the province and one of the oldest in the Philippines.

The old municipal building, superseded by the old city hall blocks away and the new one along the national highway

These houses are vestiges of our colonial past and form part of our heritage. Historians, the city government, and concerned citizens should all take part in preserving them and educating the people about their significance.

NOTE:  The photos featured in this blog are but some of the houses that I was able to take snaps of during my one-hour-or-so exploration of the city's old poblacion area. I am of the hope that I could find more when I get back.