# Vega Ancestral House

The Vega Ancestral House is one of the earliest Transition bahay na bato-inspired structures in the Philippines estimated to be 200 years old. The house is located in Población, Balingsag, Misamis Oriental.
Its sculpted wooden atlases, known as otí-ot in the Visayan language, support the second-floor protrusion of the house. The house is a well-known landmark among the locality's tourist attractions. Notable personalities including Emilio Aguinaldo and Sergio Osmeña are said to have stayed in the house.

## History

In the 1800s, Ignacio Juan Vega from San Nicolas, Cebu, settled in Northern Mindanao in the town of Galas, now called Balingasag. Vega introduced the Cebuano devotion to the Sto. Niño to the townsfolk of Balingasag. Aside from this cultural practice, he also left behind a heritage house that is considered a landmark in Misamis Oriental.
Though no existing documents pinpoint the exact year of construction, several attempts by heritage advocates to document this house, as well as bloggers and local townspeople, suggest that it was built in the 1800s.

## House features

The house is designed with sculpted wooden figures that act as support structures to the protruding second floor. There are three wooden figures, with one corner lacking such a structure.
There are differing interpretations regarding the three sculpted wooden figures. Some scholars propose that they symbolize slavery, while others suggest they are inspired by the Atlas motif, depicting a figure bearing the weight of the world. Dr. Antonio J. Montalvan II, citing the genealogy of the Vega Clan, asserts that the sculptures represent the three sons of Ignacio Juan Vega: Santos, who was married to Valentina Roa and Juana Valmores; Pedro, who was married to Benita Salvacion; and Gregorio.
The house primarily uses "molave" and "balayong" wood. Large beams or pillars support the overall stability of the house structure, placed at the corners, between corners, and along the center. The walls resemble woven abaca, called "Uway" (English: rattan) in Visayan, and are colored yellow. The house still utilizes the traditional banggera (kitchen dishwashing area) as an air-drying shelf for kitchen wares and utensils.
The uppermost portion of the house features a classical cogon roof. This, along with the emerging stone works at the bottom part of the house, classifies the house under the 1st Transition of Bahay na bato. The support beams are decorated with the chambered nautilus motif.
This heritage structure is one of the primary attractions for tourists visiting the historical center (Poblacion) of Balingasag.

## Tourism

Coffee table books and glossy calendars (such as the 2006 Shell calendar ["Homes of our Heritage"]) contribute to the house's visibility and the municipality's tourism.
According to Ms. Nanette Vega, the local tourism authority has expressed interest in acquiring the house to preserve and open it as a tourism hotspot. The Vega clan has declined the proposal for sentimental reasons, preferring to maintain the house themselves despite the costs. The house remains open for walk-in tourists and visits by appointment.
The house's association with Maria Clara Vega Jimenez—mother of television personality Inday Badiday and Philippine Daily Inquirer editor-in-chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc—adds to its fame. It is locally known as the "Vega House," not the "Jimenez House." Some mistakenly associate the house with the late child star Julie Vega due to her stage surname. However, her real name was Julie Pearl Apostol Postigo.

## Present Times

The first floor of the house currently operates as a restaurant/carinderia, open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. Part of the income contributes to the house's maintenance.