Bohol Isn't Just All About The Chocolate Hills
Yes, part of wandering locally and internationally is because of all the local destinations were you can visit and immerse yourself into the local culture. But isn't it way better if you experience not just the "overrated" ones and also go for the underrated beautiful places a city or province has to offer. There still exists manmade local destinations where you can check out local cultures. Like in Bohol.
Architect Francisco "Bobby"
Mañosa is that rare breed of Filipino architect who championed the Filipino
style at a time when foreign influence was the vogue and the use of indigenous materials
was limited to a few brave souls.
It is therefore not surprising that Architect Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa, Filipino architect who championed the Filipino style at a time when foreign influence was the vogue, has been tapped to put to life the vision of the owners of the uppity Eskaya Beach
Resort & Spa at Bohol who wanted to incorporate the local culture in Bohol, where
the 16-hectare gateway is located, into its aesthetics, particularly on
its famous thatched villas known as "balais."
Consider how the culture of the Eskaya tribe, which inhabits Bohol long before the Internet revolution conquered the province, was incorporated into its design philosophy. A tough task, but Mañosa delivered. That, and the centuries-old churches, ancestral homes, the province's topography, its faura and fauna, all played an important role in making the resort as Boholano as its famous Chocolate Hills are.
"The fundamental of our local
architecture is very clear to me. Culture, climate and our rich history are
both the unifying and dividing factor," says Mañosa. "Oftentimes
we look into the local region where the project is located to see if there are
any influences or local inspirations that can be derived in inspiring
architecture."
The 15 thatched villas, as well as the other facilities inside the property including its restaurant and bar, all used local materials found in the province -- rattan, wood, cogon grass, stones, and bamboos.
The writings of the Eskaya tribe, where
the resort got its name, are also very visible in the entire resort, starting
from the letters of the alphabet that were used to identify the property right
at the main gate. "The biggest influence was the writings of the Eskaya
tribe which not many people know still exist to this day,” says the architect,
who credits his father for championing "Filipinism" in his
works.
"We felt an awareness of Filipinos to know who the ‘Eskaya’ tribes are and what sort of influences they have in the Visayas region. This brought my firm to a quest to try and uplift the awareness of the tribe through architecture."
Mañosa also credits the Lim family, who
owns the luxury resort, for giving him and his team the freedom in shaping up
Eskaya into what it is today. The Lims even introduced the architect to the
Eskaya people just so he could get a firsthand experience of the tribe's
culture and ways of life.
While the 15 villas were designed
uniformly to stay within the budget, each of them were built in such a way that
guests were assured of privacy, a rare commodity these days especially if you
live in a city as crowded as Manila. This way, the guests will feel as if
they are the only ones occupying the entire resort.
"The positioning of buildings and their relationships to each other was very important. We did not want a resort where “maximizing” the property was a priority," says Mañosa.
"We felt that
space was just as important as the building space. This gave the guests
the freedom to experience and savors the openness of the landscape, and enjoys
the property's natural beauty."
With Mañosa's
imagination and creativity, the Eskaya spirit and soul will definitely live on
for hundreds of years. Crossing this in my bucket list definitely before 8 years.
For more information on Eskaya Beach Resort and
Spa, log on to http://www.eskayaresort.com/ or call
(+632)576-3082, (+632)576-3051, (+632)584-3180 or email reservations@eskayaresorts.com.
0 comments
What do you think? Share your thoughts below!