GOING OUT

Music and memories

By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

CONCERT
Harana
Featuring Lani Misalucha
Oct. 31
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Bagac, Bataan

Hotel de Oriente

What better way is there to spend the last day of October than with a weekend getaway somewhere historic, romantic, and filled with music?

On Oct. 31, Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha will serenade romantic souls at the heritage resort Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan, at a one-night only concert called Harana.

While Bagac is widely associated with the World War II’s Death March (you can pursue your ghost hunting adventure there if you dare), it also is home to a unique collection of historical homes and buildings, giving visitors a look at a much earlier time in the country’s history.

The 400-hectare Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar features restored original Spanish colonial buildings and bahay na bato (stone houses) (there are currently 27), were transferred, plank by plank, from their original locations aroud the country to Bataan. The resort was born from the vision of the art collector, owner, and architect Jose Rizalino Acuzar who wanted to make a life-sized replica of Spanish-era towns.

“As a heritage resort, we champion Filipino talent. Lani Misalucha is hardly here in the Philippines. People clamor for someone who they don’t see on a daily basis,” said Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar marketing director Mary Rose Razon.

Misalucha, who is now based in the US, popularized songs like “Starting Over Again,” “Bukas na Lang Kita Mamahalin,” “Tila,” and “Malaya Ka Na,” among others.

Mel Villena, renowned musician, composer, and musical director for artists like Sharon Cuneta, Pops Fernandez, and Martin Nievera, will be the concert’s musical director. The AMP band will provide musical accompaniment.

The show (with a four-course dinner) costs P10,000 per person. It may sound steep, but perhaps not, because the concert is for the benefit of Quiapo Manila Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Baustista atbp. Lugar, Inc.

Lani Misalucha

MANILA’S FIRST LUXURY HOTEL IN BATAAN
The romantic harana and dinner will be held in the newly opened Hotel de Oriente. Unlike most of the structures in the heritage resort, the Hotel de Oriente is a replica of the original grand hotel — built in Binondo, Manila in 1889 — since it was destroyed in World War II. In its place today stands a commercial bank.

Thanks to surviving photographs of Manila’s first ever luxury hotel — Jose Rizal stayed in room 22 in 1892 after a trip in Hong Kong — the architects and engineers of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar were able to copy the façade of the hotel down to its last detail.

The interior is a different matter. While its grand style matches the façade, the interiors do not match the original since it is not a hotel but is an events space.

The three-storey building is rustic yet elegant, with much wood and gold. Guests are greeted with a wood mosaic replica of Juan Luna’sSpoliarium made by local artists.

The Manila and Binondo Halls on the first floor can accommodate 1,000 guests. Among its first visitors were the international delegates from the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) in June.

The steps leading to the second floor also feature a wood mosaic highlighted with touches of gold. Look up and see a replica of a Botong Francisco painting, again, made of wood mosaic.

The third floor houses smaller function rooms named after Manila’s famous streets like Avenida and Azcarraga.

For tickets, call TicketWorld at 891-9999.