The Ruins at Talisay

The Ruins, through the years, has been slowly developing from this old mansion born out of a man's love for his wife to this tourist destination/events place. The skeletal concrete rose out of the ashes of the mansion after being set on fire, for three consecutive days it burnt everything to the ground save for what is now being called as "The Taj Mahal of the Philippines." Through the years the management has been building structures around it, trees topping as high as the ruin, adding commercial value to the gem that once was, and ultimately diminishing its charm. 

A before and after pic. Goes to show how bad my photography has gotten.

Where you once were able to risk going up the second floor, because
it only says CAUTION, now prohibits you from risking life and limb to see
the beautiful view from above.

THIS!!! YOU WILL NO LONGER GET TO SEE THIS FROM THE OUTSIDE!!! D:

From this supposed ruins suddenly jutting out of a sugarcane field out from nowhere, it has become this green-walled thing that I was not able to take a photo of because I thought made a wrong turn, only to realize that I was right next to the new entrance! Just as the fees have risen, so have the walls and shops─from a premium 360° view of the ruin years back, only 180° is left for your viewing pleasure...which is quite frankly, disappointing. As mentioned, there's a new entrance where a guy waits and immediately makes you pay a Php20.00 parking fee before you could enter their parking lot, then you will have to get in a small building where you will pay another Php100.00 entrance fee if you're an adult, Php50.00 for seniors, Php40.00 for students, and Php20.00 for kids. You will enter from the back side of the ruin, putting a halt to the feeling I got of entering-the-grand-entrance-of-a-grim-fairy tale-mansion when I entered the premises the first few times. Sad. Very sad.

At least there are tricycles waiting there now, a much easier commute.

From this beautiful simple landscape that allows the structure to tower over everything
in 2009 is now a overly vegetated area with the trees overpowering the structure's stance.

A photo I took a few days ago.

I came here for the first time back in the day when there was only a caretaker and no entrance fee─a time when I had no camera and had to steal the car because I didn't have a driver's license, it was a wow moment, like a faded glimpse of how fabulous the lives of rich hacienderos were a lifetime ago. I remember just sitting there, calm and amazed before the ruin. It was less romanticized and splendidly raw. A beautiful ruin in the middle of a sugarcane field. With a very old charm, it subtly showed Negros' golden years. The second time was for my thesis in 2009, I went with my family because they were supportive like that─or maybe they were just making sure I did my job right so I could graduate. Shockingly, we were charged a Php5.00 parking fee and a Php20.00 entrance fee if I remember correctly...eventually raising it to Php50.00 the next time I returned, and now a badtrip Php100.00 plus parking fee!!! Grrr...

From this faraway place for photo ops, it now is a spot for prenups and wedding receptions or other special events thing place. Business seems to be good because there's even a football field and a retreat house right beside it now. Not to mention a new subdivision at close proximity and a fully cemented road along the way. 

At least the breeze is still fresh, and getting here is more accessible now. It has been redesigned for a bigger crowd. I scanned the log book, finding people coming in from as far as Canada, Norway, Australia, USA, Korea, and Argentina, whereas before it was mostly signed by local tourists.

Some details are no longer as visible, but remains beautiful to be seen.
These photos were taken in 2009.

This was in 2009, when the tables were inside the mansion. People could sit here for a while,
now they have removed them, probably to avoid bystanders inside, and instead go sit
at their restaurant and buy something.

This is what it looks like now, a dingy space. At least you won't get wet when it rains!

This is the 180° view I was speaking of. Stand at any other angle and you will
barely get to see the ruin.

The triangle monument thing reads:

"The Ruins of the mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson was built in loving memory of his deceased wife Maria Braga after her death in 1911. 

The mansion of Italianate architecture was designed to be a monument of their enduring love affair.

In the eve of World War II in 1942, the mansion was torched by the guerilla fighters and was burning for 3 days, leaving behind reminders of a glorious past."

I like drinking the fresh sugarcane juice every time I go there. It's Php50.00 per cup.

This is a good spot to sit and watch the world go by. On the right is the souvenir shop.
You can buy pasalubong items like Virgie's products.

Their sort-of new addition to the expanding place. This is where you can rent
the area for private events. Stargazing is still possible at this point.

This is like an altar that they built, and if it wasn't as cloudy as when I took this shot,
you will see Mt. Talisay behind the sugarcane plantation. It's quite beautiful.

I lost that feeling of awe; being somewhere beautifully secluded, as it is now a tourist spot, period. At least now there's background music and plenty of seats. Now it has stalls and a restaurant, even a souvenir shop─two at that. They are turning it into an events place, and quite commercialized at this point. But still, the burned up mansion is magnificent, though less glorious.

And as this place is being recognized world wide, I am hopeful that its romantic charm would remain steadfast and not slowly fall into a commercialized ruin. There should always be a balance between progress and preservation, tip the scale too much and both could turn into a crumbling mess.