An Abandoned Mansion in Oton

14 March 2015 Creative Commons License: Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives, 4.0 International License 1

written & photographed by:

fergus jm ducharme

An Abandoned Mansion in Oton, Ilo²Another sights & sounds of Ilo² episode


Driving from Iloilo City Proper into Oton, a drive of about 20 to 30 minutesdepending on the time of day and the traffic there are so many interestingplaces that you should stop at and explore, or at least take a few extra minutesand do a walkabout!

These places include such places as…


The Eusebio Villanueva Mansion facing the Old Provincial Jail & the ProvincialCapital Building in downtown Iloilo City


Old Iloilo Provincial Jail Iloilo Provincial Capitol, photo by: panoramio.com & Dominican


St Paul’s Hospital, Iloilo City San Agustin University, Iloilo City


St Anne Church, Molo, Iloilo The Yusay-Consing Mansion, Molo, Iloilo


The Dominican Sisters Motherhouse inMolo, Iloilo. Mother Celestine Bancal of theDominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosarystands underneath the portrait of MotherRosario Arroyo, an Ilongga nun who is inthe Beatification Process of the Church.Photo by Tara Yap

The Mill Hill Fathers, ‘Home Office’, Molo,Iloilo City


Sto Nino de Arevalo, the 2nd oldest Santo Nino in the Philippines.

Sto Nino de Arevalo Church, Arevalo photo from Nereo Cajilig Luján posted in Old Iloilo


On entering Oton, you cross the “Old SpanishBridge” known as the Batiano Bridge you turnright and there is the church in all its glory butdestroyed by the Lady CayCay Earthquake in1948.

The majestic Oton Church of the ImmaculateConception, unfortunately destroyed by the LadyCayCay Earthquake in 1948


While you’re in Oton, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to take a leisurely walkaround the downtown of this very friendly small municipality. Park your car justoutside the church compound at the Town Plaza.


Head back into the church compound, and look for some of the reminders of the original church that was thought to be one of the largest churches in this part of the world. You should look for:

The Our Lady of Fatima Grotto built fromstone that was salvaged from the originalchurch and using a couple of its walls also.

Huge pieces of limestone that were part ofthe original church used as a border in thegardens on the property.


A statue of & shrine to St Pedro Calungsodstands next to the parish’s Adoration Centreboth a worth a visit and a short prayer visit.


Now head across the street into the Town Plaza was straight until you reach thebasketball court. Turn right, and head up to the memorial wall which was built inmemory of those lost in the various wars in which local Ilonggos have participated..


Now turn 360° & you should seethe Oton Municipal Hall on theexact opposite side of the Plaza,facing you. Head in that directionthrough the middle of the plazaand discover three more statueson your way.


The statue depicting the working man

The statue of Jose Rizal The statue of a Katipunan Liberation Fighter


Continue your exploration through the Oton Municipal Hall’s grounds; make sureto drop by the Mayor’s Office to let him know what you think of his town based onyour findings so far. If he’s in he will normally take a few moments to greet youand listen to what you have to say. He is very approachable. Continue to explorethe ground and you will find the Local Medical Centre, the PhilPost post officealong with the Oton Police Station and Jail and not too far away the Oton FireStation. Several National Government Offices are interspersed throughout thisarea.

You should now be at the Oton Multipurpose Gym. In the photo below, you wouldbe at the white building at the middle rear of the photo – which is the Oton PoliceStation. Now, follow this alleyway and you will arrive at the National Highwaywhich is also called: F.C. Zulueta Street within the town limits. Across this majorstreet is the Oton Public Market.

If you have never experienced walking through such a marketplace, don’t missthis opportunity, it is well worth you time…


Once you’ve finished exploring the Oton Public Market, the cross the main streetagain and turn right and walk towards the two story pink building and follow thismain street right to where you’ve parked your car by the church…


By this time and depending whenyou started this expedition, youmust be getting really hungry andneeding a lunch break. It shouldbe somewhere around 2:00pm ifI’ve figured things out properly.So let’s head somewhere forlunch. Once you’re in the car,head back exactly the way youcame from and continue past theOton Public Market andMultipurpose Gym until you getto the Gaisano Shopping Mall.

Park your car here – there areactually only 3 restaurants in thearea that I am familiar with andwould actually recommend


Located just across the street from Oton’s Gaisano Mall. The food and the pricesare both excellent for both small or larger family group. Known for their seafood,chicken & pork dishes.


Also just across the street from the Gaisano Mall, this is the original Talabahan inthe area. Talabahans are known for serving oysters in many different ways, but themost popular by far is the steamed variety, they also serve chicken and pork dishes.


Located just inside Oton’s Gaisano Mall, this is a national franchise restaurantknow for its chicken and pork dishes and for serving guests unlimited rice withtheir meals. Food is usually very good and the price is always right!


Alternatively, you may wish to enjoy a more upscale lunch and spend the afternoonrelaxing by the pool then we would suggest and in fact highly recommend The SheridanBoutique Resort, which is located just a very short distance - only a couple of hundredyards away from the Abandoned Mansion. The Resort’s contact information is below:

for inquiries and reservations: tel.: 033–396-0033 cell.: 0917-307-7643e-mail: [email protected] web: www.sheridanboutiqueresort.com


Depending on the option chosen you can then proceed to view the AbandonedMansion and once finished at that stop then head back to Iloilo City.

Now to get to the Mansion head back the way you came and when you get to theBatiano Bridge slow down, you’ll be turning left, ...

it’s a tricky turnbecause once youhave crossed thebridge and are in fullview of the Total GasStation facing you theroad bears to the right– a sharp & dangerousright curve. You’ll beturning left at that pointthe turn is also verydangerous because ofthe curve and oncoming traffic be verycareful.


Once you’ve made the turn, there it is the Abandoned Mansion. Stop for a fewminutes to view and perhaps photograph the place…it’s quite interesting youcan walk around the perimeter of the property and occasionally you’ll find anopening in the fence – you can usually safely ‘sneak’ in and some betterphotos – but remember be careful, there is a lot of garbage strewn aboutincluding broken glass. And pleased do not enter the building under anycircumstances.

The photos below were taken by us on our own exploration of the site in earlyMarch 2015. We have tried to get some information about the place andhaven’t been very successful to date – we’re still trying and will report any newdiscoveries as soon as we get them.


We hope you enjoyed your short visit to the Oton area todayand look forward to having you back to visit with us again aswe head off in a different direction next time.

Most of the places we visited today have their own full storyon the website which will give you all the details on each ofthese wonderful locations. Check them all out at:

www.historicphilippines.com


we thank you for being with us today and ourteam members for their efforts in bringing youthis story.

[email protected]

Roselyn J Parrenas: She Who Must be Obeyed

Nilo Jimeno: driver, facilitator & assistant discoverer

Jomarie Acallar: navigator, facilitator, assistant discoverer & photographer

Amy Bailo: driver

An Abandoned Mansion in Oton

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