Vega Ancestral House

The Vega Ancestral House is one of the 1st Transition Bahay na Bato inspired houses that has been standing through times and witnessed the different colonial periods of the Philippines in its 200 (estimated) years of existence. Sculpted wooden atlases are perhaps the most interesting feature of this house located in Poblacion, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. Sculpted wooden atlases or, also known as, "Oti-ot" in Visayan language, provides support to the second floor protrusion of the house. This house is one important built structure in the locality that tourists usually come to visit. In fact, notable personalities like Emilio Aguinaldo and Sergio Osmeña had visited this house.HistoryIn the 1800s, a young merchant from San Nicolas in Cebu by the name of Ignacio Juan Vega settled in Northern Mindanao at a small town, then named Galas, today Balingasag . It was through Vega that the Cebuano devotion to the Sto. Nino was introduced to the townsfolk of Balingasag. Aside from this cultural practice he imparted, he also left behind a heritage house that is considered these days as one of the important landmarks that can be found in Misamis Oriental.The house also witnessed the political endeavor of its owners. The first town executive came from the Vega Clan in the person of Faustino Vega. He was known that time as presidente local, under the short-lived First Philippine Republic . Melquiades Vega, the son of Faustino Vega, served as the first presidente local under the American Regime .Though there are no existing documents that would trace back a specific period of time when this house was constructed, several attempts by heritage advocates to document this house and as well as bloggers and the local townsfolk unanimously say that this house was built in the 1800s.