Tags: Attractions, Museums
By Marjorie Gorospe
SAN PABLO CITY, LAGUNA— Each item in this antique gallery is a testament to the country’s rich cultural heritage as well as its owner’s lifelong passion.
Sulyap Gallery Café houses the vast antique collection of Roy Empalmado, which includes native wooden cabinets, tin products, toy cars, beds and chandeliers.
Each item is personally researched by the San Pablo native before earning its place in his massive gallery – a three-storey building being renovated into an antique lover’s dream.
“Dealing with antiques also takes a lot of research aside from its monetary demand and I intentionally go to places where I can see and have these things,” says Roy, whose collections include items that date back to the “primitive” era.
“I like putting things into proper places and it just fascinates me knowing how these antiques were used in the past and how it was well taken care. That is valuable,” Roy says.
He also professes his love for old cameras and motorbikes. And what true-blue vintage collector won’t have a Volkswagen? His is a classic Beetle you will find parked in front of a Spanish-era ancestral house he is currently renovating into a bed-and-breakfast inn.
Just across the gallery is another ancestral house. Built in 1907, the house was literally transferred from Tiaong, Quezon and then reconstructed to its original design.
Roy recalls finding a house that was ready to be auctioned and he simply could not bear the thought that it would eventually be destroyed, along with it the heritage that it signifies.
So he eventually bought the house and set out to restore it piece by piece. It now houses a cafe that serves traditional Laguna breakfast.
Until now, Roy admits he indulges in his passion. When he travels, seeking out antiques is second nature for him. But most of all, his collection serves as his legacy to his countrymen to help them rediscover their past.
“Sulyap simply means a glimpse of the past, of our cultural heritage and these antiques are simply part of life and our culture. It’s not something I want to keep just for myself but for others to appreciate.”
Get more information about Sulyap Gallery Café
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Sulyap Gallery Cafe in Laguna provides a glimpse of Spanish era ancestral houses
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