Memories of an Era: A memorable visit to Casa de Segunda

By Manny G. Asuncion
Melbourne, Australia
July 27, 2015



It was late afternoon when we reached Casa de Segunda  on 198 Calle Rizal in Lipa City. The main gate was closed,  so we pulled down  the rope of an old brass bell located at the top of the small side door.  


We introduced ourselves as visitors from Manila when a  young girl (about  fourteen years old ) opened the side door and inquired who we were. We said if we could have a look at the house. The girl said she would ask  the caretaker if we could still be accommodated.   After a few seconds,  she  girl re-appeared and told us that we could see the place. 

We were ushered into the  wide open  court yard. The first thing that attracted my attention  was a small fountain and an ancient stone stairways leading up to the 19^th century azotea or balcony which seemed to transport us to the time of  Spanish era.  The balcony strongly reminded me of the romantic scene between Maria Clara and Crisostomo Ibarra in the novel of Dr Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere .

She invited us to the Zaguan  or the receiving  room of the house where she showed us old photos of the Katigbak-Luz families and photo copied manuscripts from the National Library as well as a book of the history of Lipa and its once opulent society.  The  room was full of Katigbak-Luz memorabilia: portraits of  Segunda Katigbak, her husband Don Manuel Mitra de San Miguel Luz, her parents and  the Katigbak-Luz clans. 

“This house was built by my great, great grandfather Don Norberto Calao Katigbak  in 1880s. It was partially destroyed during WW II and repaired by Paz Luz Dimayuga (Great granddaughter of Segunda Katigbak) in 1956. It was declared a National Heritage House  by the National  Historical Institute  in  1966,“ mused Ms Malabanan. 
The Katigbaks we were well known families in Lipa and were famous for their successful and lucrative business, the coffee industry. Don Norberto Katigbak married Dona Justa Mitra de Leon Miguel Solis  and had 9 children one of which was Segunda Katigbak, the first love of Rizal.  

Rizal first met Segunda, a classmate of his elder sister Olympia, at the party of his aunt in Trozo Manila. He was with his best friend,  Mariano Katigbak, the brother of Segunda.  He described her as: “A short lady with eloquent eyes, rosy cheeks and has a smile that reveals very beautiful teeth.”
Segunda then was a 14-year old  ‘Colegiala’  at  Colegio de la  Concordia in Paco, Manila,  who captured the young  heart of Jose Rizal, a  16-year old student of Ateneo de Manila.  For teen-aged Rizal, it was “love at first sight. “
Young Rizal became a frequent visitor to Colegio de la Concordia  but unable to express his feelings for Segunda for he heard some rumours that she was going to be betrothed to her townmate chosen by her parents.

Rizal had written poems for her and made some sketches of her while Segunda in return gave him an artificial rose which perhaps  symbolized an impossibility of their relations,  for she was already engaged to be married to Manuel Luz, a member of one of the wealthy scions in Lipa, Batangas.  
The last time he saw  Segunda was in Binan Laguna, where he caught a  glimpse of her riding on a Carromata  (a horse-drawn vehicle) going home to Lipa, waving her handkerchief to him. According to some writers and historians, young Rizal would have liked to follow  Segunda, but instead harnessed his horse towards home to Calamba, Laguna. Forlorn and broken-hearted. Deep in his heart, he knew that she would never see Segunda again. That evening, he sadly wrote in his diary: 
“Ended at an early hour, my first love. My virgin heart will always mourn the reckless steps it took on the flower-decked abyss.”

Ms Malabanan brought us to the living room which was located on the second floor. The room was furnished  with 19^th century furniture and had wooden narra floorings.  There were three wide  windows that surrounded  the room made of wood and capiz shell.
Below the window sills were small windows or ventanillas which allowed the breeze inside the house. Between the stairs were two bedrooms with canopied beds covered with lace bed sheets.   The dining room or the Komedor was below the azotea.
One could still imagine the genteel life of people who once lived in this place. Their grand parties and social activities  with distinguished gentlemen and perfumed ladies in all their fineries.
Looking out of the window,  Ms Malabanan said that some of the fruit trees (alagao, mango, santol, star apple, peppercorn, papaya, kamias and calamansi )  in the orchard,   date back to their great-great grandfather’s time.  Its trees  still yield  bountiful harvest like the olden days. 

With our Iphones, we requested our guide to have photos with us inside the house and at the Casa’s verdant orchard,   which she graciously accepted. She even told us where to get the best spots to shoot photos. 
It was already getting dark when we finally said goodbye to our amiable  host and thanked her for our memorable visit to Casa de Segunda.