That he is comfortable in front of my camera's lens is a testament to the fact that he has been a celebrity even among the elite in the Philippines. His annual parties and masquerade balls became the gauge by which one is measured in high society, and being invited into one is a privilege even among the most affluent in the Philippines. "I'm well-known for my big parties" he says proudly, "and I have made all the parties that you can imagine, from Egyptian theme to Americana, and the best part of it is that I have a lot of friends who are game!"
Yet, even at the age of seventy-seven, the gracious Don Ado Escudero, lord of the 400-hectare Hacienda Escudero, has hardly slowed down. Just recently he held a grand ball attended by some of his well-known friends in society including the internationally renowned Filipiniana designer Patis Tesoro. The party was for the opening of his newly completed Plaza del Palmeral Clubhouse, a recent development to his hacienda.
A hands-on haciendero, Don Ado still tours his kingdom everyday, visiting various parts of the hacienda, taking notes on how to improve the facilities, and meeting with tourists who are wowed to learn they are talking with the owner himself. Just recently, he signed a deal with giant Landco Pacific developers to convert more hectares of the hacienda into a tourist resort and park. He plans to make a 1930s theme to his hacienda, the time of his great idol, the flamboyant Manuel L. Quezon, the Commonwealth President.
"I want to create a theme park based on the era of the Philippine Commonwealth" he said proudly. "Right now,we are on the process of beginning that park. It will be unique, it will be grand!"
"Come with me for a ride", Don Ado says to me "I will personally tour you to my hacienda". This was unbelievable. Boarding his golf cart, we toured his estate, with Don Ado as my "chauffer'! I was amazed that he still can drive his cart with great agility. All the while I was thinking, "Good heavens, this man is the lord of this hacienda..and look, he's driving me around for a tour!"
"I'm the only one who can do this" he says beaming as he swiftly turned his cart into a sharp curve on the road.
"I have opened my family property to the public so they too can enjoy a land where there are still a lot of trees around, where you can find rare species of birds that have been extinct somewhere else because of deforestation. I love nature, and I vowed to preserve it within my property. I have made the Hacienda Escudero as a place where you can still feel proud to be a Filipino. When you tour Villa Escudero, you feel you are being transported to the simpler days of Philippine life, where you can ride a boat, a carabao, and inspire yourself to the beauty of the Philippines"
Indeed, the Hacienda Escudero, is the only hacienda that has a themed atmosphere: barrio and nature. When you tour the hacienda, you cannot fail to notice that it was as if you were travelling through the past. The ambiance of history and culture surrounds you, what with the hacienda people in traditional clothes, carabao carts, calesas, and the objects of antiquities that had been assembled by the Escudero family.
The Hacienda Escudero was built by Don Placido Escudero (Don Ado's great grandfather) in the 1870s, establishing the very first coconut industry in San Pablo and Tiaong. During the Second World War, the hacienda got bankrupt and Don Ado's parents had to start rebuilding the hacienda after the war. Although Don Ado's parents--Don Arsenio and Dona Rosario--started the themed atmosphere of the Villa, it was Don Ado who pushed it to the fullest possibility by opening the hacienda to the public. At present, it is the only working plantation/hacienda that the public can visit. The Villa has hundreds of visitors everyday.
Meanwhile, we arrived at another grand mansion located just near the base of Mount Banahaw. The mansion turned out to be the rest house of Don Ado, a house he himself personally built. It is also filled with hundreds of ivory and wooden santos, retablos, relicarios, religious paintings, and other treasures of Filipiniana and orientalia. I thought that it contained more antiques than the Philippine National Museum.
He opened the blinds of the huge window in his bedroom and a breathtaking view of Mount Banahaw presented itself. The mystical mountain, wrapped in thick clouds, make for a fascinating spectacle. Here and there are various species of Philippine trees which Don Ado has staunchly protected against illegal logging.
"This part of the hacienda" he says, "is my home within home. This is my favorite place. So quiet here. I bring a lot of my friends here and just have a nice wonderful afternoon of tea and chat. Isn't it wonderful, to see nature undisturbed?"
I nodded. As a nature lover myself, I thought that this is the kind of place I would want to retire someday, and perhaps if i had the fortune to reach the advance age of Don Ado, I would probably still look young like he does because of lovely surroundings.
Don Ado is a lover of nature, and a lover of history. We talked about a wide variety of subjects: politics, personalities, art, and his collections of antiquities. When he was younger, many people wanted him to become a politician. "But I never wanted to enter the world of politics. It is a dirty game and I don't want to mess with it. All I wanted was to become a farmer" Indeed, proof of his love for farming was his diploma in agriculture that he earned from the prestigious Cornell University in New York.
"Are you related to Senator Chiz Escudero?" I asked.
"Yes, but very distant relations. His family has been into politics for the longest time, but my family was never in any way involved in politics"
Lastly, our conversation turned to his collection of santos. I mentioned that I have never seen a collection of santos as many as his.
"They protect me" he says "and they bring me good blessings in life". As a devoted Catholic myself, I felt that it was true if one considers Don Ado's length of life, fortune, and happiness.
Meanwhile it was already getting late and my companions from the Vibal Foundation have already finished their task of photographing the Escudero Museum. I thanked Don Ado for his kindness and warm hospitality, and that I would forever treasure this wonderful experience of touring the Hacienda Escudero and its fantastic collections of antiquities.
"Wait", Do Ado said with a smile, "I want to give you this." It was a book about him published by his friends. He signed the book with a dedication and gave it to me. It was almost unbelievable. I promised him that I would return to the Hacienda and give him something in return.
The likes of Don Ado may be very few in this world: rich in wealth and heart, noble, gentleman, but very very down to earth.
Indeed, the Hacienda Escudero, is the only hacienda that has a themed atmosphere: barrio and nature. When you tour the hacienda, you cannot fail to notice that it was as if you were travelling through the past. The ambiance of history and culture surrounds you, what with the hacienda people in traditional clothes, carabao carts, calesas, and the objects of antiquities that had been assembled by the Escudero family.
The Hacienda Escudero was built by Don Placido Escudero (Don Ado's great grandfather) in the 1870s, establishing the very first coconut industry in San Pablo and Tiaong. During the Second World War, the hacienda got bankrupt and Don Ado's parents had to start rebuilding the hacienda after the war. Although Don Ado's parents--Don Arsenio and Dona Rosario--started the themed atmosphere of the Villa, it was Don Ado who pushed it to the fullest possibility by opening the hacienda to the public. At present, it is the only working plantation/hacienda that the public can visit. The Villa has hundreds of visitors everyday.
Meanwhile, we arrived at another grand mansion located just near the base of Mount Banahaw. The mansion turned out to be the rest house of Don Ado, a house he himself personally built. It is also filled with hundreds of ivory and wooden santos, retablos, relicarios, religious paintings, and other treasures of Filipiniana and orientalia. I thought that it contained more antiques than the Philippine National Museum.
He opened the blinds of the huge window in his bedroom and a breathtaking view of Mount Banahaw presented itself. The mystical mountain, wrapped in thick clouds, make for a fascinating spectacle. Here and there are various species of Philippine trees which Don Ado has staunchly protected against illegal logging.
"This part of the hacienda" he says, "is my home within home. This is my favorite place. So quiet here. I bring a lot of my friends here and just have a nice wonderful afternoon of tea and chat. Isn't it wonderful, to see nature undisturbed?"
I nodded. As a nature lover myself, I thought that this is the kind of place I would want to retire someday, and perhaps if i had the fortune to reach the advance age of Don Ado, I would probably still look young like he does because of lovely surroundings.
Don Ado is a lover of nature, and a lover of history. We talked about a wide variety of subjects: politics, personalities, art, and his collections of antiquities. When he was younger, many people wanted him to become a politician. "But I never wanted to enter the world of politics. It is a dirty game and I don't want to mess with it. All I wanted was to become a farmer" Indeed, proof of his love for farming was his diploma in agriculture that he earned from the prestigious Cornell University in New York.
"Are you related to Senator Chiz Escudero?" I asked.
"Yes, but very distant relations. His family has been into politics for the longest time, but my family was never in any way involved in politics"
Lastly, our conversation turned to his collection of santos. I mentioned that I have never seen a collection of santos as many as his.
"They protect me" he says "and they bring me good blessings in life". As a devoted Catholic myself, I felt that it was true if one considers Don Ado's length of life, fortune, and happiness.
Meanwhile it was already getting late and my companions from the Vibal Foundation have already finished their task of photographing the Escudero Museum. I thanked Don Ado for his kindness and warm hospitality, and that I would forever treasure this wonderful experience of touring the Hacienda Escudero and its fantastic collections of antiquities.
"Wait", Do Ado said with a smile, "I want to give you this." It was a book about him published by his friends. He signed the book with a dedication and gave it to me. It was almost unbelievable. I promised him that I would return to the Hacienda and give him something in return.
The likes of Don Ado may be very few in this world: rich in wealth and heart, noble, gentleman, but very very down to earth.
Don Ado driving his cart
We passed by this carabao cart on the way to tour guests around the hacienda
One of the hundreds of ivory santos inside the rest house of Don Ado is this magnificent Nuestra Senora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary)
Inside his moated library containing some very rare books
Don Ado. Behind him is the original Louie XVI tapestry from Versailles Palace. He bought the tapestry at Sotheby's. The French government wanted to buy back the tapestry but Don Ado said his house was not an antique shop.
Don Ado signing the book he gave to me as souvenir
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