Traces from the Heritage of the Past: The Reconstruction of Baliwag Municipal Museum Architecture

The municipality of Baliwag is one of the first class municipalities in the province of Bulacan. The term Baliwag came from the native tagalog term “maliliwag” means slowpokes. Baliwag was founded in 1732 by Augustinian friars and was incorporated by the Spanish Governor-General on May 26, 1733. Municipal Museum of Baliwag became the centerpiece of cultural heritage of the town. It is one of the Spanish colonial heritage houses and cultural properties which was believed built probably in early 1800s. The old Municipal Hall was converted into a museum showcasing various historical accounts and documents about the town’s prominent people, events, and architectures. The house’s architectural compositions revealed countless facts and stories that have occurred over 170 years ago. The original architectural structure of the house is a typical bahay na bato (stone house) with the influence of Spanish design as a result of the 330 years of Spanish colonialization in the Philippines. This paper would like to share initial findings on the Baliwag Municipal Museum investigation as one of Baliwag, Bulacan, Philippines’ recognized cultural heritage.