The long-neglected historic Nabua Gabaldon School Building prior to its demolition early this year

Recently, the Nabua municipal government under Mayor Fer Simbulan ordered the furtive demolition of Nabua's Gabaldon building without proper public consultation in order to give way to a new commercial edifice. The destruction of that historic building is indeed tragic - a very unfortunate ending for a built heritage that is not only one of the first cradles of formal education in our town but also a silent witness to the evolution of our community.

The Nabua Gabaldon building was an authentic gift from the past, a gift from our ancestors. It was one of the few concrete Gabaldon-type structures that were built between the period of 1911 to 1916 following the implementation of the Philippine Assembly Act No. 1801 (commonly known as GABALDON ACT) authored by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon. Under the aforementioned law, the Philippine government appropriated Php 1 million between 1907 to 1915 for the construction of schoolhouses that would later be called "Gabaldon School Buildings", a result of the standardized designs made by then Bureau of Public Works and Bureau of Education.

Since its completion in 1912, the said building became a permanent fixture in our town. It became a sort of an impeccable icon in our community through the years. Come hell or high water in the history of our town, it stood there like one of us - a resilient Nabueno. But sadly, it is now gone forever.

The demolition of our Gabaldon building is truly lamentable. When Ms. Dada Docot brought up the initiative to save and conserve that building, Nabua Forum (NF) quickly buckled down to work. This Forum continuously tried to awaken fellow Nabuenos' spirit of volunteerism and sense of community but only a handful responded. Help came in trickle. The battle to save Nabua's Gabaldon became a lonely one as sensible pleas to our municipal officials consistently fell on deaf ears. Even Dada's polite request for an audience with the municipal mayor was not granted and never did concerned officials attempted to clearly explain to the community the reasons behind the demolition plan. In fact, NF would have been very accommodating if they have given their side prior to the demolition.

Now in the absence of an explanation from those who pushed for its demolition, I would like to state my three (3) basic reasons, and their "values" (in the hope to change some hearts?), in supporting NF's initiative to conserve Nabua's Gabaldon building. The following "values" I believe were stolen from us by our officials: 

A.      Aesthetic Value

That Gabaldon building is a landmark of architectural significance to our town. Though dilapidated due to neglect, that building deserved preservation being one of the few authentic structures of more than fifty years in Nabua. Its style and history contributed to the interesting aura of our town because it provided us with a direct testament to the architectural flair of the past, of our ancestors.  

The advent of new and modernist buildings made it even more compelling to preserve old structures because the latter links us with our past, with our history as a community. Without Gabaldon in our midst, our town will be less appealing and less architecturally diverse. And without any trace of heritage, Nabua will become a mere congregation of people, a soulless and artless commune of living creatures... Is this the kind of Nabua we want?

*(I used "that" signifying "gone, done" in referring to the demolished Gabaldon.)

B.     Socio-Economic Value

The argument espoused by the municipal leadership that having a new edifice in lieu of Gabaldon is seemingly based only on economic gains - a doubtful position. Demolishing Gabaldon and putting up a new building for commercial purposes will not enhance our town's economic status in the long term than preserving it. 

Recent economic thoughts and programs both of private and public entities support restoration of historic structures for new usage. Heritage tourism, as it is known, is a form of tourism that preserves local culture and at the same time enhances the quality of life of the residents and visitors. The Philippine government, through the Department of Tourism, believes in heritage tourism as an economic tool. This fact can be clearly gleaned from the government's massive campaign to attract tourists, expatriates and locals to explore the Philippines by visiting great cultural heritage hideaways and structures. Our national government fully realizes the economic power of historical preservation but our local government believes otherwise... Are Nabua's local officials wiser now than the national government? 

Nonetheless, I will still proffer two possible economic potentials if that Gabaldon building was only preserved: 

1.      As a museum

If that Gabaldon building was only conserved, it could have been turned into a museum and it still could generate income far beyond its walls.  Say, every museum visitor will pay a certain minimal amount to tour the place but other collateral expenses while they stay in our town will be more. Visitors will definitely buy food, stay in hotels, buy some souvenir items, ride public transportation as they go around town, etc. And what about the exposure that Nabua could generate from the positive feedback of visitors? And did our officials ever thought of the pride it could give to all Nabuenos? 

Indeed, heritage tourism brings forth continuous economic prospects for the local economy than having a new commercial building. But more importantly, heritage tourism helps sustain people's pride and faith in their community - the combination of these two elements is very empowering.

2.      As "incubator" of local small businesses

Nabua's economy is anchored on small businesses - this is a fact. 

If the Gabaldon demolition-proponents were really into making money for our townmates and genuinely boosting local economy, why did they not just restore Gabaldon and devoted some space of the building for commercial functions?  By doing so, they are both preserving our built heritage and enhancing local economy. Can we not use heritage as a tool for progress? Or is there more to this plan than just constructing a new commercial building? 

It is common knowledge that capital outlay of doing business is cumbersome to most small businesses because of limited capitalization. One of the operational expenses that hurts small businesses is rental fees.  If that Gabaldon was preserved and a portion was transformed for commercial function, local firms can lease it for minimal cost compared to that of a new and modern edifice. Certainly, renting in restored edifice provides local small businesses the opportunity to save more from rental expenses and earn higher profit. 

Need I say more that the growth of small businesses results in the development of the local economy in general? 

C.     Historical and Cultural Value

Nabuenos care for heritage preservation.  There is no better proof to this fact than the annual celebration of the Boa-Boahan festival in our town. Nabuenos are proud of its cultural history. This is shown through the continuous collective effort to preserve and beautify our historic Holy Cross parish church and others.  Nabuenos love their ancestors.  This can be felt through the construction of the "Tolong Agta" monument in the middle of the central business district of our town.  But what is disappointingly lost to our officials now is the significance of that Gabaldon building in the history of Nabua. Why? ...What caused our officials to suddenly lose faith to that cultural heritage of ours?

That building having been built more than fifty years ago was classified classic by the National Historical Institute (NHI). Likewise, we learned from historical accounts that it was our local artisans who painstakingly built it from the design set forth by the Bureau of Public Works and Bureau of Education during the early years of our Republic. Upon the call of the municipio, local artisans responded to volunteer their services to construct a building that could house no less than "...sixty students at any time". This project was so important during that time taking into account the destruction brought forth by the Filipino-American War at the turn of the 20^th century and the lack of any building for formal education.  Our ancestors were only so grateful that Nabua was chosen to be one of the sites in the country where a full-concrete Gabaldon building is to be built.

That Gabaldon building became the site of primary education in Nabua after its completion in 1912.  It is in that structure that early education of our ancestors started (grades 1 to 4) before moving to "Dalakit", the present site of NCPS, to finish elementary education.  It was a nostalgic place where they first learned formal education and the basic rudimentary of life outside home. It is where most of our forefathers learned about the world and how to make it a better place for all of us. "Us" who were once faced with the challenge of saving the very place entrusted to us by our yoyos and yayas, the very place that linked us with the past and probably of all that is about Nabua in a nutshell.

That building is definitely not a mere lump of concrete structure devoid of any cultural significance. It represented so many things about Nabuenos. It connected us with our heritage. It helped us understand who we are as a people. It enlightened us about where we came from. It taught us what our yoyos and yayas have achieved, what they believed, what they hoped to become.

Through the years, that building has stood solidly as an inanimate witness to the struggles of our forefathers to make Nabua a community of educated people.  If only its walls could talk, Gabaldon will speak volumes about our town's history. But sadly, we failed to save it. We failed the challenge. 

In the end, questions such as the following will eventually be asked upon us by the next generation whether we like it or not:

·  Is there honor in destroying the very place where our ancestors first learned about life outside the protective confines of their homes?

· Is short-term economic gain more important than preserving cultural heritage?

·  Have our officials ran out of innovative ideas to create economic wealth other than destroying one of Nabua's cultural pillars?

·  What have we done as a community to preserve our heritage?

We may bid sad goodbye to the physical loss of Gabaldon in our midst but let us, Nabuenos, constantly cherish in our hearts the importance it had played for our town over the years. May the callous destruction of our historic Gabaldon be not in vain but a signal to take a closer look on our rich heritage  and do our best to preserve it. Importantly, may this "incident" not dampen our spirit but rather inspires many of us to be more socially and progressively involve for Nabua... Indifference to our town's plight should never be an option to any Nabueno especially that we are again being given an opportunity for change this 2010.