Laperal White House Explained

Laperal White House
Alternate Names:Laperal Guesthouse
Status:Complete
Architectural Style:Victorian architecture
Location City:Baguio
Location Country:Philippines
Coordinates:16.4111°N 120.6047°W
Pushpin Map:Luzon mainland#Philippines
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Luzon##Location in the Philippines
Current Tenants:Ifugao Bamboo Carving Gallery
Completion Date:1930s
Destruction Date:-->
Material:Narra and yakal wood
Unit Count:-->

The Laperal Guesthouse, popularly known as Laperal White House, is a building in Baguio, Philippines which housed a museum[1] and is now the home of a new restaurant called Joseph's (owned by the older brother of ABS-CBN News broadcast journalist, Bernadette Sembrano).[2]

History

The house was built by Roberto Laperal in the 1930s. The house is made of narra and yakal wood, designed in Victorian style with its wooden planks and gables and steep roof.[3] The clan heads, Roberto and Victorina Laperal made the house as their vacation home.[4]

The house was sold by Roberto Laperal Jr. and his wife, Purificacion Manotok Laperal. The house withstood many natural and man-made disasters, such as the 1990 Luzon earthquake.

Chinese Filipino billionaire tycoon Lucio Tan purchased the property in 2007 but never stayed in the place during his trips to Baguio.[5] He instead had it renovated and refurbished with proper maintenance then made it into a tourist attraction. From then on, the house was opened to public.

In 2013, the tycoon's Tan Yan Kee Foundation transformed the house into a Bamboo Foundation museum which houses Filipino artworks made of bamboo and wood.

In popular culture

According to believers, the house is haunted. The 2010 horror movie White House featured the building. It was also featured in the 1996 Halloween Special episode of Magandang Gabi... Bayan.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Inside Baguio’s Most Haunted: The Laperal White House. The Poor Traveler. August 2013.
  2. Web site: December 20, 2022 . Leana . Vibal . Baguio's Famous Laperal White House Is Now an Upscale Restaurant . 2023-01-18 . SPOT.PH . en.
  3. Web site: Caluza . Desiree . Signs of the spirits in 'White House' . Philippine Daily Inquirer . 1 November 2013 . 12 October 2014.
  4. Web site: Would you buy a haunted house? Because some investors are not afraid . 2023-01-20 . Philstar Life.
  5. Web site: Gonzales . Iris . Lucio Tan’s ‘haunted’ house . The Philippine Star . 4 January 2018 . 29 December 2022.