GEC 3 - HISTORY

THE ANCESTRAL
HOUSE OF DEL VALLE FAMILY

Submitted by:
Arpia, Lovely Rose A
De Chavez, Kathlyn
Lopez, Aimee Rose
Munez, Arthinan
Maranan, May Ann Devine
Bautista, Andrea Carla
 2019
CONTENTS

I. TORRE DEL VALLE

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWER
III. THE FAMILY OF DEL VALLE
IV. THE INHERITORS OF TORRE DEL VALLE
V. EVENTS RELATED TO DEL VALLE TOWER AS PART OF HISTORY

1. Digmaang Filipino-Amerikano (1898)

2. Paglaya ng Candelaria sa mga Kawal Hapones (April 6, 1945)

3. Karanasan ng mag kakapatid del Valle nuon panahon ng mga Hapon

 Torre del Valle
The tower of del Valle was
the first structure built in Candelaria
Quezon and there is no changes
happen to its structure, the tower
preserve its design from the year
1928. The tower has its big role in the
history for the reason of it is one of
the oldest structures that would be
seen in the Candelaria Quezon. The
tower is one of the tourist spots in the
Candelaria Quezon.
The tower of del Valle was part of
almost half of hectares that would see
along the end of Calle Del Valle,
Salazar and the whole of Cedeño St.,1
Today, the tower was known in
Candelaria as “Tore ng Ilaya” or
“Alsamarinan Tower”. Alsamarinan
stands for the three streets along the tower, the Alday, Salazar and Martinez Street.2 The Land is
owned by Don Juan Del Valle which was inherited by Don Manuel del Valle Sr., now inherited
by his grandchildren Cecilla, Ligaya and Manuel F del Valle.3 Don Juan del Valle was a
legitimate residence in Candelaria Quezon.

1
​“Ang Tore” Candenlaria Library
2
​Del
Valle, F “​Torre del Valle” January 7, 2017
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1693273457630638/?type=3&pe
rmPage=1
3
​Del Valle, F “Del Valle Family Historical Narrative” September , 2018
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1991230531168261/?type=3&pe
rmPage=1
 The Description of the Tower
The Tower of del Valle has a fifth floor, the part is facing the east, extended by the house
which has four floors. The tower and the house was built by Don Manuel del Valle Sr., Don
Juan’s Son. Today the only visible to the people is the tower, by the virtue of Don Manuel Sr.’s
will after he died. The Architect of the tower and the house of the del Valle is Piko Salvacion, a
resident in Candelaria Quezon also. The tower’s structure still recognizes the outlines made by
the year 1928.

It was visibly shown on the picture how posts from the house has been preserved. The
stone used in its rang and metal used in its spiral staircase and the floor design in the tower still
appears. The Tower has been relocated last year 2017.

From the view at the top of del Valle Tower 一left side, the church of San Pedro Bautista and the
whole of Bundok Banahaw is visible.4 The shape of the 5th floor of the tower is just like an

4
​“Ang Tore” Candenlaria Library
observatory deck. Story has it that during WW2, the Japanese Imperial Army stationed in
Candelaria used this deck as a look-out tower5.
The tower of del Valle was in the west part of the
lot, behind the tower is the Ilog Maasin, known
today as masin river. There’s a metal stairs leading
down to the river. The residence every summer
went to the masin for bathing and to have fun in the
river.
On the second floor of the tower you can see the
breathtaking ambiance of Candelaria and it’s
hundred hectares of its rice fields and houses. In
time, the mansion was further expanded with the
addition of a 5 floor high tower, what is now known
by Candelarians as "ang Torre ng Ilaya". It was a
unique structure, the only one of its kind in the whole Province of Quezon at the time. The 1st
floor was part of the entrance to the house, the 2nd floor an azotea to the adjoining living room,
the 3rd floor an enclosed room used for
storage, the 4th and 5th floors used as
observation decks. The view from the 5th
floor is indeed spectacular. On one side,
you can see the countryside up to Mt.
Banahaw;on the other side, the town
proper itself up to Tayabas Bay.

5
​Del Valle, F “​Torre del Valle” January 9, 2017
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1694009704223680/?type=3&th
eater
 The Family of del Valle
The recorded roots of the family del Valle take back in Spanish time, town of San Jose in
Batangas Province. Juan del Valle was born and raised in San Jose; he married Purificacion
Gonzales who hails from the town of Tiaong, Quezon Province. Together, they had 2 children:
When Manuel del Valle and Honesta del Valle were still young, the family relocated to
the town of Candelaria it was during the Spanish Era,when their father Juan found work as a
record keeper at the Municipal Office. Apparently, they sold their home in San Jose and
purchased a small piece of land at the outskirts of the town proper by the Mason River.
Manuel del Valle did not attain a High School or College level of education, he only
reached up to Grade 6. He was an avid reader of books and journals (La Juventud) and attained
his knowledge through self-study. He was a self educated man. At a young age, he ventured in
Agri-Business and bit-by-bit he purchased small parcels of land nearby Barrios (Kalyehon,
Malabanban, Kinatihan, Masalukot, etc.). By sheer hard work and a lifestyle of extreme
frugality, he was able to save enough to expand his properties in size and eventually bought new
ones, notably in the town paper itself.
With his growing stature and wealth, the shanty that he grew up in was replaced by one
story home where he lived with his ageing parents and with his sister Honesta. He was an
upcoming savvy binatilyo businessman of notable stature during his time; however the
interesting about him is that he did not live a flashy lifestyle. He was a quiet and reserved person
who did not mingle with other landed families. He went on to marry Julia Recto from the town
of Tiaong,who was a half sister to noted politician and statesman, Claro M. Recto. They had one
son Lazaro and according to his family member they had a second son who died during
childbirth.
During the American Commonwealth Era, the one story house was expanded into a 2
storey mansion. Manuel del Valle raised his family in the first floor of the mansion. His sister
Honesta went on to marry Manuel de Gala, also from the town of Candelaria. Together they had
4 children: Feliciano, Constantia, Clarita, and Erlando. Honesta's family lived on the second
floor of the mansion.
 Manuel was widowed at a young age when Juliana died, he never remarried after that.
Their son Lazaro was an only child then when his mother died.
Only son Lazaro grew up in that mansion and lived an affluent lifestyle. He was a
dashing bachelor and studied in Manila at the University of the Philippines. He took up Dentistry
but apparently did not finish as he ventured into many businesses that his father bequeathed him.
Lazaro eventually went on to marry Salome Javier. Salome hails from another landed faw- the
Javiers of Candelaria. Juan Javier father of Salome was a politician extraordinaire and served as
Mayor of Candelaria for a term during the Commonwealth Era. The story goes : Lazaro met
Salome by chance not by intent Lazaro was courting another lady who was a friend of Salome
and she was a messenger or courier of their love letters. The courtship did not blossom and
Lazaro eventually fell in love with Salome. They got married in Candelaria and moved into the
del Valle mansion.
Lazaro and Salome had 3 children : Cecilia was born in 1928, Ligaya born in 1930, and
Manuel Francisco born in 1932. Together, they raised their family at the 2nd floor of the
mansion. Lazaro died at a very young age from an aggressive oral cancer ;Manuel was only 3
years old when he passed away. The family continued to live for a while in the mansion with
Salome raising the 3 siblings by herself as a single mother. Manuel, her father-in-law, supported
their family and eventually gave Salome a piece of commercial property in the town proper
where a bakery was built. Salome ran the business and in time, eventually re-married to her
Chief Baker, Pedro Javillo. Together, Salome and Pedro ran the bakery business and expanded
the structure into a 3rd floor home,they had one son, Conrado.
When Salome moved out of the del Valle mansion to her new home, her father-in-law,
Manuel del Valle requested that the 3 siblings be left to his care. Their agreement was that the
children were to visit their mother during Weekends. From that time on, Manuel took it upon
himself to personally raise and support his 3 grandchildren until the day he died. As Ligaya
would then say: "That's was the end of our glory days as the rich and famous". Here's why:
Manuel was strict and disciplinarian, although he was a wealthy man, he was a very
frugal in his way. He was a principled person who lived a simple and austere life. He thought his
grandchildren the value of hard work and living a simple life, non-extravagant lifestyle.
Although he could have well afforded to send them to private schools, the 3 siblings attended
Grade school at the Candelaria Elementary Public School. They were forbidden to dress up as
rich children do, insisting that they wear simple clothes and slippers on school days. His intent
was to inculcate in his grandchildren the value of simplicity and of blending with the common
folk (pakikisama). Ligaya was caught going to school wearing her dressy shoes. Manuel
reprimanded her and made her attend school wearing wooden clogs (bakya). According to
Cecelia and Manuel Fancisco, he would give them 50 centavos allowance each day expecting
them to save a few centavos each time they would come home from school. If they were able to
save even a few centavos, he would reward them and increase their baon the next day by the
same amount that they saved. At age 7, Papa Doc was ordered to harvest fruits in the garden of
their mansion and then sell them at the railroad station at the town proper. Manuel did not let him
keep the wholesale earnings for the day but only the profit part of it; call him stingy, but that's
the only way he taught them the value of money. While Manuel Fancisco, known as Papa Doc
went to town to sell the fruit harvest, Ligaya did the same but at the front of their home. Cecelia,
being the eldest one, was trained to be his personal secretary for his Agri-Business empire. She
was proficient in using the typewriter and at keeping records at 10 years old. So, at a very young
age, despite their affluent background, the 3 siblings were raised in a very rigid and demanding
household and learned to appreciate the value of money, of practicing hard work and patience, of
living within meager means.
Manuel was strict and his way of disciplining them was never physical (Palo) ;his way by
isolation and lecturing. Whenever any of them disobeyed or did a naughty deed, he would isolate
them in the dark storage room in the basement of the house for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Afterwards,
he would call them why them to his room or on azotea where he hung out and asked them why
they think they were being punished. From the 3 siblings, it was Ligaya who was reprimanded
the most, followed by Papa Doc and Cecelia was always the most behaved one and was his
favorite.
Manuel passed in 1949 at age 70 from complications after about with pneumonia. At that
time, the 2 sisters were already in college and Papa Doc was in high school.
 His living will was to have the mansion demolished after his death. It was executed a few
years later as attended to by his nephew lawyer, Feliciano del Valle - de Gala. What is left
standing today is the tower that you now see as well as the foundation of the former house since
these were of concrete. The property itself was given to the 3 siblings ; the part of the property
beside the river where the house used to be was inherited by Ligaya. Papa Doc says that it was to
Manuel instructions to have the house demolished as it was mostly a wooden structure built of
Narra wood and he did not want any future occupants exposed to the dangers of a collapsing
structure.
At the very young age, the 3 siblings were inheritors to a vast empire of property
holdings. Cecelia went on to marry a businessman from Malolos, Bulacan, Ligaya went on to
marry a half-Japanese businessman from Rosario, Cavite while Papa Doc finished Medical
School in UST, married his hometown childhood sweetheart, who happens to be his 3rd degree
cousins and practiced General Surgery until his retirement in 2010.6

6
​Del Valle, F “Del Valle Family Historical Narrative” September , 2018
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1991230531168261/?type=3&pe
rmPage=1
 The Inheritors of Torre del Valle
Here are the three siblings who inherited most of the property where the ancestral home used to
be. Cecilia Javier-del Valle who was born in 1928, Ligaya Javier-del Valle who was born in
1930 and also Manuel Francisco Javier-del Valle who was born in 1932. They lost their father
(Lazaro, who was an only child) at a very young age from cancer and were mainly raised by their
Grandfather, Don Manuel del Valle y
Gonzales, the family grand patriarch and the
owner or the builder of the property. Don
Manuel del Valle y Gonzales was a very
wealthy businessman who built his empire
mostly on Agricultural holdings; he himself
was a widower. When Don Manuel del Valle y
Gonzales passed away at the age of 70 (1949),
Manuel Francisco was just finishing his High
School in San Beda, Manila while Cecilia and Ligaya were college students at PWU (Phil
Women's University); they were dorming in Manila at that time. Don Manuel del Valle y
Gonzales wish to have the mansion demolished after his death; the demolition was executed as
part of his Will a few years later. The reason: since the house was built mostly of Narra wood, he
didn't want any future occupants to be exposed to the dangers of a deteriorating structure. What
remains now of this mansion is the Tower as well as the foundation of the former house, since
they were built of concrete material.
At a very young age, the three siblings were inheritors to a vast empire of agricultural
lands. Cecilia Javier-del Valle went on to marry a businessman from Malolos, Bulacan. Ligaya
Javier-del Valle went on to marry a half-Japanese businessman from Rosario, Cavite while
Manuel Francisco Javier-del Valle finished Medical School in UST, married his childhood
sweetheart, who happens to be his 3rd degree cousin (Barbara Gonzalez) and practiced General
Surgery until his retirement in 2010.7

7
​Del Valle, F “Family History Trivia” January 10, 2017
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/Torre-del-Valle-1693219187636065/
From left to right of the photo, it shows Cecilia Javier-del Valle, Manuel Francisco Javier-del
Valle and Ligaya Javier-del Valle in the Ilaya mansion circa 1930's.8

Events related to the del Valle tower as part of the History

According to the Candelaria Municipal Library documents there was a huge fire in
Candelaria, which nearly hit the house on two blocks of the town, including the houses and the
stores of chinese are burned.The home of del Valle
became their evacuation area during the fire.

Digmaang Filipino-Amerikano 1898

In the rebellion of 1928, by Hen. Miguel
Malvar has appointed Don Herminigildo Nadres of
Candelaria as Commander of the military district,
which includes Don Manuel del valle to the group
of officers9

8
​Del Valle, F “Family History Trivia” January 10, 2017
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/Torre-del-Valle-1693219187636065/

9
​“Digmaang Filipino-Amerikano” Candenlaria Library
Paglaya ng Candelaria sa mga Kawal Hapones (April 6, 1945)
​According to the old residences of Poblacion, some neighbors that still remembers
the story about World War II, there was a tunnel under the tower connecting to the Casa
Patricia, an old house. They said that the tunnel connects to the Casa is their gateway to escapes
to the Japanese. The mansion was garrisoned by Japanese soldiers as they used the Torre as a
look-out tower. A machine gun was placed at the top floor. Manuel F Javier- del Valle distinctly
remembers that whenever the soldiers would enter the house in full gear, Don Manuel Sr. would
hide them in the basement room for their safety, which is the residences called tunnel under the
Casa Patricia to del Valle’s house10 According to the legitimate residence in poblacion there is
rumors that under the Tower, Jappanese Military hides the gold under the tower but no one
proves it. The owner clarified that there is no treasures under the tower. During the Japanese
period in the Philippines there’s a lot of rumors from the citizens in poblacion that because of the
bombing of Japanese Military the del Valle’s mansion has been pulverized and the tower is the
only remained but rumors.

Karanasan ng mag kakapatid del Valle nuon panahon ng mga Hapon

When the American Liberation forces same towards the end of the War, the 3 siblings
and other family members who lived in that mansion were evacuated and went into hiding, first
in Barrio Kinatihan and later to join their Javier kin at Laiya, Batangas. Manuel stayed alone in
the house during this evacuation period but when the American forces invaded the town and
drove the Japanese out he went in hiding for a brief time at Barrio Kinatihan to stay with his
katiwala. It's a miracle the mansion was not burned to the ground or damaged during the armed
conflict between American and Japanese forces.
After the War, when Cecelia and Ligaya graduated grade school, they were sent to
Manila to attend high school up to college at the Philippine Women's University. Papa Doc went
on to do his high school to college at San Beda. At first, the 2 sisters lived in dormitory nearby

10
​Del Valle, F “Del Valle Family Historical Narrative” September , 2018
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1991230531168261/?type=3&pe
rmPage=1
but by the time Papa Doc joined them in Manila, they lived in a rented house in Quezon City that
they shared with their Javier cousins.11

11
​Del Valle, F “Del Valle Family Historical Narrative” September , 2018
URL:​https://www.facebook.com/1693219187636065/photos/a.1693274364297214/1991230531168261/?type=3&pe
rmPage=1