Baguio’s ‘Haunted House’ Now an Art Gallery

(PNA) — The famous Baguio City haunted house, the Laperal White House, along Leonard Wood Road is again gaining popularity as an art gallery.

The Philippine Bamboo Foundation Incorporated (PBFI) President Edgar Manda, Tan Yan Kee Foundation representative Leo Pugal, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Baguio City representative Nicasio Aliping Jr and Bishop Carlito Cenzon of the Diocese of Baguio-Benguet opened the art exhibit inside the famous “White House” which now serves as a Bamboo Museum.

In an interview on Thursday, Manda said the exhibit includes bamboo wood carvings, arts, portraits and religious icons, among others.

There is also a Bambusetum, bamboo plant garden beside the White House which can serve as an eco-tour and a bamboo propagation hands-on workshop area.

The strategically located White House built by the Laperal family in 1920, is now owned by the Tan Yan Kee Foundation of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies.

The “haunted” house was first transformed into an art gallery in 2013 with the Ifugao Bamboo Carving exhibit by the PBFI.

Manda said that in partnership with the city government, they are hoping to promote public awareness on the benefits of bamboo and to encourage the propagation of more bamboo forests that will help in bringing in ecological balance, economic gains from trade and new lumber materials, among others.

“By promoting bamboo as an alternate lumber, we can help offset the loss of trees and reduce air pollution in the city as the project will embark on creating pocket bamboo gardens around the city, starting at the City Hall grounds”, Manda said.

This new project is also designed to help soil erosion and landslides in the area since spread of bamboo roots stitch the soil and hold the ground together.

A new bamboo forest will grow for only two years and can reduce soil erosion by as much as 75 percent,” Manda added. (PNA) FPV/JOJOLAMARIA/EBP