DAGUPAN CITY —A building at the West Central Elementary 1 School here where US Gen. Douglas MacArthur resided briefly is up for its much-needed restoration.

This was determined by Fourth District Rep. Christopher de Venecia after he directed a site inspection of the two-story building by his staff led by his chief of staff, lawyer Evelyn Panlaque.

They were joined by Valentina Hortaleza, the school principal, who toured them around the house which clearly is now in dire need of rehabilitation.

Panlaque said the congressman has big plans for the restoration of the MacArthur building to be close as possible to its original form being a historic site.

The group was amazed by the edifice made of old wood, from the floor, walls, ceiling, windows and decorations, with MacArthur’s famous bathtub still intact in the bathroom. Signs of deterioration, however, are obvious in most parts of the house.

Hortaleza said representatives of the company that manufactured the bathtub also came to get their approval to have it brought abroad for restoration “because it is a proof that their product is indeed durable for a lifetime”.

But Hortaleza did not approve the suggestion since there was no guarantee that the bathtub will be returned.

At the front yard of the house is a cemented marker.

One side reads: “Luzon Landing. On this site, The West Central Elementary School Home Economics Building, Dagupan City, was used by General Douglas MacArthur as his official headquarters after his landing in Lingayen Beach on 9 January 1945 to liberate the Island of Luzon, thus fulfilling his promise to the Filipino people ‘I Shall Return.’”

Another side shows an eagle, an American flag and the words “Freedom is not free, vigilance is the price of Liberty.”

A third side shows the official seal of Dagupan with its motto, “Aliguas Dagupan.”

Panlaque said De Venecia is bent on rehabilitating the MacArthur building, consistent with his thrust on tourism.

“The Fourth District of Pangasinan is the home of the Minor Basilica of Manaoag, the beaches and famous tupig in San Fabian and Dagupan City plus its Bonuan bangus (milkfish) and pigar-pigar (another popular food made of thinly sliced carabeef quickly deep fried served with round-sliced onions), the agro-tourism in San Jacinto, the bike trail in Mangaldan and its popular tapa (Filipino-style dried carabeef),” Panlaque said.

She said the MacArthur house is a tourist attraction and a historic building that can draw more tourists to the city, far more than the attention it is getting today.

She added that the young De Venecia is set to coordinate with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Commission for the Culture and the Arts and the Department of Tourism for its historic relevance and the importance of preserving and restoring it through the acquisition of necessary funding support.

Meanwhile, Hortaleza said based on accounts of some old folks and historical records, MacArthur and his liberating troops used the West Central Elementary School briefly as headquarters of the Southwest Pacific Area Command after the American Allied Forces landed in Lingayen Gulf on Jan. 9, 1945 to liberate the Philippines from Japanese invasion.

“If this building would be restored, it would really mean a lot for Dagupan. Much as we would like to restore and preserve it, we do not have the funds,” the school principal said.

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