Kamistisuhan District of Malolos (Lumang Bahay)

 After the declaration of the Philippine Independence in Kawit,General Emilio Aguinaldo moved the seat of government toMalolos, Bulacan. It was in the ancestral houses near the Malolos Cathedral that Aguinaldo established various offices for the First Philippine Republic from September 10, 1898 to March 29, 1901.

Some of these ancestral houses are still inhabited and in good physical condition. While there are some houses that have been converted into commercial establishments, there are also those that has been demolished several years ago.

 With a book written about ten years ago, we went to Malolos to locate these ancestral houses in an area near the Malolos Cathedral called as the Kamistisuhan District. From Casa Real, we started off by walking through the General Felipe Estrella Bridge on my way to Malolos Cathedral. The Cathedral’s facade stands out from the opposite end of the bridge.

The Convent of Malolos Cathedral served as the Palacio Presidencial de Aguinaldo or the Seat of the Aguinaldo’s Presidency.

 Directly across the Lomotan House is the famous 1877 Jose Bautista House with the caryatids on the street façade. Don Jose Bautista served as Aguinaldo’s aide de camp. The house served as office of the Secretaria de Fomento. We’ve learned that the descendants of Don Jose converted the  house into a living museum of antiquties.  

 Turning left to Sto. Nino Street, on a corner lot stands the gabled-roof Lomotan House.