Joe Clemente opens doors to the past

Joe Clemente opens doors to the past

By: Chrissa Anne B. Palma

(c) Chona Robles

Joe Clemente, a Bulakenyo art enthusiast gave the Journalism students from Bulacan State University a trip to the past through opening the gates of Ciudad Clemente, a resort and a museum in Paombong, Bulacan that has been an ancestral house for 75 years.

The museum is sheltering thousands of art pieces and antiques that are more than a hundred years old. The values of these pieces are as precious as they are. This is the reason why Clemente has yet to open the doors to his private collection.

“For security,” Clemente answered when asked why he has yet to open the room that leads to his reserved collection of antiques. “Pero darating din `yong panahon na bubuksan ko sa publiko ang private collection ko. Hindi pa lang ako handa ngayon,” he said.

Clemente favors collecting antiques over the modern designs and architectures this generation could offer because he believes that the past era is timeless, and that one must always remember his roots.

“May kasabihan tayo na “ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan,” Clemente said.

The art enthusiast also added that he wanted his fellow Bulakenyos to love their heritage through the arts he collects that show the Filipino culture way back in the past eras such as the Spanish time.

Because of the long history of the ancestral house, Clemente is strict when it comes to the restoration of the place because its architecture couldn’t be taken lightly, thus he monitors every material that is being used in the renovation.

Though Clemente is yet to show the world his own private collection of his antiques, he said that he is working on a book about it.