THE OLD AND THE NEW

El Presidencia Ruins and Municipal Hall Building

Poblacion Sur, Barcelona, Sorsogon

--- Jaime E. Masagca

Across the newly restored St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church, one of the oldest Roman Catholic Churches in the Bicol Region, is the ruins of El Presidencia, once a fort and seat of Spanish local government in the town.  The ruins complex has been converted into a park.

 

Today, the old "Residencia" has been replaced some meters away by a "European styled domicile with an asymmetrical façade, rounded arches, and rich decorative details in both exterior and interior (DPWH, October 2020)".

 

To further portray the Spanish Christened town and history, a model galleon ornaments the front of the building.