Housing projects. So many of them. But this one is unique.
Not too many incorporate local culture, but Symphony Homes is making sure that it is in keeping with heritage promotion and preservation.
Nestled in a 28-hectare property in Barangay Atlu Bola in Mabalacat, this new housing project has included in their designs the very specie the city has gotten its name from. The Balacat tree – like Narra – is a lanky 4th-class hardwood that stands out with its known medicinal and germicidal properties. One can be found right before the gate of the Our Lady of Grace Parish at Mabalacat’s poblacion.
Aside from the Balacat (Ziziphus Talanai), the Dau tree (dracontomelon dao) and other fauna of Pampanga will also be featured and planted under the planned “eco segment” of the Symphony Homes. These include Betis, Camachille and Apalit. Of the 27 barangays of Mabalacat, one is named Dau which is the biggest and most prosperous village. One is Camachille which is on the mid-section of the city and right next to Dau.
What comes special with Balacat is that it is said to be of the same family of specie of the crown of thorns that was put on the Lord Jesus when he was crucified – a jujube tree or Ziziphus Spina-Christi, the oldest of which, estimated to be 1,500-2,000 years old, can be found in Israel.
Both have common characteristics – thorny, spiny, spiky.
“The trees are more than just a greenery, they are storytellers,” says SMDC Executive Vice President Grace Sta. Ana.
As in its credo, “a house and a lot more”, the inclusion of Pampanga’s fauna is just amazing and should serve as a refresher on culture and heritage of the northernmost town and of the whole province. Residents would not only find their abode convenient, comfortable and connected. There is one more “C” in there and that is cultural awareness.
