In the glorious years between 1886 and 1888 when the Philippines was still a Spanish Colony, the town of Lipa boasted fame and unprecedented prosperity as the world’s sole supplier of coffee beans. It was in this era that Casa de Segunda was built.” A typical “Bahay na Bato”, it is Spanish in architecture, yet essentially a tropical house. The dramatic arrangements of space, use of masonry and sen
se of grandeur and solidity are practical response to environment and charming record of history. Partly damaged by the Second World War in 1942, the house was remodeled in 1956 by Segunda Katigbak’s daughter, Paz Katigbak Luz-Dimayuga. The grandchildren of Paz, who were born and raised here, recaptured the grandeur of the old house and restored it in 1996 to its original form with its fountain, fishponds, and orchards. Casa de Segunda is named after Segunda Solis Katigbak who is known as the first love of Dr. Jose Rizal. To quote his biography, “His first infatuation was a little Batangueña by the name of Segunda. She was not the most beautiful woman I had ever seen but I have not met another more alluring and beguiling. I have already heard about her and that she was going to get married to a relative of hers. Indeed, I noticed a tall man neatly dressed who seemed to be her fiancé, thus, ended his first love which mourned in his journal.”
That tall man was Manuel Metra Luz who came from one of the most prominent families of Lipa. The Luz Clan were a family of poets and scholars. Manuel married Segunda at the young age of 16 in 1879 and in that very house was blessed with nine equally bright and gifted children namely Cristeta, Manuel Jr. , Flora, Justa Ynes, Arsenio, Valeriano, Maria Paz, Julio, and Fernando. These nine children had passed on these gifts and talents to their children and grandchildren. In cooperation with the National Historical Commission, Casa de Segunda, having been declared as a heritage house, is proud to honor these outstanding men and women who had contributed to the remnants of the past- be it in the cultural, historical, and the arts - “All echo the timeless qualities of Lipa reminding both residents and visitors alike that those olden days of prosperity need not be a distant memory.”
