Baguio City | Into the Laperal White House: Bamboo Art and the Haunted

The stairway to the upper floors of Laperal White House
The stairway to the upper floors of Laperal White House

Five years after my first visit to Laperal White House in Baguio City, there was a movie (which I haven’t seen), an iWitness Documentary and thousands of searches referred to my old post. There were even several invites to guest or talk about the house and a number of inquiries from researchers. I guess Filipino love horror stories. Something to scare themselves sometimes. It was only five years after when I got to revisit the place again. Now open to the public as a Bamboo Art Exhibit, visitors can now indulge themselves and unravel the mystery of this famous White House.

Intricate bamboo artworks at the exhibit
Intricate bamboo artworks at the exhibit

Bamboo Art Exhibit

The ‘haunted’ Laperal White House has been open to the public since 2012 when the Asian Bamboo Carvers Guild used the first floor of the house as an exhibit area. In 2013 it became a permanent exhibit venue for the Filipino bamboo carvers through the joint project of Tan Yan Kee Foundation and Philippine Bamboo Association. Though I’m quite sure most people would primarily go here out of the curiosity from the mystery of the house. But I did find the exhibit quite interesting and in all its artistic intricacies and native figures and patterns.

Empty room at the third floor
Empty room at the third floor

Inside the White House

While the so-called main attraction of the house is the exhibit, people are free to roam around the house with the company of the caretaker. I was with a few friends who looked into the rooms, climbed the winding staircase and inspected the grounds. So how was the experience for me? I’d rather keep it to myself really. If I ever sensed something, it’s the sense-of-humor in one of the rooms when one opens the closet door. All else has been said by TV documentaries and personal accounts of different people. “Do you stay in the house?” I asked the caretaker. “No. No one stays in this house”. I guess that says something really.

The Laperal White House is now a landmark ghost story or not. It’s Victorian-style architecture stood the test of time, surviving the war and the earthquake. Now owned by Lucio Tan, it is no doubt one of the main attractions of Baguio now.

Facade of the famous Laperal White House
Facade of the famous Laperal White House

Laperal White House and Bamboo Art Exhibit
4 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City
Operating Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Entrance Fee: Php 50.

Main door of the house
Main door of the house
The dining area
The dining area
Living room with chimney and a beautiful old clock
Living room with chimney and a beautiful old clock
View of the house from the empty pool area
View of the house from the empty pool area