NOW a two-story structure, the house was a bungalow when Cesar acquired it in 2001.
Broadcast journalist Cesar Apolinario told Living Stars recently that his experience growing up as an informal settler in Novaliches, Quezon City, was what pushed him to work hard, so he could buy a house of his own.
AMONG the fixtures and decor are these chandeliers from thrift stores and wood carvings from junk shops.
For over 50 years, Cesar’s family lived in Sauyo, Novaliches, where his grandparents were caretakers of a 700-sq.-m. lot. In 1995, Cesar said, they were driven away from that place. “That’s when I promised myself I’d save up for my family,” he said.
RED WALLS may be unusual for a dining room, but it’s his bright idea.
Fast-forward 20 years. Cesar now lives in a two-story, six-bedroom house built on a 300-sq.-m. lot in Marikina City that he bought in 2001. He shares the house, which has a 180-sq.-m. garden, with his wife Joy, kids Remus Cesar, Athena Joyce and Sophia Ysabelle, his father Cesar Sr., mother Herminia and sisters Liza and Vicky.
“My house is a reflection of myself,” said Cesar, reporter of GMA 7’s “24 Oras” and cohost of GNTV 11’s “I Juander.” Building it, he said, was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. “I did it little by little, at my own pace. I still do repairs and decorate whenever I have the time.”
CESAR Apolinario displays his collection of Hardy Boys books and trophies from his work as journalist and filmmaker on these shelves.
Also a writer, documentarist and filmmaker, Cesar said his humble beginnings taught him to be appreciative of everything that he has now. “My five siblings and I used to worry whenever it started to rain,” he recalled. “Our house in Sauyo had many holes on the roof. Now, I’d do everything I can so my kids don’t have to go through the life I experienced.”
Travel pieces
“Whenever I travel, I always bring a piece of that place home with me,” Cesar said.
Cesar decorated his garden with stones and wood pieces from travels to Bulacan, Romblon, Pampanga, Ilocos and La Union, among other places. “I literally picked them up from the streets,” he said. “They were things no one cared about. I bring them home and turn them into pieces of art, like this bottle of multicolored stones I got in Luna, La Union.”
“BUILDING a home is like putting pieces of a puzzle together,” he says. He’s not in a hurry, either.
He designed the garden himself. On his own, he managed to grow oregano, calamansi, horsetail and bermuda grass. “I once asked a landscape artist if he could do it and how much it would cost. He was charging P100,000. My father and I decided we’d do it ourselves. We spent only P50,000.”
Antiques
WITH wife Joy and their kids Remus, 8, Athena, 6, and Ysa, 4
A collector of antiques, he bought the most interesting pieces during his trips as a TV reporter covering the crisis in Mindanao. Displayed prominently in his living room are antique swords from Zamboanga Sibugay and Bukidnon. He also has bronze boxes from Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga and Sulu. There are also saucers from a sunken ship he found in the waters close to the Camiguin islet in Batanes.
Cesar has kept a shell from a 105 Howitzer and a big bronze vase from Iloilo. He is especially proud of an artwork given to him by renowned Muslim artist Ibn Saud Salipyasin Ahmad.
“I consider Zamboanga my second home,” he said. “I’ve gone there many times to report on rebel activities. I was able to bring home a lot of really interesting stuff, like these porcelain vases and bronze candle holders.”
HE HAS built his dream house at last. He says the attic, his favorite hideaway, is where he is “most attuned” with his creativity.
Favorite spot
The attic is his favorite spot, he said. “This is where I’m most attuned to my artistic side. After work, I go up there to write, listen to music and relax. Sometimes, I forget the time and stay until 3 a.m. I know I’m in trouble when my wife starts screaming at me to come to bed.”
E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph