Casa Rocha

Overview

Casa Rocha is a heritage structure in Sitio Ubos, Poblacion I, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, corresponding to the “Rocha Ancestral House” in the Philippines’ national list of cultural properties — built in 1831, a date inscribed in the house’s own kitchen wing. It is listed in the provincial tourist-attraction inventory under History and Culture — Unique Cultural Heritage.

The house is an example of Arquitectura Mestiza, a hybrid bahay-na-bato style pairing a coral-stone ground floor with a wooden upper floor built without the usual volada overhang. It was declared an Important Cultural Property in 2019 and elevated to National Cultural Treasure status in 2020. The National Museum of the Philippines purchased the property in October 2019 and, per its 2022 public update, was carrying out conservation work in preparation for a planned National Museum Bohol branch; no public visiting hours for Casa Rocha itself have been documented.

The Rocha family name appears in several Tagbilaran heritage sites, including the separate, later Rocha-Suarez House (built c.1840). Casa Rocha (1831) is the older of the two Rocha-linked properties, and one of the earliest-dated surviving houses in Tagbilaran’s Poblacion heritage cluster.

Location

Sitio Ubos, Poblacion I, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Tagbilaran City is the capital of Bohol province and the main entry point via ferry from Cebu.

Getting There

Tagbilaran City is the gateway. From the Tagbilaran ferry port, proceed by tricycle or on foot into Poblacion I. Sitio Ubos is within the city center area.

[TO ENRICH: walking distance from the ferry port or city plaza, street address.]

Practical Info

• Gateway: Tagbilaran
• Municipality: Tagbilaran City
• Barangay: Sitio Ubos, Poblacion I
• Tourism type: History and Culture — Unique Cultural Heritage

[TO ENRICH: open to visitors, private or public access, contact details.]

What to Expect

There is no public visiting program yet: the National Museum bought the house in 2019 and has been carrying out conservation work ahead of a planned Bohol branch, so for now this is a heritage property to view from the street rather than tour. The notable shift is in use — a private residence for close to two centuries, now on a path toward becoming public museum space, a transition most of Tagbilaran’s other Poblacion houses have not made.

[TO ENRICH: façade description, interior condition, preservation status, any cultural events held at the site.]

Notes

• Listed in the BPTO Table 11 Inventory of Tourist Attractions (2025).
• The Rocha-Suarez House is a related, later heritage property also in Tagbilaran’s Poblacion area.
• Construction date (1831, per kitchen-wing inscription) per the List of Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Tagbilaran, Wikipedia, accessed 2026-07-17.