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GALLERY 
The river than runs through
NARRA swing from Quezon province
WOOD benches and banig table from Quezon in a cozy nook
OVERSIZED chess set from Paete
IN THE living room are banig cushions and a mahogany bench from Quezon
MORE mahogany benches and a banig coffee table in another cozy nook
And all of it a birthday surprise for Louie Ignacio’s for mom Fe
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A river runs through it
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 03:38pm (Mla time) 10/01/2007
TO GET TO HIS PAGSANJAN rest house, TV director Louie Ignacio has to cross a river.
It’s just a quick five minutes by banca, and he is invariably accompanied by his mongrel pet Gloria—which swims enthusiastically alongside the boat.
At the riverbank, he is greeted by a 23-foot image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, sculpted by Paete artist Lino Dulay.
There is a bahay kubo—make that a modern nipa hut in royal red and apple green.
“I wanted it built in the traditional manner,” Louie explains.
He eschewed hollow blocks and cement and opted for sawali, bamboo and wood. “But I didn’t want it to look typical. That’s why I painted it in vibrant colors.”
The kubo reflects his personality, he notes, and houses his passions—from photography to Paete art, from paintings to a Fukuyama & Sons piano.
“We took the baby grand across the river on 15 bancas tied together. About 30 men carried it up the house,” he recounts.
The white piano, along with the vacation home, was a surprise birthday gift to his mom, Fe Lagdameo-Ignacio.
“My mom plays the piano. I secretly bought this place and the piano three years ago,” Louie says. “We rushed the construction in time for her birthday in October.”
When the day came, he told her they were off to celebrate in a Laguna resort. “We blindfolded her during the banca ride,” Louie relates. “When we got here, I took off her blindfold and told her the rest house was my present to her. She cried buckets.”
Now he spends long weekends here with his mom and three city dogs — “as often as my schedule permits.”
As director of the daily chat show “Sis” and the weekly programs “Celebrity Duets,” “Mel & Joey” and “SOP,” Direk Louie’s calendar is booked solid.
The Laguna retreat allows him to get away from it all, he says. “When I’m here, after receiving the overnight ratings for the week, I turn off my cell phone.”
Apart from the main house, he built a mini-chapel, a guest house and an office/studio where he paints to his heart’s content.
In the works is an exhibit of his work — paintings and photographs — at the Heritage Gallery in SM Megamall. Target is April 5, 2008.
Although angel paintings by Mion from Italy adorn the walls of his living room, Louie is most proud of a clown piece painted and given by comic Joey de Leon.
His own paintings are in the work area — displayed alongside colorful masks and wooden sculptures from Paete, exquisite antique pieces from the Jo-Liza shop and wind chimes given by friends.
“I plan to retire here,” he quips. “I love the idea of living close to nature.”
The 1,500 square- meter property is teeming with fruit trees. “I have seven lanzones and five rambutan trees. I also have coconut, avocado, guyabano (soursop) and langka (jackfruit). We get all our fruits and vegetables from this garden.”
Wait, there’s more about this piece of paradise on earth: “You should see it at night; the river is lit up by fireflies.”
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