I was accompanying the team of USC-CTU-FWU students doing a survey in Taloot, Argao, and I decided to walk around the area where they are doing interviews. Our area is along the river leading up to a spring. I noticed that all the houses have the following in common: an outhouse, a "dirty" kitchen, and a lantay.
THE OUTHOUSE
The outhouse is simply a toilet outside the main house. Since the barangay does not yet have a public sewerage system each house resorts to an outdoor toilet above a seepage pit.
This one has walls made of amakan.
This toilet is made of masonry and is shared by two houses, the house of a parent and the house of their daughter.
This is an outhouse of a house made of concrete. This outhouse has galvanized iron sheets for walls.
THE "DIRTY KITCHEN"
The origin of the modern day dirty kitchen which is now attached to the main house. Since cooking was done using firewood and charcoal, the kitchen was placed away from the main house.
THE LANTAY
More than a piece of furniture, the lantay has become a small public space in a cluster of houses. It is a place with seats which are deep enough for sleeping.
The basic lantay is a single seat. It is placed near the pathways so people resting on the lantay get to greet the passers by and engage them in conversation.
This one has two seats form an L to facilitate conversation, especially with a few glasses of bahalina.
Another version of the L-shaped arrangement.
This version has a protective roofing.
This is a modified tree house type. It is also placed near the pathway so people can just drop by for a chit chat or simply to rest.
This one has a store attached to it. Perfect for resting with some bottles of beer or bahalina
