Cebu-based actress Ellen Adarna reveals the true origin of the famous Temple of Leah and shares her personal standards for romantic relationships. In a recent interview on Melai Cantiveros' show "Kuan On Juan", the celebrity disclosed that the renowned structure in Busay, Cebu, was originally built as a storage space for her late grandmother Leah Adarna.
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It was revealed by the actress that her grandmother was a hoarder who owned massive collections of valuable family heirlooms, antique furnitures and personal belongings. If the family ever decided to sell her possessions, allegations were made by the late matriarch that she would haunt them all. Because of this dramatic threat, her grandfather Teodorico Adarna built the temple as a grand tribute, ensuring that his wife's items were properly stored unless the family wished to face her wrath.
Initially designed just to be a storage facility for everyday items and antiques measuring over 50cm in height, the structure’s majestic design unexpectedly attracted public attention. People suddenly started visiting the site to take pictures, e.g., going on dates and sightseeing. To cope up with the influx of unauthorized visitors, the family decided to turn the private property into a formal business. The sudden popularity of the location would result to its current status as a highly profitable enterprise.
Consequently, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Tourism to ensure that heritage and spontaneous tourist sites maintain proper safety and crowd control guidelines. In previous administrative advisories regarding the influx of tourists to provincial hotspots, the department stated that strict inspections would be conducted to preserve both visitor security and structural integrity.
The Adarna family is well aware of the landmark's cultural impact today. The site is now open to the public from Monday to Sunday, often welcoming hundreds of guests and easily exceeding one hundred fifty tourists during peak seasons. For Ellen, however, the grand gesture holds a deeper personal meaning.
“That is why I have high standards for men, because my grandmother was given a temple,” she stated. According to the actress, the structure was named Temple of Leah simply because it housed everything she hoarded, i.e., all of her grandmother's worldly possessions.
As the eldest and only girl in her immediate family—with her two older female cousins being Manila-based—Ellen was taken in and raised by her grandmother in Cebu. She credits this upbringing for her brave and fierce attitude, traits she proudly inherited from the late Leah Adarna.
