Monthly Archives: June 2005

La Paz District (Iloilo City)

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La Paz District, located 2 kms. from the city proper, was formerly called Lobo, Llaunon, Ilawod and Iznart (after Iloilo alcalde mayor Manuel Iznart), was established as a parish in 1868. It is noted for its La Pazbatchoy, a delicacy made of flat, scissored noodles and pork innards simmered in broth and topped with crushed pork crackers and spicy herbs.  It is served in restaurants around the market. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace
Its brick and stone, Neo-Classic style Church of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), at the plaza, was started in 1847 by Fr. Candido Gonzalez, continued by Fr. Leandro Jambrina (in 1879) and Fr. Manuel Camara (in 1880) and enlarged and finished, in 1895, by Fr. Mariano Isart.  In 1909, it was restored by Fr. Anselmo Corcuera.  The stone convent was started by Fr. Mariano Isart based on plans by Don Julio Hernandez and Don Lorenzo Romero.  It was damaged during World War II and the 1948 earthquake.  

The church interior

Two engaged columns, supporting a triangular pediment, are recent additions (1970).  The 2-level church facade is flanked by twin octagonal, domed bell towers. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage: Jereos St., La Paz District, Iloilo City, Iloilo.

 

Jaro District (Iloilo City)

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After breakfast at the hotel, Charlie and I started our GPS mapping of 3 of Iloilo’s 5 nearby districts – Jaro, La Paz and Molo (the others are Arevalo and Mandurriao, the site of the airport).  All 5 were incorporated to the city in 1936 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 158 and each has its own plaza and church.

Jaro Cathedral

We first proceeded to Jaro District, an elite residential center located just 4 kms. from the city proper, and drop by its Gothic-style Jaro Cathedral (officially the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candles).  Located just across the street from the plaza, it is the seat of the Jaro Archbishopric. Mass has just been finished when we arrived.

The cathedral’s separate bell tower

The cathedral was first built before 1726 by Fr. Bernardino Alisen.    The present structure was built in 1874, upon the orders of Most Reverend F. Mariano Cuartero, O.P., first bishop of Jaro.  It was damaged during the January 5, 1948 earthquake and reconstructed, in 1956, under Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuenco.  Its separate 3-storey, 25-m. high, red brick belfry was built by Fr. Juan Aguado, restored, from 1833 to 1835, by Fr. Jose Alvarez and was ruined during the 1948 earthquake.  St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, located near the cathedral, was where famous propagandist, orator, journalist and local son Graciano Lopez-Jaena went to school. 

Iloilo City’s Stately Ancestral Houses

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The stately Lizares Mansion

Iloilo City is one of the best places to observe American-era architecture, notably its ancestral houses. The stately Lizares Mansion, in Brgy. Tabuc Suba, is probably the most elegant and most opulent of the old houses and the most accessible.  Built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares, it was converted into the headquarters of the Japanese Army during World War II and, in 1962, became the school chapel of the Dominican-run Angelicum School.  This building, fusing American and Spanish architecture, has a spacious lawn.  

Nelly’s Garden

The imposing, Beaux Arts style Nelly Gardens Mansion, along E. Lopez St., was built in 1928 by Don Vicente Lopez y Villanueva and his wife Dona Elena Hofilena y Javelona.  Standing on a 4-hectare property with a beautifully manicured lawn, it was was named after their eldest daughter Nelly, who liked gardens.    

Iloilo City Tour: By Car

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After our museum visit, we tried, for lunch, one of Iloilo’s famous cuisine, La Paz batchoy at Ted’s at the Provincial Capitol. After lunch, we began the GPS mapping of the rest of the city proper in earnest, making short stopovers at a number of the city’s notable landmarks.

Church of St. Joseph

Fronting the City Hall is Plaza Libertad (formerly Plaza Alfonso XII), at the intersection of De la Rama, Gen. Hughes and Zamora Sts. It was the site where the first Philippine flag was raised, on  December 25, 1898, after Spain’s surrender to Gen. Martin Delgado.  Across the plaza is San Jose Parish Church, started in 1873 by Augustinian Fr. Mauricio Blanco, who also built the convent.  It was spared during World War II.  The main altar was gilded with 17,000 gold panels by Fr. Jesus Fernandez.  Renovated, from 1980 to 1982, by Fr. Gilbert Centina III, O.S.A.., Romblon marble was used to decorate the transept walls, presbytery, the main and side altar walls and the floors.  This 1-storey Byzantine church has 3 naves, a transept and 2 flanking, 3-storey, rectangular bell towers (one of which has a barometer and a clock).

Forts San Pedro

Fort San Pedro, near the mouth of the Iloilo River.  Built in 1616 as a defense against enemy raids, it was almost totally destroyed, by naval and air bombardment, during World War II.  The Iloilo-Negros Air Express Company (INAEC, founded by Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr. on 3 February 1933), pioneered the first commercial aircraft flight in the country, which took off from a grassy airfield near the fort.   Also nearby, at the river’s mouth, is a lighthouse and Rotary Park.   

Iloilo Port Terminal building

The city’s port, one of the country’s finest, is protected by Guimaras Island.  It handles a considerable volume of rice and sugar shipments. Muelle Loney, the riverfront, with its wharves and warehouses, is a popular promenade named after Nicholas Loney (1826 to 22 April 1859), British vice-consul in Iloilo in 1855 and Father of the Philippine Sugar Industry.  Loney established the first trading company in Iloilo and transformed and galvanized the local sugar industry in Negros and Panay by importing British machinery.  

Museo Iloilo (Iloilo City)

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After my walking tour of the city, I was picked up by Charlie and we proceeded to the Provincial Capitol where we visited the Provincial Tourism Office.  Prior to lunch, we dropped by Museo Iloilo, behind the capitol.  Referred to as the city’s “Window to the East,” the museum showcases Iloilo’s rich cultural heritage.  The first government-sponsored museum outside Metro Manila, this museum was designed by Ilonggo architect Sergio Penasales and is now managed by the Iloilo Cultural Research Foundation, Inc..

Museo Iloilo

Its well-displayed collection includes Stone Age tools, gold-leaf burial masks, ornamented teeth, seashell jewelry and coffins from pre-Hispanic graves; photos; pottery from China, Annam and Siam; relics from the revolution and World War II; ethnic swords, knives and spears of the Mondo tribe (descendants of Pre-Malay Indonesian) of Panay; Carbon 14-dated fossils; and modern art by Ilonggo artists and craftsmen.  A permanent exhibit features an Ati family.

Museo Iloilo interior

Its Spanish ecclesiastical art collection includes religious statuary (including a statue of a female saint holding her lopped off breast); church vestments; a tableau of the Last Supper; and a Santo Entierro (bier of a dead Christ).

China, Siam and Annam Pottery
Santo Entierro
Photos of old Iloilo churches
Ethnic weapons
Ancient coffins and pottery
Weaving loom

A section is devoted to articles recovered by divers from the wreck of a nineteenth century British steamer lying in 7 m. of water on the Oton Shoals, off Guimaras Island.  Exhibited as the “Bottle Wreck,” its glass hoard includes bottles of port wine and Glasgow beer, as well as Victorian china.

Museo Iloilo: Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City, Iloilo. Open Mondays to Saturdays (except holidays), 8-11 AM and 2-5 PM.  Admission: PhP20/pax (PhP15 for students).

Iloilo City Tour: On Foot

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After breakfast at the hotel, I made a walking tour of the city’s downtown area, with a dependable EZ map on hand.  From Delgado St., I walked along J.M. Basa St., the city’s busiest main thoroughfare which is lined with shops, handicraft stores, moviehouses and restaurants. 

Ker & Co. Building
Nineteenth century structures are located along this street and along Iznart St. (formerly Calle Real).  They include the Commission on Audit (COA) Bldg. and the Ker & Co. (K & C) Bldg..  The latter, with its West Indies ambiance, has a marvelous iron staircase cast in Scotland.

Return to Guimaras

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After breakfast at the Fine Rock Hotel, Charlie and I again boarded our Ford Explorer and drove to Muelle Loney (Iloilo River Wharf).  Here,  we loaded the car on the MV Felipe, another ancient RORO (Roll On Roll Off) ferry of F.F. Cruz Shipping Corp., bound for  Jordan, the provincial capital of Guimaras, where we plan to do GPS mapping.  This would be my second visit to this island province, having been there 10 years ago with my family.

RO-RO Port at Jordan

Our ship left Muelle Loney by 9:30 AM and the smooth crossing to the RO-RO port in Brgy. Hoskyn took just 30 mins..  Once docked, we drove off, with Charlie on the wheel, for Jordan town proper where we made a short stopover at the municipal hall and the town plaza, said to be the smallest in the country.

Jordan municipal hall
The town plaza, the country’s smallest

From thereon, we proceeded on our GPS mapping around the island.  At Nueva Valencia, we again made a short stopover at Raymen Beach Resort which was situated in a cove.  The narrow, beige sand beach was clean and the left side of the cove was a marine reserve with beautiful corals.

Raymen Beach

The resort itself, considered the most popular win the province, is about an hour’s drive away from Jordan Wharf.  It has a mix of airconditioned rooms with bath and TV and fan-cooled cottages with bath.  They also have a canteen, billiards and videoke. 

Raymen Beach Resort

Past Nueva Valencia, the road to Sibunag and San Lorenzo turned bad and I replaced Charlie at the wheel of the Ford Explorer for the second time in our 3-week GPS mapping expedition (the first time was from Kalibo to Iloilo City).  Once done with our mapping, we returned to Jordan port and left on the 5:30 PM ferry.  We were back in Fine Rock Hotel in time for dinner.
  
F.F. Cruz Shipping Corp.: Lapuz, Iloilo City, Iloilo.  Tel: (033) 337-1046, 336-9329 and 336-4195.  
F.F. Cruz Shipping Corp.: Jordan, Guimaras.  Tel: (033) 581-1701.
Raymen Beach Resort: Sitio Alubijod, Poblacion, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.  Tel: (033) 396-0252.

On the Road From Caticlan to Iloilo City

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From our R&R stop at Caticlan and Boracay, Charlie Kemplin and I were slated to begin our first Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) mapping at Iloilo City.  Joining us was Charlie’s friend Ron Connell and his son Steve (owner of Frendz Resort in Boracay), both married to Filipinas.   We left Boracay, early in the morning, for Caticlan’s Ferry Port, got the 1994 Ford Explorer at my father-in-law’s house in Malay town proper and were soon on our way by 9 AM.

Passi City Hall

The non-stop 212-km. trip to Iloilo City normally takes just 6 hrs. but, in our case, took more than that.  Charlie drove the first 65 kms. to Kalibo where we stopped for lunch at Greenwich in Gaisano Mall.   From Kalibo, I took over the wheel of the Explorer and drove the remaining 147 kms. to Iloilo City, making a short stopover at Passi City Hall for some maps.  It was just about dusk and raining hard when we reached Iloilo City.  Here, we checked in at 3 airconditioned rooms with bath and cable TV at the Fine Rock Hotel.