Iloilo

Related Topics:
Iloilo_City :: Iloilo

Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Iloilo City and is located at the southeast portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique to the west and Capiz to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is the island-province of Guimaras and across Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental.

People and culture

People from Iloilo are called Ilonggos. They are known for their charm and sweetness that comes from the musical tonation of their dialect, Hiligaynon. You would not be able to tell if an Ilonggo is mad at you by the way they speak which always sounds like some one crooning a love song to you. Hiligaynon is spoken in the city while numerous variants of it called Karay-a is spoken for almost every town and municipalities away from the city. Most Ilonggos are bilingual in English and Hiligaynon; English is taught from grade school to high school. But English is not use as an oral communication, and hence when Ilonggos are 'forced' to reply in English they will most of the time end up with a rendition of a Barry Manilow love song tune. The Ilonggos are mostly malayo polynesian people although there are a lot of negritoes, chinese, and hispanic looking ilonggos.

The culture is still essentially Spanish although most young Ilonggos now think and act like Americans. You can still see the spanish architectures from the old buildings in downtown Iloilo and a big old Roman Catholic Church ,with a plaza in front of it in every town. Ilonggos probably have the most diverse culture in all of the philippines because of its strategic central location. Merchants from China and India have long traded with the Ilonggos even before the Spaniards came. The ruling spanish government encouraged these foreign merchants to trade in Iloilo but they were not given priviledges like ownership of lands. The mestizo class eventually was born from the marriages of the Spaniards and merchants with the local malayo polynaisan people. They later emerged as the ruling class of the Ilonggos.

The town Fiesta is one of the most important events of the Ilonggos. Almost every towns ( municipalities) in Iloilo have a fiesta celebrated on different times of the year. You can eat "free" at any house at any town that is celebrating its fiesta that week if you go with somebody who knows somebody at that house. Serving your guests with food and hospitality is one of the most important cherished customs of the ilonggos.

Economy

Geography

Political

Iloilo is subdivided into 42 municipalities and 2 cities.

Cities

Municipalities

Physical

History

(Taken from the Official Iloilo City Website)

Irong-Irong appears in the Maragtas legend of the coming of ten Bornean datus (Chieftains) to Panay who bartered gold for the plains and valleys of the island from a local Ati chieftain. One datu, Paiburong by name, was given the territory of Irong-Irong (now Iloilo). For 300 years before the coming of the Spaniards, the islanders lived in comparative prosperity and peace under an organized government and such laws as the Codes of Kalantiaw.

In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legaspi came to Panay and established a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). He appointed Gonzalo Ronquillo as deputy encomiendero who in 1581 moved the seat of Spanish power to La Villa de Arevalo, a sitio named in honor of his hometown in Avila, in Spain. By 1700 due to recurrent raids by Moro pirates, Dutch and English privateers, the Spaniards moved to the village of Irong-Irong where close to the mouth of the river they built Fort San Pedro.

Irong-Irong or Ilong-Ilong whose name the Spaniards shortened to "Iloilo" later became the capital of the province. The Maragtas, a set of ancient documents, is a popularly accepted chronicle of ancient Panay. According to the documents, Datu Puti and his fellow datus, together with their families, warriors and slaves, fled from the tyranny of Sultan Makatunao of Borneo, and landed at now known as the town of San Joaquin. At that time, Panay was inhabited by native aboriginal people, the small, dark-skinned "Atis" who were ruled by King Marikudo and Queen Maniwangtiwang. King Marikudo sold the lowlands of Panay for the price of a golden hat (saduk), a long golden necklace (manangyad) and other assorted items. After the sale, the Atis retreated to the highlands and newcomers settled in their new home. In 1566, when the Spaniards set foot on the land they later renamed Iloilo, they discovered an affluent land bustling with trade and commerce. Its flourishing economic activities and excellent port made Iloilo the premier province of the country.

External links

Provinces of the Philippines

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Iloilo