Iloilo
Iloilo
Probinsya sang Iloilo | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: The Heart of the Philippines | |
 Map of the Philippines with Iloilo highlighted | |
| Country |  Philippines |
| Region | Western Visayas (Region VI) |
| Founded | 1566 |
| Capital | Iloilo City |
| Government | |
| • Type | Province of the Philippines |
| • Governor | Arthur D. Defensor, Sr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD/Nacionalista/PRP) |
| • Vice Governor | Oscar Garin, Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,829.1 km2 (1,864.5 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 23rd out of 80 |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 1,691,878 |
| • Rank | 11th out of 80 |
| • Density | 350/km2 (910/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 14th out of 80 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 1 |
| • Component cities | 1 |
| • Municipalities | 42 |
| • Barangays | 1,721 including independent cities: 1,901 |
| • Districts | 1st to 5th districts of Iloilo including independent cities: Lone district of Iloilo City |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| Spoken languages | Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Capiznon, Tagalog, English |
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province, once part of Iloilo Province but now a province in its own right. Across the Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental. Iloilo's capital is Iloilo City though the city itself is independent and not governed by the provincial government of Iloilo.
According to the 2007 national census, the population of province excluding Iloilo City is 1,691,878. If Iloilo City is included, the population is 2,110,588.[1]
History
At the time of the Spanish conquest, writing was a new import and the use of organic medium such as leaf and bamboo, and no pre-Hispanic written accounts of Iloilo exist today. Oral history, in the form of recited epics, has survived to a small degree, with a few recordings made from the last known surviving binukots.
The earliest written historical accounts concerning the province relates to Spain's conquest of the island of Panay by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi moving his headquarters from the island of Cebu and creating the first Spanish settlement in the island in Ogtong in 1566. In 1581 the encomienda in Ogtong was moved to La Villa Rica de Arevalo, because of frequent coastal raids by Moro and Dutch privateers, this was again moved near the mouth of the Irong-irong river founding what is now Iloilo City and constructing Fort San Pedro to defend it in 1616.
The City of Iloilo by virtue of a Royal Decree of 1896 was given the honor of having a Coat of Arms with the Inscription: "La Muy Leal Y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo."
Language
Hiligaynon (or "Ilonggo") is an Austronesian language spoken in Western Visayas in the Philippines. Hiligaynon is concentrated in the city of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. It is also spoken in the other provinces in Panay island, such as Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Guimaras, and many parts of Mindanao like Koronadal City, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Kidapawan City and Cotabato City and also in some parts of Maguindanao municipalities of Datu Paglas, Buluan and Mangudadatu as well. (It is spoken as a second language by Karay-a in Antique, Aklanon and Malaynon in Aklan, Cebuano in Siquijor, and Capiznon in Capiz.). There are approximately 7,000,000 people in and outside the Philippines who are native speakers of Hiligaynon, and an additional 4,000,000 who are capable of speaking it with a substantial degree of proficiency.
The language is referred to as "Ilonggo" in Negros Occidental and in Iloilo. More precisely, "Ilonggo" is an ethnoliguistic group referring to the people living in Panay and the culture associated with the people speaking Hiligaynon. The boundaries of the dialect called Ilonggo and that called Hiligaynon are unclear. The disagreement of where what name is correct extends to Philippine language specialists and native laymen.
People and culture
People from Iloilo are called Ilonggos. There are two local languages spoken in the province: Hiligaynon sometimes called Ilonggo, and Kinaray-a. Hiligaynon and variants of it are spoken in Iloilo city and a few towns of the province. Spanish is strictly a local language,at least in a historical way, but the number of natural Spanish speakers have declined strongly after WWII, and due to this, there are today many Ilonggos who do not consider it a local language.
Spanish architecture can be seen in old buildings in downtown Iloilo. Chinese Merchants and Indonesians were trading with the Ilonggos long before the Spaniards came. The ruling Spanish government encouraged these foreign merchants to trade in Iloilo but they were not given privileges like ownership of land. Foreign merchants and Spaniards intermarried with the locals, and the Mestizo class was eventually born from their union. The Mestizo offsprings of the local nobilities later emerged as the ruling class of the Ilonggos (see Principalía).
The town's fiesta is one of the most important events for Ilonggos. Almost every town (municipality) in Iloilo has a fiesta and festival celebrated annually.
Geography
The Province of Iloilo is the largest marshland in Western Visayas after the Sanderbans. The province is divided into two distinct geographic regions; the highlands of the Madia-as on the western border and the lowland plains which account for a larger portion of the province. Small islands east of its northernmost tip also dot the Visayan Sea - of these, Pan de Azucar and Sicogon are well-known.
Climate
| Climate data for Iloilo, Philippines — NOAA Station Id: PH98637 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) |
30.2 (86.4) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.2 (86.4) |
31.12 (88.02) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.1 (84.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.5 (81.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.59 (81.66) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.7 (72.9) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.6 (76.3) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.02 (75.24) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 39.9 (1.57) |
19.1 (0.75) |
27.1 (1.07) |
47.7 (1.88) |
117.9 (4.64) |
255.2 (10.05) |
313.2 (12.33) |
363.7 (14.32) |
266.8 (10.50) |
264.1 (10.40) |
174.8 (6.88) |
64.2 (2.53) |
1,953.7 (76.92) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82 | 80 | 75 | 73 | 77 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 81.25 |
Source: "Climate (Average Weather) Data". climate-charts.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in | |||||||||||||
Political
Iloilo is subdivided into 42 municipalities, one component city, and one highly urbanized city
Cities
- Iloilo City (Iloilo City (http://www.iloilocity.gov.ph) is independent from the Province of Iloilo, but remains the Provincial Capital of the Province)
- Passi City
Municipalities
|
|
Government
GOVERNOR: Arthur D. Defensor, Sr.
Vice Governor: Richard S. Garin, Jr.
Provincial Board Members: 1st District
2nd District
3rd District
4th District
5th District
Ex-officio Board Members:
- PCL President: Cecilia A. Colada
- ABC President: Jeneda C. Salcedo
- SK President: Charmine Devicente
District Representatives: 1st District: Janette Loreto-Garin 2nd District: Augusto Syjuco 3rd District: Arthur D. Defensor, Sr. 4th District: Ferjenel G. Biron 5th District: Niel C. Tupas, Jr.
Congressional Districts
1st District
- Municipality: Guimbal, Igbaras, Miagao, Oton, San Joaquin, Tigbauan, Tubungan
- Congresswoman: Janette Loreto-Garin
2nd District
- Municipality: Alimodian, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena, Pavia, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Zarraga
- Congressman: Augusto Syjuco
3rd District
- Municipality: Badiangan, Bingawan, Cabatuan, Calinog, Janiuay, Lambunao, Maasin, Mina, Pototan
- Congressman: Arthur Defensor Jr.
4th District
- City: Passi City
- Municipality: Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, San Enrique
- Congressman: Ferjenel Biron
5th District
- Municipality: Ajuy, Balasan, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Estancia, Lemery, San Dionisio, San Rafael, Sara
- Congressman: Neil Tupas Jr.
Tourism
As a leading province during the Spanish Colonial Era, the province of Iloilo is widely known for its beautiful old world architecture similar to that of Latin American Countries. Spanish colonial Churches are amongst the well-known tourist sites in the province.
Miagao Church. The World Heritage Site. The Aztec-Baroque inspired church with Filipino botanicals used to carved on the facade. It is known for its intricate facade and pyramidal bell towers. The church was used as a fortress during the olden days. It is a massive structure built of yellowish Limestones.
Molo Church. The Gothic Renaissance Church of Molo was used as a watch tower to warn the people if there are any attackers on the shore of Iloilo City. It is a fine coral stone church with Classical and Gothic details. It is also known as the feminist church because of the beautiful female saints lining inside the church.
Cabatuan Church. This Neoclassic Church, known to be the most massive Hispanic structure in Iloilo is built of red bricks. It is believed to be the largest red brick structure in the Visayas and it was given the title "Model of Temples" by the 'El Eco de Panay'. The Cabatuan Church is known to be the only extant Spanish colonial church with three facades.
San Jose Church. The beautiful church in front of plaza Libertad is considered the most historic amongst the churches in Iloilo City. It is a Byzantine-Neoclassic Church planned to look like the Spanish Church of Valencia del Cid. The Church is known for its collection of priceless Catholic treasures.
Old Capitol building of the Province of Iloilo. A National Historical Site. The building was built with wood stone during the Spanish colonization. It served as the capitol when the civil government of Iloilo was founded in 1901. The National Historical Institute (NHI) formally recognized the Old Capitol as a historical landmark through a marker installed on its walls on April 11, 2010.[2]
The Historic province of Iloilo is also known for 'Calle Real'; a street of old buildings with their classical designs. During January, the city heats up for Dinagyang, the festival dubbed as "The best tourism event in the Philippines" It is a collection of tribe warriors dancing in honor of the Child Jesus.
