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| West Visayas / Panay |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Tuesday, 30 September 2008 07:45 |
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Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / The Island Panay is one of the economically better developed islands of the archipelago. This was mainly brought about by the political events at the middle of the nineteenth century when the British forced Spain to open the Philippines to the world market. Thereafter, the Scotch capitalist Nicolas Loney brought modern agribusiness to Panay and Negros with the installation of sugar plantations. But Panay more than Negros ever before had a well organized but not very modern home industry. Even today, Panay known for its good quality crafts of weaving and pottery. The sugar growing areas of Panay are concentrated around Iloilo City. As the terrain is flat through wide parts of Panay, many areas are devoted to growing rice, too. The poorest parts of the island are, as always in the Philippines, the mountainous areas which in the case of Panay are not in the center of the island but along the west coast. Some small islets off the north coast are world famous for beautiful beaches. Best known is Boracay which developed into the most favored destination among the European youth visiting The Country . Kalibo, the city near Boracay, has been the entry point of an earlier foreign invasion. It was there, in 1213 a big group of Bornean Malaya landed to settle and stay. Panay, at that time, was widely populated by Negritos. The Bornean Malays who were superior to the Negritos, however, chose not to take the island by force but rather to buy it from the native inhabitants. An according contract was made between Datu (chieftain) Puti of the Borneans and the Negritos’ chief Marikudo. As a concession to the Negritos who probably were fleeced in the deal, the new Malay settlers in subsequent fiestas blackened their skin with coal to look more like the Negritos, or Ati, as they name themselves and are called in the vernacular. The tradition of fiestas with blackening of the skin to look like the Ati is still very much alive today; examples are the Ati-Atihan festivals in Kalibo and throughout The Country . Even in the early Malay times, Panay was divided into three administrative areas: the southern plain (Irongiron, later Iloilo), the western mountain range (Hamtik, later Antique, a name chosen by the Spanish obviously for its similar sound to the native’s name), and the northern hills (Capiz). Even in pre-Spanish history, Panay was advanced in civilization in comparison to most Philippine islands. An example therefore was the rule of Datu Kalantiao over Capiz in the 15th century. In about 1433, he authored a set of written laws for his kingdom, the so-called Code of Kalantiao. The Spanish arrived on Panay in 1569. Miguel de Legazpi partially colonized the island and installed General Gonzalo Ronquilloas as first Spanish governor of Panay. For a few years, the town of Arevalo was the seat of the provincial Spanish government, but in 1581, it was transferred to Iloilo. Nowadays, the NPA is present throughout the island, but it is stronger in the mountains along the west coast than in the plains. There was a number of raids on town halls and constabulary detachments in recent years, but generally, the rebels of Panay are said to have a softer approach than those on Negros or Mindanao. They put more emphasis on education campaigns and building of mass base organizations than on military actions. However, provoked by some NPA assaults, mainly Capiz province became more militarized in recent years. The most spectacular operation of the NPA on Panay was the blasting of several bridges in the outskirts of Iloilo in January, 1987. Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Geography Land Area: 12,297sqkm (4,748sqmi) Topography: the east side is lowland, with some upland portions; the west side is rugged and mountainous Mountains: Mt Usigan near Malinao, Aklan l,066m (3,498ft); Mt Nangtud near Dumalag, Capiz 2,049m (6,723ft); Mt Baloy near Bugasong, Antique 1,728m (5,670ft); Mt Agudo near Batad, Iloilo 834m (2,736ft) Rivers: Sibalom river in Antique; Panay river in Capiz; Iloilo river in Iloilo
Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Population
Majority Group: Ilongos; Language HilongoMinorities: Atis (Negritos)Island Population: 2,601,000Cities, Towns: (Census of 1980; x1000)
Aklan Kalibo 40 N.Washingt. 26 Batan 23 Ibajay 31 Banga 25 Libacao 22 AntiqueSibalom 36 Hamtic 29 Patnongan 24San Jose 30 Culasi 30 Tob.Fornier 23 Capiz Roxas City 81 Mambusao 32 Pontevedra 30 Tapaz 35 Panay 32 Pilar 30 Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Political Structure Pop. Area Capital X1000 sgkm sqkmi Aklan 325 1,818 702 Kalibo Antique 345 2,522 974 Sn.Jose d.B. Capiz 492 2,633 1,017 Roxas City Iloilo 1,434 5,324 2,056 Iloilo Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / The City Iloilo is a comparatively clean and even neat city with far fewer social problems than for example Bacolod just across Guimaras Strait. Unlike Bacobod, there are almost no beggars in the streets. From an architectural viewpoint, Iloilo has much more to offer than most Philippine cities. Molo church in the Molo district is impressing, and many of the buildings in the downtown have decorative facades. Iloilo has a very fine natural harbor which is, however, no longer of importance. The harbor actually is right in the city center, and it’s an interesting site for a daytime stroll. In between the warehouses, the harbor quarter also has its clubs which come alive at night.
Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Accommodation
Sarabia Manor Hotel (62) Gen Luna St, Tel 727-31, luxury hotel out of the city center Amigo Terrace Hotel (31) Iznart cor Delgado Sts, Tel 748-10 to 19, upper middle class hotel in the center Hotel Del Rio (65) Del Pilar St, Molo, Tel 755-85, upper middle class hotel Casa Plaza Hotel (35) Iznart cor Gen Luna Sts, Tel 734-61 to 67, middle class hotel in the center Centercon Hotel (25) L.J. Honmillon Bldg, Iznant St, Tel 734-31, good quality, recommended Hotel Madia-ac (23) Aldeguer St, Tel 727-56 to 59, simple hotel, good value Eros Travellers’ Pension (53) Gem Lw. St, .Tel 76143, clean, quiet
Family Pension House (56) Gen Luna St. Tel 720-47 Iloilo Lodging House (24) Aldeguen St, Tel 723-84, moderate Bayani Royal Hotel (5) Gen Hughes St, simple YMCA (34) lznant St, Tel 757-60; Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Restaurants Sarabia Manor Hotel Rest. (62) Gen Luna St (int'l) ac, first class rest Fatima Garden (50) - Delgado St (Phil) ac Kamalig (50) - Delgado St (Phil) partly ac, partly garden rest The Tavern (52) - Delgado St (Phil) ac, upper middle class Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Attractions Museo de Iloilo (38) - Bonifacio Dr archaeological and folkloric items Plaza Libertad (9) & San Jose Church (8) Basa St Fort San Pedro Area & Rotary Park (2) near the pier Molo Church - Molo plaza in Molo district. jeepneys from Iznart cor Gen Luna Sts signed 'Molo' Jaro Cathedral - in jaro district Seat of the archbishop Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Miscellaneous Department of Tourism (63) - Sarabia Bldg Gen Luna St, Tel 787-01, 754-11 Mon-Sat 8:00-17:00 Phil Nat'l Bank (42) - Gen Luna St; (11) - Basa St City Hall (12) - Ortiz St Provincial Capitol (36) - Gen Luna St St. Paul's Hospital (54) - Gen Luna St Iloilo Doctors' Hospital (64) Lopez Jaena St, Molo
Central Market (22) - Aldeguer St Supermarket (59) - De Leon St public market Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Transportation
Department of Tourism (63) - Sarabia Bldg Gen Luna St, Tel 787-01, 754-11 Mon-Sat 8:00-17:00 Phil Nat'l Bank (42) - Gen Luna St; (11) - Basa St City Hall (12) - Ortiz St Provincial Capitol (36) - Gen Luna St St. Paul's Hospital (54) - Gen Luna St Iloilo Doctors' Hospital (64) Lopez Jaena St, Molo Land Transportation PAL Office (40) Gen Luna St cor Bonifacio Dr Tel 735-11, 759-25, 784-71 Bus Terminal (58) - Rizal St Ceres Liner buses hourly to Roxas and Kalibo via Dumalag in the morning Jeepney Terminals (48) - lznart cor Rizal Sts; to Molo, Calumpang, Villa Beach, Maasin, Potoan (58) - Rizal St; to Lambunao (59) - around 'Supermarket'; to Guimbal, Miag-ao, San Joaquin, Tubungan, Igbaras, Tigbauan, Cabatuan (60) - Jalandoni St; to Sta Barbara, also minibus to Passi
Shipping Ticket offices of Trans Asia, Sulpicio and Negros Navigation are at the main pier (3) Piers (1) - at the Iloilo river mouth; frequent outriggers to Buenavista on Guimaras (3) - main pier, Fort San Pedro Dr ships to Mindanao and Manila (4) - at the Fort San Pedro Drive Inn hourly boats to Jordan on Guimaras Isl (6) - Muelle Loney; ferry to Bacolod twice a day. 7:00 and 15:00 Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Iloilo City / Around Iloilo City
The coast southwest of Iloilo until Miagao has many nice beaches in between fishing villages. The beaches have fine light gray sand and shallow clear water and are relatively clean. Almost all beaches have picnic huts and tables for rent and are suitable for a day trip from Iloilo City. They can be easily reached by jeepneys from Iloilo.
Aside from the beaches, interesting points are the yellow stone church in Tigbaoan, the pirate watchtowers at Guimbal, and the Nadsadan Falls at Igbaras, near Guimbal. Accommodation Villa Rosa by the Sea - Calaparan, Villa Tel 769-53; cot 150 (tb), 270 (ac,tb) md. breakfast; seafood rest, swpl Punta Villa Beach Houses - Arevalo, 6km (3.5mi) from Iloibo, Tel 772-53; cot 140 pp. meals included; rest, basket ball, volley ball, tennis court; hard to find because the sign is old Coco Grove Beach Houses - Tigbaoan, 15km (9mi) west of Iloilo; cot 150-200 Garzon Beach Houses - Guimbal, 22km (l4mi) west of Iloilo, Tel 717-21; cot 65-80 Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Guimaras Island The best beaches and resorts around Iloilo are on Guimaras island, between Panay and Negros. Accommodation in native cottages is available at Isla Naburot, near Nueva Valencia on the west coast, and at Isla Nagarao near San Isidro on the east coast. Regular ferries from Iloilo go to Jordan and Buenavista; outriggers to the above mentioned resorts can be hired at the Fort San Pedro Drive Inn in Iloilo. Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Gigantes Island A group of islets off the Northeast tip of Panay. Two are inhabited, Gigantes North and Gigantes South Island. Gigantes North, 5 by 3km (about 3 by 2m) in size, is not only the most beautiful of the group but also one of the most beautiful islets in all of the Philippines. lt's own White Beach though not as long as White Beach on Boracay does not have to fear comparison with its more famous counterpart. A stretch of approximately 1km (0.6m), has a fine, purely white sand. The beach, on the South of the islet, is located in a small cove with high rocks at both ends. Behind the beach is a coconut jungle. The center of the islet is mountainous with two enormously large caves, each penetrating into the mountains for about one kilometer. As they are quite safe they are suited even for freshmen spelunkers. The islet doesn’t have much infrastructure yet but accommodation is available at some cottages built there by a German and his wife. The place doesn’t have a name yet but cottages can be rented for 80 to 150 pesos. The couple also provides food. To get to the Gigantes Islands one first proceeds to Iloilo, Roxas or Estancia (the closest). To all three, there are ships from Manila. Going by air, one has a choice between Roxas and Iloilo. From Iloilo, it takes 4, from Roxas 2 hours to get to Carles, a small town opposite the Gigantes Islands, where one can hire a banca to cross over. A fair price for the whole banca which can carry 6 to 8 passengers is 500 pesos. Gigantes North at this time is about what Boracay was some 10 years ago. With Boracay becoming developed for the upper market tourist, several pioneering backpackers have chosen Gigantes North as an alternative. Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Sicogon Island A beautiful small island off the Northeast tip of Panay with nice white sand beaches. Boats go from Estancia to Sicogon. On Sicogon, there is no accommodation available other than at the expensive resort which occupies 1,200 hectare of the island’s area. Sicogon Island Resort luxury beach resort; cot $ 42-50 rest, bar, swpl, tennis court, pelota, horseback riding, wind surfing, snorkeling Mla Off: Chemphil Bldg, 851 Pasay RdMakati, Tel 817-11-60, 817-1163 Back to the West Visayas / Panay / main menu Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Roxas City
The city was named after President Roxas who was born there; the former name was Capiz. Among the locals, ‘Capiz’ is still more widely used than ‘Roxas’. Accommodation Haralan Plaza (5) - Rizal St, Tel 649 Haralan House (12) - Roxas Ave, Tel 675 People’s Resort (4) - Punta Tabuk ; disco New Pista Lodge (22) - San Jose Village Villareal Stadium, Tel 474; Beehive Inn (13) - Roxas Ave, Tel 418 Escolin Lodging House (10) - Arnaldo Blvd cor Burgos St, Tel 260; River Lodging House (19) - Lapu-Lapu St Miscellaneous Phil Nat’i Bank (15) - Rizal St
City Hall & Police Station (11) - Rizal St Post Office (3) - Rizal St PLTD (16) - McKinley St
LBC (9) - Arnaldo St RCPI (6) - Arnaldo StRoxas Memorial Hospital (8) - Arnaldo St St Antony Hospital (20) - Fuente Dr Birth Place of Pres. Roxas (2) - Rizal St
Transportation PAL Office (17) - McKinley St
Bus Terminal (13) - Ceres Liner buses toIloilo hourly btw 3:00 and 14:00
jeepneys and Minibuses (18) - public market several minibuses to Kalibo in the morning; jeepneys to all directions Shipping Lines Gothong (7) - Arnaldo St Aboitiz (1) - Rizal St
AROUND ROXAS Marc’s Beach Resort - Baybay Beach, 4km (2.5mi) west of Roxas, Tel 491 ; rest, pelota, tennis, volleyball,disco Villa Patria - Baybay, Roxas City, Tel 180 cot 135-265 (ac); Japanese rest Panorama Island Resort - Barra Hills, Roxas,Tel 417; rest Suhot Springs - at Dumalag; cave with spa, good site for swimming and picnic; jeepneys from the market in Roxas. Back to the West Visayas / Panay / main menu Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Kalibo Most visitors to Kalibo come either for the famous Ati-Atihan Festival in the third week of January or they stay only for one night and proceed to Boracay the next day. The Ati-Atihan Festival is a week long bash in the same manner the Bornean Malays and Negritos celebrated several hundred years ago. But today, this folk festival is given religious meaning and celebrated in honor of the town’s patron saint, Sto Nino. During the celebration, one can see revelers in different colorful costumes, with black and white paint on their bodies and bizarre make up on their faces, singing, shouting, dancing to the drumbeat. Among the Ati-Atihan groups, many from other parts of The Country , there is a competition for the best costumes and the wildest performance. This frenzied, unorganized merriment draws huge crowds, among them many foreign tourists. Before, during and after the festival, all means of transportation going to Kalibo as well as hotels and lodging houses in the town are fully booked. It is therefore advisable if one intends to join the festival to have transport and accommodation reservations made one month before the festival. Because of the sudden influx of thousands of visitors in the town, prices for hotels and any kind of accommodation are multiplied by many times, if compared to the off-season. Accommodation Glowmoon Hotel (8) - Martelino St Tel 31-93, 32-46sgl 150(tb), dbl 150/200(tb)/300(ac,tb) clean, centrally located Casa Felicidad (11) - Martelino / Reyes Sts Tel 26-76; sgl 90/200(ac,tb) dbl 160/300(ac,tb); suite 250 per head clean, good value Castillian Plaza (28) - Ma-agma St Tel 23-18; 2-5 beds/rm 40/100(ac) pp new; near Ceres Liner terminal Casa Alba (11) - Martelino / Reyes Sts Tel 31-46; sgl 40, dbl 70; clean Green Mansion (27) - 1440 M.Laserna St Tel 22-44; 2-3 beds/rm 50/75(tb) pp; nice Arpartel Marietta (6) - Roxas Ave Tel 32-65; 50(tb) pp, dbl 175(ac,tb); clean CT Lodge (12) - Archbis. Reyes / Ramos Sts dbl 60; clean, quiet RB Lodge (2) - Pastrana St, Tel 26-04 2-3 beds/rm 35 ppbl 175(ac,tb); moderate
Glowmoon Pension (24) - F.Quimpo St Tel 32-80; dbl 50; simple
New LM Lodge (23) - F.Quimpo StTel 32-03; dbl 80, l20(tb); simple LM Plaza Lodge (19) - Martyrs St, Tel 33-12 2-3 beds/rm, 30/40(tb) pp dbl 160(ac,tb); simple, noisy Gervy’s Lodge (14) - Pastrana. St, Tel 30-81 2-3 beds/rm 30 pp; very simple Restaurants, Entertainment The restaurants in Kalibo cater mainly to the locals and do not really specialize in foreign foods. Meals are a good bargain in simple restaurants, such as Gervy’s Gourmet (14) on Pastrana St or Peking House (16) on Martyrs St. Additional food stalls surround the market place. A local speciality is Batchoy, a noodle soup with meat, liver etc. For entertainment in the night one maygo to Father Mustache (21) (video disco) or Electra Disco (20) on Rizal St or Flash Disco (7) (quite basic) at the corner of Veterans Ave and Burgos St. Great Minds (17) is a sing along place with cozy living room atmosphere and air-con. The Bowling Inn (26) is on Lasdrna St. Cinemas can be found on Martyrs St near the Plaza, and on Pastrana St. The Aklan Museum (9) on Martelino St was temporarily closed in January 89. Miscellaneous Police Headquarters (18) - Martyrs St opp. Plaza Post Office - Roxas Ave near the wet market Phil. Nat. Bank (2) - Reyes / Pastrana Sts PT&T (11) - Martelino St; long distance calls LBC (3) - Roxas Ave / Ramos St Memorial Hospital (25) - Mabini St St.Gabriel Hospital (13) - Pastrana St St.jude’s Hospital (22) F.Quimpo / Laserna Sts Back to the West Visayas / Panay / main menu Philippines / West Visayas / Panay / Transportation
For short distances tricycles function as taxis, cost 1 peso per passenger within the town. Fares are 10 pesos for up to two pas- sengers from the town center to the airport. Jeepneys and buses to Caticlan and Malay (1) wait at Roxas Ave near the market. Jeepneys to Dumaguit/New Washington (4) are in Gonzales and Torong Sts. The Ceres Liner Terminal (29) (to Iloilo) is at the corner of Mabini and Ma-agma Sts. Buses to Roxas wait on the road to the airport near Mabini St. Before leaving town they usually make a stop at the Ceres Liner Terminal. PAL Office - at the airport, Tel 24-09 William Lines (5) - 165 Roxas Ave,Tel 33-69 Aboitiz Shipping. Co. (15) - C.Laserna St Tel 31-91 Gothong Lines - do St.Peter Agency Gonzales St; Tel 33-37 Back to the West Visayas / Panay / main menu |
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 08:46 ) |
