Iloilo Travel Information
History | Brief
Description | Geography | Political
Subdivision
Climate | Population
| Language / Dialect | Major Industries
| How to Get There |
Iloilo Hotels & Resorts
History
Irong-Irong appears in the Maragtas legend of the coming of the ten Bornean
datus 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 in what is 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 Code of Kalantiaw.
In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi 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, named in honor of his hometown in Avila,
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
which the Spaniards later shortened to ""Iloilo""
later became the capital of the province.
Its capital of the same name became a chartered city on August 25, 1937.
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Brief Description
Iloilo is set in a graceful repose between Iloilo and Batiano rivers
forming an angle of a nose. Hence, its old name "Ilong-Ilong"
which means "noselike". Mountain ranges with peaks as high as
almost 7,000 ft. provide natural boundaries between Iloilo and Antique
on the west and Capiz on the north. The rest of mainland Iloilo is largely
plain with interspersing upland portions.
Geography
Iloilo is located in the center of the Philippine archipelago. Strategically
located 283 statute miles from Manila, it is the gateway to the flourishing
region that is Western Visayas. The province comprises the southeastern
part of Panay Island.
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Political Subdivision
Iloilo is composed of two cities and 42 municipalities. It is divided
into five (5) congressional districts. It has 1,720 barangays.
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Climate
Iloilo’s climate is pleasantly tropical with 2 pronounced seasons
– the rainy season from June to September, and the dry season from
October to May.
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Population
The National Statistics Office reported that Iloilo province has a population
total of 1,925,002, and Iloilo City has 365,820 as of the 2000 survey.
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Language / Dialect
Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) is the main dialect spoken in Iloilo. English and
Tagalog are also widely spoken and understood especially in urban areas.
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Major Industries
Rice is the major crop in the province of Iloilo. Fish and marine products
are considered the main source of livelihood in the first and fifth districts
of Iloilo. There are also non-traditional products in the province which
include processed food, fruits and vegetables, gifts, furniture, and others.
Traditional products include sugar, coco oil, and lime products, among
others.
There are 114 private and government banks all throughout the province
and city of Iloilo, in addition to 40 rural banks found in most municipalities,
at least 6 malls, and many department stores.
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How to Get There
Travel to Iloilo in style. By plane, it takes 55 minutes from Manila,
about 25 minutes from Cebu from where one can connect to other destinations
in the country.
By boat, it takes 20 hours at most from Iloilo to Manila. From Zamboanga,
16 hours; Cagayan de Oro, 14 hours; Cebu, 12 hours. Bacolod City is a
one-hour trip many times daily. To Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, it takes
38 hours, three times a month.
Iloilo is also accessible by land transportation to and from Aklan, Capiz,
and Antique. It takes 20 min. by pumpboat or 30 min. by ferry ride or
RO-RO to the island province of Guimaras.
Fastcrafts operated by the Phil. Fast Ferry Corp., Weesam Express, Bullet
Express, and Royal Ferry Services serve the connection between Iloilo
and Bacolod City on a daily basis.
Iloilo can now be reached through President Arroyo’s Strong Republic
Nautical Highway in around 19 hours from Manila.
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