Revisiting Iloilo: A city at the heart of the Philippines

In front of UP Visayas

I took the 9:30 morning flight to Iloilo city last July 15 (Sunday) arriving at the new airport of the province located in the municipality of Cabatuan. A pleasant good roads, no traffic 20 minute ride brought me and the other procurement training organizers pass through the budding towns of Sta. Barbara and Pavia to our venue – the old but stately Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center along General Luna St. in the city proper district.


Strategically situated 283 miles from Manila, the province of Iloilo (where Iloilo City is the capital), is geographically at the heart of the archipelago. It is the gateway to the flourishing region of Western Visayas.

Iloilo City is rich in history, commerce and culture. Colonial Spaniards came to Panay Island and founded a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). Due to recurrent raids by Moro, Dutch and English pirates, the settlement was moved in 1700 to the village of Irong-Irong close to the mouth of the river where they built a stronghold named Fort San Pedro. The Spaniards shortened “Irong-Irong” or “Ilong-Ilong” (noselike) to “Iloilo” which later became the capital of the province. The opening of the city port to world trade in 1855 further led to the city’s economic growth. There was a time during the country’s colonial period that Iloilo became the biggest center of commerce and trade in the whole of the Visayas and Mindanao, second only to Manila.


It’s only my third visit to the city dubbed as the “next big thing”. Whether the slogan was with reference to the region, the Visayas area or to the whole country, I’m not sure. But without doubt, things are looking good for the city.


Lunch that day wasn’t covered yet by our hotel package so I had to go out of the hotel to look for somewhere to eat.

I saw a nearby Ted’s Old Timer Batchoy restaurant on our way to the hotel. You don’t visit Iloilo without visiting one of their branches and trying out their authentic Ilonggo comfort food such as the batchoy. Composed primarily of noodles with pork rind and innards like liver, intestine mixed with some vegetables in warm rich broth. I personally like the one with the fresh egg topping. Order the extra special version with an extra bowl of broth to boot (it’s normally for free). Buyers, beware! While eating you might just forget your name in the process.

Ted's Old Time La Paz Batchoy - Molo district branch

The right stuff - La Paz Batchoy with puto and ice cold Coke Light

While I was able to remember my name after a generous bowl of batchoy and some pieces of puto (rice cake), I unfortunately experienced the nagging discomfort of a toothache (which much later became an outright infection). I roamed around the area for nearby pharmacies which I found quite quickly. However, the pharmacy at the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital was strict with dispensing antibiotics so I was only able to buy some painkillers. It was in the other pharmacy close by that I was able to buy some Amoxycillin capsules. I also bought some cans of coke light from a grocery store before going to the center of the Molo district to hear Mass.

The Molo church otherwise known as the St. Anne Parish Church

is a coral rock Gothic Renaissance church built in 1831

If Molo sounds very familiar to you, that’s because this place is the origin of the “Pancit Molo” (flat noodle dish), Panaderia de Molo biscuits, “Molo” soup and the wrapper used in this tasty broth. The district is also known as the “Athens of the Philippines” due to the many intellectual giants it has produced over the years.

Right in front of Molo Church is the district’s plaza

I had to wait for a while inside the church for the 3 p.m. Children’s Mass. The Mass was generally read in English but the homily and songs were in Hiligaynon, the local dialect of the Illonggos. A quick look inside the church will explain why it is affectionately called by locals as the “women church”. All the statues inside the church are those of women saints.

Side view of the Molo Church

In front of the Sarabia Manor

At the hotel’s lobby

July 16 (Monday)

My toothache which worsened yesterday left me with a swollen left cheek this morning. I wasn't able to wake up early enough to be on time for the start of the training's morning session. I really wasn't feeling quite well but I attended today's session anyway. The antibiotics seem to be helping me bring down the swelling at least in a gradual manner.

I simply stayed the whole day at the hotel even after the session today ended. I was able to talk though, to Bro. Ed Ballada (Iloilo Provincial Mission Center) over the phone early in the afternoon making arrangements about a possible visit to a nearby GK site.

My room was extra spacious with its ante-room

The view from my hotel verandah

That area is La Paz district and

farther to the horizon is Jaro district

July 17 (Tuesday)



It rained today like yesterday, mostly in the morning. Still, the rains weren't enough to dampen my mood here in Iloilo!

On the horizon you can see the island of Guimaras, “Mango Country” of the Philippines

With PTF secretariat Andrea Gallega and Emily Mendoza

Deocampo Original Barquillos branch (Sarabia Hotel branch)

The Iloilo experience would not be complete without tasting the local delicacies. These delicacies include various bakery products such as the baňadas, barquillos (local wafers), biscocho (buttered toasted bread), broas, pasencia, piaya, pinasugbo (banana brittle) and other treats. My personal favorite is the “butterscotch” or what some call as the “food for the gods”.


I bought a lot of these goodies from Deocampo whose main branch is in the Jaro district with four other branches (including the one in Sarabia) spread all over the city. Check out the popular Panaderia de Molo and Biscocho Haus too. Butterscotch from Biscocho Haus are some of the best that I’ve tasted so far!

With some OMB Regional Office staff

After the training session today, some OMB employees and I went to the OMB Regional office which was quite nearby the hotel along the same road, General Luna. It was located at the ground floor of the CAP building in Iloilo City. It was my first visit to that office.

In front of the OMB Regional Office

July 18 (Wednesday)

Thank you Lord. The swelling in my face due to the tooth infection is almost gone. It's also a sunny day today in Iloilo.

By 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, a Singles for Christ (SFC) full time worker Jeff Ebanta had arrived at the hotel to accompany me to a GK site within the city. One of the training participants, Sunny Barrios (also a SFC member) knew Jeff so we all had a short chat before proceeding to the GK site.

With SFC full time worker Jeffrey Ebanta and training participant (and SFC) Sunny Barrios

by Sarabia Manor’s swimming pool.

The Gawad Kalinga site's name was Uswag PLDT Smart GK Amazing Village. It was located in the Mandurriao district. Upon arrival we were met by Kapitbahayan officers led by the KB President, Sis. Herminia Peneda. Other GK beneficiaries present were Marjorie Gadian KB Secretary, Jesus Reyes who was in charge of security and Melanie Reyes.

Sis. Herminia along with the other beneficiaries toured me around the place starting off at her own home. There she showed me the livelihood project they had involving clay figurines. I also went inside their SIBOL classroom that was quite impressive considering their meager resources and the fact that some of the other GK sites don't even have classrooms.

100 GK houses are expected to be constructed in Uswag PLDT Smart GK Amazing Village. 36 houses have so far been built for ther beneficiaries. Needless to say, much work is still to be seen in this site. But the cooperation, unity and much strengthened dignity of the people i've seen here will see them through any task or difficulty.

In fact, the best thing about this GK site as i was informed is that all residing beneficiaries have willingly undergone the Christian Life Program (CLP) and are all now members of the Couples for Christ (CFC) community. Thank God for that!

Outside the Kapitbahayan (KB) President’s home with her family

Livelihood project – clay figurines

With KB officers

Inside the SIBOL school

36 GK houses completely built -


....64 more to go!

Adjacent site for future GK houses

SIBOL/SAGIP kids play close by a fishpond near the GK village

Dinner at Sarabia

Back at the hotel that evening, some participants mainly from the OMB and i decided to spend some time to relax and enjoy the music at the Cafe Salvatore of the hotel. We noticed that there were always lady singers there whom people can join, picking their favorite songs and singing their hearts out. And so some of us did! The result? A night of rollicking fun and laughter for everyone!

A little night of music at the Café Salvatore

Clowning around with the Cebuana diva Emily Mendoza (not related!)

Enjoying drinks and live music

July 19 (Thursday)

The fourth day of the trainors training. As usual, participants had fun with the role playing workshop exercise that involved a community organization starting out as a government contract implementation monitoring group. Often, this is the time that participants really jell together as a group.

Since this was suppose to be the last of the trainers' training batches, and probably inspired by the live singing last night, our service provider, PWI organized a socials night this evening. By the poolside after dinner, participants were 'enjoined' to at least sing one song which was being scored by the videoke machine. The problem with these scoring machines is that even with 'outrageous' singing came outrageously high scores! Thus the fun and laughter...and the rest they say is history!

July 20 (Friday)

The last day of the training session. An overtime of the sessions yesterday resulted in a shortened period today. Of course, everybody liked that which gave us more time either to prepare for the journey home or have more time to see the places of Iloilo.

The training session finally ends

Participants by the pool

With CSO participants Sunny Barrios and Joy Gaitana , OMB lawyers Sonette Daquita and (OMB consultant and CFC brod) Atty. Raoul Dizon

Some of us going home had some time to spare before our flight back to Manila. Bernie Coca, a participant from the DPWH Regional office (VI) was kind enough to provide us with a service vehicle not only to see the sights but to bring us later to the airport. Sunny Barrios helped out as tour guide for most of the sight seeing trip which brought us to several places within the city including a short courtesy visit to the CFC office here in Iloilo where i personally met and thanked Bro. Ed Ballada for their assistance, and a visit to the Iloilo Code office, the nono-government organization that Sunny Barrios worked for. We also saw several historic landmarks, churches like the first Baptist church in the country and the Jaro Cathedral, partly famous because of its miraculous Sto. Nino statue outside and all male saints inside the church. We passed by Museo Iloilo, the provincial capitol building, Fort San Pedro and had a quick tour inside the Central Philippine University.

Provincial capitol building

The Museo Iloilo with DND participant Penelope Pamittan

At the Dept. of Tourism Regional Office at Bonifacio Drive





Birthplace of the famous La Paz Batchoy

Visiting the CFC office in Iloilo

Church inside the Central Philippine University (CPU) campus.

CPU was founded by the Americans way back in 1905.

Jaro Cathedral

Jaro Cathedral is the first and only cathedral in the island of Panay. Built in 1874, it is one of only a few churches in the country where the belfry stands apart from the main church.

Birthplace of famous writers Graciano Lopez-Jaena and Magdalena Jalandoni, the Jaro district echoes the Iloilo of old, the once exclusive area for the elite where many vintage homes still stand up to now.

Homeward bound

If Davao was the place to be in Mindanao, then my choice for a second home in the Visayas would be Iloilo City. Great inexpensive food, unspoiled natural wonders, rich cultural heritage, and most of all, warm and pious people abound!