ABOUT ILOILO
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Located on the southeast portion of Panay Island, it is bordered by Antique to the west and Capiz to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is the island of Guimaras, which used to be part of Iloilo but is now its own province. Across the Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental. Iloilo's capital is Iloilo City.
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. Outside the city, the majority of the people speak Kinaray-a. Each town has its own distinct variation of Kinaray-a. Most Ilonggos are trilingual in English, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog. Ilonggos are mostly Malayo-Polynesian people although there are small pockets of populations with Negrito, Chinese, and European ancestry.
Spanish architecture can be seen in old buildings in downtown Iloilo. Merchants from China and India were trading with the Ilonggos from 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. The mestizo class eventually was born from the marriages of the Spaniards and merchants with the local Malayo-Polynesian people. They later emerged as the ruling class of the Ilonggos (see Principalía).
The town fiesta is one of the most important events for Ilonggos. Almost every town (municipality) in Iloilo has a fiesta celebrated annually. You can eat "free" in any house in any town that is celebrating its fiesta in that week if you go with somebody who knows somebody in that house.
Language
Hiligaynon (or "Ilonggo") is an Austronesian language spoken in Western Visayas in the Philippines. Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. It is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, such as Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Guimaras, and many parts of Mindanao like Koronadal City, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat (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.
Transportation and Tourism
Shipping campanies, bus and taxicab operators, car rental agencies, travel and tour operators will help you on your way to any point you wish to go. The PAL office at the domestic airport will help you make arrangements for connecting flights to your next destinations. Should you find yourself in a fix, contact the mearest Departmant of Tourism information booth.
Iloilo has six major hotels and numerous pension houses to accomodate tourists, and which may also serve as convention sites.
Shopping complexes, restaurants, native food centers, sports and recreational facilities are ready to enter to your shopping, dining and leisure needs. Here's a tip : to those who wish to go on a gastronomical adventure may visit the native reataurants along Villa Beach, downtown Iloilo area or along Diversion Road. You may also get up before dawn and visit the Iloilo Fishing Port, when the fishermen unload their catch; there are many food stalls willing to cook the dripping - fresh seafood for your sumptuous meal. Most establishments open for business at 8 AM; close at 5 PM (government offices), 3 PM (banks), and 7 PM (most commercial establishments). Post offices, telegraph and telephone companies ensure that you are constantly in touch with the world. Iloilo's ideal location makes it easy for people from neighboring provinces to avail of these facilities.
Location and Accessibility
Located 238 statute miles from Manila, Iloilo is the gateway of the Western Visayas Region. The province comprises the southeastern part of Panay Island. Iloilo is 55 minutes by plane from Manila, 30 minutes from Cebu, 90 minutes from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and one hour 45 minutes away from Gen. Santos City. Should you opt to go by sea, Sulpicio Lines, Negros Navigation and Aboitiz have ships plying from Manila (19 hours), Cagayan De Oro City (16 hours), Zamboanga City (14 hours), Cotabato (26 hours), Bacolod (a 2-hour ferry service), and Guimaras (a 20-minute ferry pumpboat service).
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