Iloilo [/,e-la-we(,)lo] City lies on the south coast of Panay Island in central Philippines. It was made the capital of Iloilo Province in 1673 and a city in 1890. Centuries before Ferdinand Magellan received formal education in Portugal, inhabitants of the city had been trading with Chinese, Arab, Persian and Indian merchants.

The city has a total land area of 11,800 hectares, generally flat with a population of 309,500 and considerably increases during the school season.

Its naturally-protected port attracted world trade in the 17 th century that by 1878 several foreign commercial houses and foreign consulates were bustling with commercial activities with local manufacturers, farmers and businessmen and the world merchants and traders. At present it boasts of its fine local and international ports.

Iloilo got its name from the local dialect irong-irong , meaning “nose-like” because the great Iloilo river that divides the city is shaped like a nose if seen from above.

The city extends westward to the following districts:

AREVALO which was the site of the earlier residential settlement is known for its flower gardens, traditional cloth weavering and grand villas. It has a stretch of good beaches, including the popular Villa Beach.

MOLO , originally known as Pari-an—a place where the Spaniards grouped the Chinese for easy supervision and taxation—is home of the famous pancit molo , a spicy clear chicken soup with shrimp or pork dumplings and thin flat noodles which has its origin in the Chinese. It is also known for its local biscuits. Molo is known as “Athens of the Philippines,” being the birth place of famous Philippine illustrados —solons, Supreme court justices, writers and scholars. Old Castillan houses, ancestral homes and villas abound this district which has a beautiful plaza in front of the centuries-old Molo Church. In the southern end of this district is a long stretch of fine beaches.

Northwest of the City Proper is MANDURRIAO which is an agricultural and residential district. It is famous for its fish ponds and saltbeds. However, Mandurriao is undergoing fast transformation into an urban development site. The Iloilo Airport is loacated here and in Bolilao, the SM City, a department store complex, will soon rise together with other planned development projects of the city.

Northward from the City Proper, across the river are the following districts:

LA PAZ , nationally known for its la paz batchoy —a concoction of delicious broth, thin noodles, pork innards and spices—was once a barrio of Jaro named Bagong Banera. It became a pueblo only in 1856. It is the hometown of Philippine First Lady Ming Ramos who belongs to the pioneering families Jara and Martinez. Although many commercial establishments abound this district, La Paz remains a good residential area because of its elevation. The 60 hectare Puerto Real de Iloilo which is under development in this district is said to be the exclusive enclave of Ilonggo noveau riche . It has a wide plaza where football games are occasionally held. It has a beautiful red-brick church.

JARO or Salog (to the Chinese) is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro. Originally an independent municipality, Jaro was integrated with Iloilo City in 1937 during the American Commonwealth period. This district is the home of famous Ilonggo illustrados like national hero Graciano Lopez-Jaena, famous poet-writer Magdalena Jalandoni, and great old Ilonggo families like the Lopezes, Jalandonis, Aranetas Ledesmas, Montinolas, Javelosas, Lizareses, Luzurriagas and others. Jaro is traditionally the enclave of the old rich who built such famous mansions and villas like the Nelly's Garden, the imposing Lizares Mansion, the Lopez Mansion, and the Montinola-Antillan, J. Javellana, L. Ledesma and M. Jalandoni ancestral houses. The now restored ruined red-brick belfry in front of the Cathedral is an imposing landmark at the center of the district.

Jaro is also famous for its fiesta— the Candelaria—every February 2 in honor of its Patroness, the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. The lavish fiesta includes a two-week long agro-industrial fair, “sparkling” religious procession and cock derbies and culminates in a grand ball at the centuries-old plaza where a Jaro fiesta queen is crowned annually. His Holiness Pope John Paul II made a historic visit here in 1981.

The CITY PROPER is the center of activities of the city where a large commercial and educational community thrive. It is also the seat of the city and provincial governments: the Iloilo City Hall is in Plaza Libertad while the Casa Gobierno or the Provincial Capitol, considered among the most beautiful in the islands, is at the Bonifacio Drive. The new Iloilo Hall of Justice building nestles at the foot of Forbes bridge. Known to locals as “downtown,” the more than half a kilometer-long of commercial avenue better known as Calle Real (Iznart-J.M. Basa streets) tapers from the Provincial Capitol to Plaza Libertad. The intersecting streets of Solis, Delgado, Ledesma, Aldeguer, Guanco, Mapa and Ortizas well as the parallel streets of Valeria, Quezon and Rizal bustle with commercial activity as the city expands commercially.

The port is on the southern end of this district where the regional offices of government instrumentalities are located. Many old mansions, houses and structures dot this district, some of which need reconstruction like the once beautiful Laguda colonial mansion and the fabulous Casino Español near Fort San Pedro.

The great conflagration of February 1966 which burned a vast portion of the City Proper paved the way for a successful redistricting of the city.

Iloilo City is a vibrant mix of the East and West, old and new, where old Chinese businessmen still prefer to use the abacus , where new architecture soars over ancient mansions and churches. There is so much to see in Iloilo with fascinating Ilonggo traditions and festivals, exciting shopping for local products and trips and excursions to outlying islands and beaches. Although nightlife is more subdued here, high-tech discoteques of hotels are the hosts to the swinging young set while elegant coffee shops, bars, pubs and eateries are strategically located in the city that the Ilonggos invite you to stay an extra day.