Iloilo's Charm
Provincial living with the amenities of the big city
By Myra L. Arenas
It’s easy to forget that Metro Manila is not the Philippines. That is because Manila is the center of most everything that has to do with power and money, it being the seat of government, the headquarters for most businesses, and an educational center. But there really is more to the Philippines than this congested metropolis. For one, the pull of Manila has to do predominantly with economic opportunity and the “city’s lights” that gives one a feeling of being where things happen. Not much of an attraction if quality of life is a serious consideration. Unless one were relatively well-off, the grind of living in Metro Manila does not leave much to be desired as far as clean air, peace and order, and other indices that families look for and the UN Human Development Index (a set of criteria to rate quality of living) measures.
In contrast to all these, why not check out Iloilo – the epitome of provincial living equipped with the amenities of a metropolis.
Panaderia de Molo
Every provincial city and town in the Philippines has a local delicacy it proudly calls its own. Iloilo is no exception. It is known for its seafood, La Paz batchoy, pancit molo, chicken inasal, and panaderia de Molo.
Panaderia products are still baked the traditional way - in wood fired ovens
Local legend has it that the origins of the Panaderia de Molo date back to the construction of the Cathedral in the Molo district (the city is divided into the districts of Molo, Jaro, Arevalo, La Paz, and Mandurriao). While egg whites were mixed into the plaster used for the construction of the Cathedral, the egg yolks went to the local panaderia to bake biscuits. Today, the Panaderia de Molo — now in its fourth generation of owners – still uses wood-fired ovens to bake galletas, ronquillos, hojaldres, and much more. Delicate wafer-thin biscuits are still sorted by hand to prevent chipping and packed into the bakery’s signature handmade tin cans bearing its traditional green or red striped labels.
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For a city of over 300,000 inhabitants, during the workday Iloilo’s population doubles as people from all over Panay Island flock to the city to transact business. Iloilo City is the regional center of Western Visayas. As the regional and provincial center of Iloilo Province, it houses all the regional offices of government. It is not only an administrative center but also a business and educational center, with almost all the banks having a presence in the city and with five universities and numerous other schools and colleges.
Although its image is now a little frayed, especially when juxtaposed with IT corridors and economic zones sprouting around the country, Iloilo’s attraction comes from its people (Ilonggo speaking and conservative) and its old world charm. Not many know that the sugar industry – once the flagship of Philippine exports – was developed in Iloilo in the mid-1900s. British traders introduced manufactured clothing materials into Iloilo and needed a commodity for their empty ships to take back to England. Sugar was the answer and soon even the nearby sparsely populated island of Negros was opened up for the cultivation of sugar as a cash crop. Iloilo soon became the heart of the burgeoning sugar trade especially after its port was opened to foreign ships in 1854. Iloilo’s international port was second only to Manila in size and importance. With this, it quickly became an international sugar trading center, an administrative hub where banks and financial institutions sprouted, where a railway system was opened, where educational institutions and hospitals were established, and even, where a golf course – Sta. Barbara Golf Club (the first in Southeast Asia) – was built. Today, the city remains a vibrant and diversified agricultural and services economy. It is still an educational center not only with a stable of reputable schools such as the University of the Philippines but also more specialized research institutions like the South East Asia Fisheries and Development Center. Only recently, Josette Biyo, a teacher from the Philippine Science High School in Iloilo, was the first Asian teacher to win the Intel Award for Teaching Excellence. As part of her prize, a planet in our solar system was named after her - “Planet Biyo.” With a relatively large middle-class and a sizeable number of Overseas Filipino Worker –families as consumers, Iloilo now has its fair share of signs of progress: SM and Robinson’s malls, Jollibees and McDonalds, cable TV, internet cafes and beach resorts. And yet, in true conservative fashion, the Ilonggos continue to patronize their local favorites, be it delicacies such as the Chicken Inasal, Lapaz bachoy, Panaderia de Molo; or meeting friends at local restaurants like Breakthrough. The cost of living in Iloilo is definitely more reasonable than Manila, especially for food such as fish, fruits, and vegetables. Guimaras Island, famous for its mangoes, is only a few minutes ferry ride from Iloilo. Whether one is looking for a haircut or a massage, a double feature movie at the mall, or oysters by the bucket at the beach, all are reasonably priced. Think of any successful or interesting Filipino, and inadvertently, there’s an Ilonggo connection somewhere, be it a wife, husband, partner, or some root or route that somehow leads to the islands. Such is the quiet charm of Iloilo.
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