Iloilo
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- For the article of its capital city, see Iloilo City. For the president of Fiji, see Josefa Iloilo. For other uses, see Iloilo (disambiguation).
| Province of Iloilo | |
| Image:Ph seal iloilo.png Provincial seal of Iloilo | |
| Image:Ph locator map iloilo.png Map of the Philippines with Iloilo highlighted | |
| Region | Western Visayas (Region VI) |
| Capital | Iloilo City |
| Divisions | |
| - Highly urbanized cities | 1 |
| - Component cities | 1 |
| - Municipalities | 42 |
| - Barangays | 1,901 |
| - Congressional districts | 6† |
| Population | 7th largest |
| - Total (2000) | 1,925,002 |
| - Density | 408/km² (11th highest) |
| Area | 22nd largest |
| - Total | 4,719.4 km² |
| Founded | — |
| Spoken languages | Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a |
| Governor | Niel D. Tupas (Liberal) |
| † Includes the district of Iloilo City | |
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Iloilo City and is located at the southeast portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique to the west and Capiz to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is the island-province of Guimaras and across Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental.
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[edit] People and culture
People from Iloilo are called Ilonggos. There are two local languages spoken in the province: Hiligaynon 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 bilingual in English and Hiligaynon; English is taught from grade school to college. The 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 even 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Government
Governor:Niel D. Tupas, Sr.
Vice Governor:Rolex T. Suplico
Provincial Board Members:
1st District
- Oscar Richard S. Garin Jr.
- Macario N. Napulan
2nd District
- June S. Mondejar
- Rodolfo V. Cabado
3rd District
- Mariano M. Malones
- Arthur R. Defensor Jr.
4th District
- George P. Demaisip
- Maria Shalene P. Hidalgo
5th District
- Jett C. Roxas
- Jesus C. Salcedo
Ex-officio Board Members:
- PCL President: Cecilia A. Colada
- ABC President: Angel B. Briones
- SK President: Jeneda C. Salcedo
District Representatives:
1st District: Janette Loreto-Garin
2nd District: Judy Jalbuena-Syuco
3rd District: Arthur D. Defensor, Sr.
4th District: Ferjenel G. Biron
5th District: Niel C. Tupas, Jr.
[edit] Geography
The Province of Iloilo is the third-largest province in Western Visayas after Palawan and Negros Occidental. The province is divided into two distinct geographic regions; the highlands of the Madia-as on the western border and the lowland plains which account for a larger portion of the province. Small islands east of its northernmost tip also dot the Visayan Sea - of these, Pan de Monay and Sicogon are well-known.
[edit] Natural Resources
The province is home to one national park, the Bulabog-Putian National Park located in the municipality of Dingle.
Fishing and aquaculture dominate the northern iloilo industry, while the central lowland plains derive their livelihood from agriculture.
[edit] Political
Iloilo is subdivided into 42 municipalities and 2 cities.
[edit] Cities
[edit] Municipalities
[edit] Physical
[edit] History
At the time of the Spanish conquest, writing was a new import and the use of organic medium such as leaf and bamboo, ultimately lead to the absence of extant pre-Hispanic accounts of Iloilo today. However, oral history – via oral epics has survived to a small degree, as only a few recordings were made from the last known surviving binukots.
The earliest written historical accounts concerning the province relates to Spain's conquest of the island of Panay by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi moving his headquarters from the island of Cebu and creating the first Spanish settlement in the island in Ogtong in 1566. In 1581 the encomienda in Ogtong was moved to La Villa Rica de Arevalo, however, because of frequent coastal raids by Moro and Dutch privateers, this was again moved near the mouth of the Irong-irong river founding what is now Iloilo City and constructing Fort San Pedro to defend it in 1616.
[edit] External links
- Official website of the Provincial Government of Iloilo
- Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council
City and Municipalities of Iloilo |
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| Ajuy • Alimodian • Anilao • Badiangan • Balasan • Banate • Barotac Nuevo • Barotac Viejo • Batad • Bingawan • Cabatuan • Calinog • Carles • Concepcion • Dingle • Dueñas • Dumangas • Estancia • Guimbal • Igbaras • Iloilo City • Janiuay • Lambunao • Leganes • Lemery • Leon • Maasin • Miagao • Mina • New Lucena • Oton • Passi City • Pavia • Pototan • San Dionisio • San Enrique • San Joaquin • San Miguel • San Rafael • Santa Barbara • Sara • Tigbauan • Tubungan • Zarraga |
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