Iloilo is abuzz and worth a visit

It has a spanking new and modern airport and the Thai experience with its Suvanabhumi International seems to be finding replication.

The premier city’s city hall is due for a major reconstruction, not just a face lift.

Even while it is situated in Santa Barbara town, a good 20 kilometers north of the city, the recently inaugurated airport has been attracting curious Ilonggos. The magic eye door and the automatic toilet flushes, among others, signal to the ordinary Ilonggo at least, the advent of 21st century modernity.

"The fly in the ointment is the steep mark up that taxi cabs charge for every trip to the new terminal, "says Peter Tiu, Gawad Kalinga officer for Panay. Residents have been accustomed to the swift inexpensive ride from city center to the old airport which for decades offered various forms of transport conveniently at its doorstep. "Using the new airport will take some massive adjustment on our parts," sighs Tiu.

The city’s youthful mayor, Jerry Trenas, ran almost unopposed in the recent polls. His wide margin of victory over rivals who dared contest the executive seat attests to Trenas’ brand of efficient management. Among his infrastructure plans is to construct a 10-storey edifice that will proudly show that Iloilo is a city of no ordinary circumstance nor means.

The old city hall building has seen better days and the wear and tear have started their presence felt and seen even as early as the 70s. It will not be preserved as a heritage site like the Muelle building was but on its ruins will rise what we hear is a stunning building.

Meanwhile, while demolition and reconstruction are underway, Trenas holds fort at a wing of a mall until his temporary relocation is in the doldrums.

OF CHURCHES AND ANCESTRAL HOMES

One of the quaint attractions in this queen city of the south is the ubiquitous jeepney, adorned in chrome, brightly decorated as traditional jeepneys should be, its body extended to accommodate up to 26 passengers. It is a joy to ride these handsome kings of Iloilo’s streets. There is delight hearing the singsong conversation of locals as the macho driver weaves through the roads in daredevil fashion.

Travel brochures of Iloilo do not fail to highlight its elegant churches, as though to announce that the place was a bastion of Catholicism. The Jaro and Molo churches are the most accessible to city center but a trip to the stunning Miag-ao church, about half an hour away, is highly recommended.

Many ancestral houses still stand, magnificent and stately monuments to an era of opulence and turn of the century sophistication. Tourists who visit the awesome churches of Iloilo in what is akin to a "visita iglesia" include quick photo ops to capture the grand facades of these mansions, "panagbalay" or "pananapatan" style.

Must sees are Nellie’s Garden, the Ledesma ancestral abode and the erstwhile Lizares Mansion which is now the Angelicum school, a grand building that beckons passersby especially at yuletide because of its ostentatious but tasteful lighting.

ILONGGO FOODFARE

Tatoy’s Manukan in Villa beach is a fairy-tale-like story every Ilonggo enjoys recounting with pride. It is a successful seafood joint that began as a veritable hole in the wall. Its founder, the unschooled fisherman Mang Tatoy, claims that friendly elves helped his business to prosper. To this day, an enclosed shrine within the sprawling restaurant premises testifies to the daily food offerings made to its unseen elves and spirits.

Many little "manukans" offering fundamentally the same foodfare have sprung kilometers east and west of Tatoy’s site, as if to rival the original and to partake of the good favors bestowed allegedly by the elves. Tatoy’s, despite his price adjustments to defray his neverending improvements and extensions on his once humble beachfront property, still lords it. It has been honored with presidential visits, from Ramos to Arroyo. The most successful threat thus far is Breakthrough, because it is more strategically located, easier to access from the city and it has evolved a menu that tastes quintessentially Ilonggo , approaches "lutong bahay" variety but is reasonably priced.

For those on short hops, either on a stopover to Bacolod or Cagayan de Oro via Negros Navigation or enroute to any of the rustic Panay provinces radiating from Iloilo like Guimaras, Antique, Aklan and Capiz, there are a few musts. Meat gourmands swear by Ted’s Oldtimer Batchoy. Peter Tiu recommends that visitors to Iloilo should not ignore the scores of "chicken inasal" joints that dot the city. And because it was part of the fabled sugarlandia, there are bakeries that have withstood whimsical economic and social weather patterns. The most respected brands are Biscocho Haus, Tibiao Bakery, Panaderia de Molo and Wewins.

For those tired of Boracay’s filth and crowds and Cebu’s prices, Iloilo is an engaging Visayas alternative that subtly lays out its red carpet through the ready smiles of its winsome residents. All major domestic airlines include it in their routes as do the major inter-island vessels.

[ Jaro Wiki ]