Iloilo | Revisiting My Home Town

miag-ao church

Everytime I go home to my province Iloilo I made it to the point to visit the tourist spot in my hometown. Iloilo city, is known as “the city of love”  maybe because Ilonggos are known for being malambing! It is one of the progressive urban center in the Visayas region.

Miag-ao Church (Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva) is declared as the part of UNESCO world heritage site as one of the 4 baroque churches of the Philippines. The century old gothic-renaissance Molo Church (St. Anne Church) is known a  feminist church. sixteen female saints line on both sides of the altar. Dr. Jose Rizal used to visit the church because of it’s biblical paintings and it served as an evacuation center during world war 2.

molo church

Iloilo International Airport serves direct flight to/from Manila, Cebu, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Puerto Prinsesa. There’s also an international flight to/from Hongkong and Singapore.

iloilo provincial capitol

Museo Iloilo display artifacts that deficts the colorful history of Panay island. Beside is the restored Iloilo Provincial Capitol building with a combination of modern and old architecture. 

museo iloilo

The Jaro Cathedral (Nuestra Seniora Candelaria Church) is famous for it’s belfry that is not attached to the church instead it’s the front across the street. Ancestral houses were aligned along the Lopez Jaena street in Jaro district.

madge cafe

batchoy

Try a bowl of authentic Lapaz batchoy served by old timer restaurant inside the Lapaz market and the famous Madge Café is a must try when visiting Iloilo!

how to get there

There are daily flights from Manila to Iloilo. There are also direct flights from Cebu, Puerto Prinsesa, Tacloban, Cagayan De Oro ,Davao and General Santos. The new Iloilo Airport located in Cabatuan is 18 kilometers from the city proper and is accessible by jeepney, bus, and taxi.

You can reach Iloilo City by land from the other areas of Panay Island. There is also bus service through the RORO (roll-on roll-off) system.

Iloilo City is the province’s port of entry for sea transport and is just five minutes away from the city’s main commercial district. Ships sail from Manila 12 times a week, from Zamboanga or Cagayan De Oro twice a week, and from Cebu daily. Fast crafts from Bacolod City take one hour daily.