COME Sunday, Aug. 25, Iloilo City will mark its 82nd anniversary as “charter city” without much pageantry – unlike last year when the city splurged P5 million for various festivities.
“Let us commemorate the historical event in sympathy with families whose loved ones lost their lives to the squall that capsized three pump boats at Iloilo Strait,” Mayor Jerry P. Treñas lamented.
Indeed, the “charter week” kicked off yesterday with a day-long job fair at SM City, organized by the city government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in cooperation with 22 local companies and seven international placement agencies.
“Charter Day” brings us back to Aug. 25, 1937 when then President Manuel Luis Quezon signed Commonwealth Act 158 declaring Iloilo a charter city. The law likewise abolished the towns of Molo, Arevalo, Jaro, Mandurriao and Lapaz to merge them with the old city.
Quezon wanted to “overhaul” the image of the old city (what is today known as “City Proper”) which had, since 1897, been called “La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo” (The Most Loyal and Noble City of Iloilo) in honor of Maria Christina, the Queen Regent of Spain
Iloilo City has evolved out of a Spanish colonial past, dating back to the early 1800s when it was a small and incoherent grouping of fishermen’s hamlets along the Iloilo River.
The opening of Iloilo City’s Muelle Loney port in 1855 triggered the boom of the sugar export industry with the active participation of Nicholas Loney, the British vice-consul in Iloilo who constructed warehouses in the port and introduced new technologies in sugar cane farming.
Iloilo was already enjoying a flourishing economy when the Spaniards colonized the Philippines in the 16th century. There were ports catering to visiting Chinese merchants in Ogtong (now Oton), Tabucan (Molo) and Salog (Jaro).
The surviving porcelain jars, plates, cups and saucers brought by those Chinese merchants are among the exhibits still viewable at Museo Iloilo today.
Our identity as part of the Malay race is traceable to the lore that in the 13th century, 10 Bornean datus came to the island of Panay and made a deal with the ruling chieftain Marikudo for a gold salakot, a gold batya and a gold necklace in exchange for the lowlands of the island. One of the datus, Paiburong, took over the territory of Irong-Irong – original name of the entire Iloilo province.
During the Spanish conquest of the Philippines in the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came to Iloilo to establish a settlement in Ogtong.
The late 18th century saw the development of the weaving industry, kicking off Iloilo’s surge in trading sinamay, piña and jusi, which were shipped to Manila and foreign cities.
Because of the economic boom, Moro pirates, Dutch and English invaders made raids which prompted Spanish authorities to set up defense fortresses. One of them was Fort San Pedro at the mouth of Iloilo River, ruins of which still exist.
It was because of Fort San Pedro – with 50 guns and three mortars blazing – that the Spanish government in Iloilo initially repelled the invading Americans in 1899. Eventually, however, the American marines proved too much for the Spanish soldiers.
The short visit of Dr. Jose Rizal to Iloilo in 1894 inspired patriotic Ilonggos to fight for Philippine independence.
On Dec. 25, Christmas day of that year, the Spanish government surrendered to the Ilonggo revolutionaries at Plaza Alfonso XII (now Plaza Libertad).
It was one of the events that led to the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
