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The over-all accomplishments of the two on-going contract packages of the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFC) are now placed at around 80 percent, as of April 2009.

This was disclosed by Engr. Jose Al Fruto, Assistant Project Manager of the IFC during a recent press conference called by the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Regional Development 6 (OPARD 6) in coordination with the Philippine Information Agency 6.

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Antique Province location map

Iloilo and Aklan are the gateways to Antique by land. It is also accessible from Palawan, Manila, Romblon, and Mindoro by sea. Buses and Vans bound for San Jose and Libertad are stationed at the terminal in Molo District, Iloilo City. Transportion time from Iloilo City to the capital San Jose is 3 hours.

Provincial Capitol of Antique in San Jose

Highland destinations abound in the long stretch of Mountain ranges that divide Antique from the rest of Panay island. Mt. Madia-as in Culasi is a dormant volcano with lakes and 14 waterfalls. It is said to be the legendary home of Bulalakaw, the supreme god of the ancients and beckons as a challenge for hikers and trekkers.

Mountain landscapes in Barbaza

For the more aventurous, climbing Mt. Nangtud, considered as the highest peak in Panay, offers a great view and the experience of discovering unexplored sights. The rugged and varied land of Antique offers visitors a variety of exciting outdoor activities from white water kayaking and white river rafting in the northern town of Tibiao to rexaling in Sira-an Hot Springs of Anini-y, Antique’s southernmost town.

Refreshing Waterfalls of Camp Eupre in Barbaza

Antique got its tagline “Where the mountains meet the sea” because of the relatively short distance between its mountains and its coast, which lies parallel to it. Just like its highland attractions, there’s absolutely a lot to explore in Antique’s long coastal area aside from providing an unobstructed view of the sunset. On the souhern most tip of Antique is Nogas Island, an uninhabited 26-hectare marine and bird sanctuary.

Picturesque Sunset in Antique

Batbat and Punta Coral Reefs in Barbaza and Seco Island in Tibiao feature unparalleled wonders of marine life. Antique’s best kept secret though is the Caluya group of islands, with nautral beauty and resources that can easily compete with what the world famous Boracay can offer. Tourists that can bear the 3 hour travel to Caluya are rewarded with white, powdery sand beaches surrounded with pristine waters and diverse species of marine life that have not yet been touched with commercialism.

White sand beaches of Caluya

Unspoilt island landscape of Caluya

Another attraction in Antique is its historical sights. The Catholic Church holds a very strong influence on Antiqueños. For centuries, the churches were the physical vanguards of the people. Being a coastal province, and having been vulnerable to attacks by Moro raiders, Antique was guarded by a series of watchtowers, like the ‘Old Watchtower’ in Libertad and Estaca Hill in Bugasong all of which were built under the direction of the Spanish friars. A lot of these heritage structures still stand as a reminder of Antique’s history and culture.

Old Church Ruins in Brgy. San Pedro, San Jose

According to oral history, related as the legend of Maragtas, Antique is believed to be the landing site of ten Bornean Datus who escaped persecution from Sri-Vishaya, a Hindu-Malay empire that existed at that time in Borneo and Sumatra. There they met the Negrito/Ati (earliest settlers of Panay) chieftain Marikudo. They bought the island from the chieftain for a golden saduk (headpiece or helmet), and a golden necklace, among other gifts, the event is known as the “Barter of Panay”. The Negritos then retreated to the mountains, while the Borneans settled in the lowlands. Today, the landing is commemorated every year in Antique in the Binirayan festival on the month of April with highlights on April 27 to 29.

Antique’s Booth in the Fiesta of the City of SM City Iloilo

The Antiqueños are noted for their industry. They are renowned weavers through out the Visayas. The Bugasong patadyong, a tube cotton fabric of plaid design, is highly valued because of its fineness of weaving. Piña cloth is also produced in looms throughout the province. Wine manufactured from the sap of the coconut is a cottage industry. Muscovado sugar production is also a big industry in Antique, which has become an attraction of sorts because of Antique’s native delicacies derived from muscovado sugar.

Native Muscovado Delicacies of Antique

Most people of Antique can speak and understand English. They also have developed their own distinct language called Kinaray-a. This dialect is of Austronesian origins characterized by the predominancy of r’s and schwa sounds spoken with a lilting gentle intonation.

Source: Wikipedia, Department of Tourism Region VI

Negros Occidental Location Map

Negros Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Bacolod City and occupies at the northwestern half of Negros island; Negros Oriental is at the southeastern half. Across the Panay Gulf and the Guimaras Strait to the northwest is the island-province of Guimaras and the province of Iloilo on Panay island.

Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol

At the turn of the century, the City of Silay was then known as the “Paris of Negros” – the center of arts and culture in the Province. Silay has been declared as a “living city museum” on the Philippines and one of the 25 anchor tourist destinations in the country.

Heritage Buildings in Silay City

The Negrense countryside is characterized mainly by the scenery provided by sugarcane plantations – the lifeblood of the negros economy. Go north of Bacolod and visit the Victorias Milling Company, one of the lagest sugar mills in the world or south where a visit to Bago will enable you a glimpse of the ruins of an ancient sugar mill or a ride in a vintage train that was once used to transport volumes of Sugar in Negros Occidental.

Sugarcane fields in Negros Occidental

At the highlands of Negros Occidental is a thick cover of rainforests that shroud the mountains with wonderful sights and a allure of mysticism. The whole island is capped by Mt. Kanlaon – the “sacred” volcano of his island. Murcia is a popular tourist destination because of the Mambukal Resort, where visitors can take a dip in its 7 waterfalls, swimming pools, or natural hot springs. There also also numerous other highland destinations in Negros that tourists can explore like Patag in Silay, Kipot Twin Falls in Bago, Mag-aso falls in Kabankalan among others.

Waterfalls in Patag , Silay City

At the northernmost and southern most points of Negros are its beach and island destinations. In the north, Sagay is home to an vast marine reserve called carbin reef and Cadiz has many excellent resorts. In the south, there’s Sipalay, which attracts a growing number of local and foreign tourists because of its white sand beaches and pristine waters.

Mag-aso Falls in Kabankalan

Most residents are of Austronesian heritage. Residents of Negros are called “Negrenses”. Negros Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon-speaking province. However, on the east coast of the island (Negros Oriental), facing Cebu Island, a few cities and towns are Cebuano-speaking. English is widely spoken in both sides of the island.

Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental, is one of the major urban centers in the Philippines

Source: Wikipedia, Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Office

Bacolod City Location Map

Bacolod City is the capital and largest highly urbanized mid-size Philippine city of the province of Negros Occidental. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. Bacolod City serves as the entrance of the sugar-rich cities and towns of the Province.

Ferry plying the Iloilo-Bacolod Route

Bacolod City is 45 minutes by air from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 30 minutes by air from Mactan-Cebu International Airport plus approximately 20 minutes of travel by land since the new airport is now located in Silay City. The Port of Bacolod is a major seaport and has daily ferry trips to Iloilo City. By boat, Bacolod City is 18 hours from the Port of Manila and 45 minutes from the Port of Iloilo. By land, Bacolod City is approximately 3 hours from Iloilo City via Dumangas route.

Bacolod is home to several malls such as SM City

Bacolod has an upbeat local economy and unlimited opportunities for trade and investments because the city is home to a high percentage of the country’s top 20 corporations. Bacolod City is the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys, Teleperformance and TeleTech.

Convergy’s Bacolod

Bacolod City is known for its MassKara Festival held every third weekend of Octover. The festival is highlighted with the famous MassKara streetdance competition, where people from all walks of life triip to the streets to see colorful masked dancers gyrate to the infectious rhytm of Latin-inspired dance music, accompanied with a dazzling display of mastery, coordination, and stamina.

Oreo Cheesecake of Calea, Bacolod’s most known cakeshop

Food is the main attraction of Bacolod City. There are a plethora of restaurants in Bacolod that serve delicious local dishes such as Bacolod Chicken Inasal (Grilled Chicken) or a wide range of international cuisines.

Planta Hotel, one of the new hotels in Bacolod City

Bacolod will charm you with the genuine warmth and hospitality of her people in harmony with their lilting melodious accent. The Bacolenos will delight you with food and cuisine that is as vigorous yet as subtle as the legendary Ilonggo gentility and taste for the good life.

Source: Wikipedia, Bacolod City Tourism Office

Iloilo is the primary gateway to Guimaras. The island province is 15 minutes by motorboat or ferry from Parola and Ortiz Wharf in Downtown Iloilo City. A roll on – roll off (RORO) facility is available four times from Monday to Saturday and two times on Sunday from Iloilo to Hoskyn, Jordan.

View of Ortiz Wharf from the tower of the Iloilo Aduana

Most people associate Guimaras with its mangoes, which is the island’s most important product and the Philippines’ best export quality mangoes. They are grown in mango plantations spanning more than 8,000 hectares thoughout the island, which create an awesome verdant landscape and the characteristic ambiance of rural life in this “Mango Country”.

Guimaras Mangoes sold in the Public Market

Guimaras mangoes are considered as one of the sweetest in the world and the only mango variety in the Country certified as pest-free by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The variety of mangoes produced are also best for making dried mangoes, jams and other delicacies. The best time to enjoy Guimaras’ mangoes is during the Manggahan Festival held every May 22 to commemorate the province’s charter day.

Mango jam and other products are available at the Trappist Monastery

Guimaras is also well known for its white sand beaches, pristine seas, and secluded off shore islets. Among its most popular destinations include Alubihod Bay with its calm waters, and Guisi Beach, where visitors could enjoy the province’s natural beauty.

Beachfront of Alubihod Bay in Nueva Valencia

View of Guisi Beach from a nearby hill where an 18th century lighthouse rests

White sand beaches, multi-colored corals, fish, and other marine life are also found in Igang and Tando Bays and Taklong islets. For those who opt to relax in a secluded and luxurious destination, there’s Costa Aguada Island Resort in Inampulungan Island, Nagarao Island Resort, and Isla Naburot.

One can relax and be be at peace in the many hidden islands and bays of Guimaras

Due to Guimaras rugged terrain and interesting natural blessings, the island also offers its visitors the opportunity to share the excitement of adventure. Guimaras is a great place where visitors can do mountain biking, rappeling, paintball and war games, and island hopping.

There’s a lot of places to go and things to do in Guimaras for those seeking a fun adventure

There are many theories on how Guimaras got its name. Available historical documents can attest that pre-Spanish Ilonggos had knew Guimaras as “Himal-us” though some Spanish historians had written that Guimaras may have been named after after a peninsula in Portugal called Guimaraes, or from names of places in Spain such as Guimaron in the provinces of Leon and Galerea, Gimenia in Catalonia, Gomera in the Canary Islands, and Guimaraon in another province. On the other hand, Ilonggo folklore reveals that Guimaras, formerly known as Himal-us was named after the ill-fated romance of Princess Guima and slave Aras, who betrayed the tradition tribe to enkindle their forbidden love. They were able to ride a small raft and escape Aras’ arranged marriage by her father to another nobleson. Unfortunately, they disappeared in the raging seas, never found again, and from then on, people seemed to hear the repentant father’s calling of the lover’s names “Guim-Aras” echoed in the wind during stormy seas, thus, the name Guimaras.

Guimaras is host to many religious destinations and events such as “Balaan Bukid” in Jordan Town

During the Spanish Era, the beautiful sceneries in the island and abundant resources struck the Spaniards.  They’ve built small settlements in Guimaras and left imprints on the island that, today, have become heritage destinations. Visit historical landmarks like McArthur’s Wharf, 18th century Guisi Lighthouse, Punta Blanco Target Range, Navalas Church and Roca Encandata.

Navalas Church in Buenavista Town

Most of the people of Guimaras could speak and undersand English though their main dialect is Hiligaynon and Kiniray-a just like Iloilo, which is not surprisding since Iloilo had dominated most of Guimaras’ history.

Guisi Lighthouse in Nueva Valencia

All the towns and most baranagys within Guimaras are accessible by land transport. However, three island barangays can only be reached via pumpboats and about 10 inland barangays are only accessible by using four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles due to poor condition roads. There are a wide variety of accommodations available in the island from inland resorts, mountain resorts, beach resorts, and island resorts.

Raymen Beach Resort in Alubihod Bay

Location map of Guimaras Island>

Source: Wikipedia, Department of Tourism Region VI

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Photo by Vince from Explore Aklan

Explore Aklan is a newly established blog about Aklan and a partner site of ExploreIloilo.com. Vince, the creator of Explore Aklan, recounts his experiences during the aftermath of the typhoon and has posted some pictures of the devastation in his hometown.

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