Irong-irong to Iloilo


Irong-Irong appears in the Maragtas legend of the coming of the ten Bornean datus to Panay who bartered gold for the plains and valleys of the island from a local Ati chieftain. One datu, Piburong by name, was given the territory of Irong-irong on what is now Iloilo. For 300 years before the coming of the Spaniards, the islanders lived in comparative prosperity and peace under an organized government and such laws as the Code of Kalatiaw.

In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legzpi came to Panay and established a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). He appointed Gonzalo Ronquillo as deputy encomiendero, who in 1581 moved the seat of Spanish power to La Villa de Arevalo, named in honor of his hometown of Avila in Spain. By 1700 due to recurrent raids by Moro pirates, Dutch and English privateers, the Spaniards moved to the village of Irong-irong where close to the mouth of the river they built Fort San Pedro. Irong-Irong or Ilong-ilong, which the Spaniards later shortened to "Iloilo" later, became the capital of the province.

The rapid economic growth of the place led to the opening of the port of Iloilo to world trade in 1855. Iloilo soon emerged to be the highest center of commerce and trade in Visayas and Mindanao, second only to Manila. In February 7, 1890 under the Becerra Law of 1889, the Ayuntamiento of Iloilo (city government) was established. The city of Iloilo by virtue of the Royal Decree of 1896 was given the honor of having a Coat of Arms with the inscription La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo.

The period under the Americans saw Iloilo taking greater roles in politics, industry and agriculture. With good roads, a railway line, airport and irrigation systems, Iloilo rose to be a major food basket of the country. Its fishing industry flourished that it was known as the "Alaska of the Philippines". The sugar industry also pushed the economy upward.

The coming of the Second World War, but not its march hindered Iloilo's march on the road to progress to greatness. For even in difficult times, the Ilonggos proved equal to challenges. They refused to be subdued by the enemy. Its civil government did not surrender to the Japanese. The guerilla warfare waged in Panay won the admiration of America and the world.

Iloilo City received its charter on August 25, 1937 during the American Commonwealth Government in the Philippines.

Though the postwar years were not so kind to Iloilo, the Ilonggos survived and managed to trudge on the road of prosperity. With Iloilo's highly diversified agricultural economy, industrious people and a great tradition for sincerity and genuine warmth, the Ilonggos seem to have little to complain about.