ONE does not pass by the plaza of Jaro, Iloilo City without staring at the restored old municipal building (circa 1930) that now houses the regional office of the National Museum of the Philippines.
On the other hand, the province-run museum has transferred to a restored location in what used to be the old provincial jail (circa 1911). Through the initiative of Governor Arthur Defensor, the building now houses a collection of Iloilo’s cultural heritage which includes Stone Age native pottery, fossils, jewelry, era photos, Spanish-era Filipino sculpture, among others.
Just recently (July 24, 2018), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) turned over to the Iloilo City government, through Mayor Jose Espinosa III, the renovated Ker & Company building. It was constructed in 1862 by the said British trading firm that helped jumpstart the growth of the sugarcane industry in Iloilo.
The aforesaid restorations are among the many projects in Iloilo City being implemented under the “heritage law” authored by Cong. Jerry P. Treñas (Iloilo City lone district), Republic Act 10555. The law mandates the Department of Tourism, Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council, to formulate an integrated development plan for seven heritage sites.
Like Athens – the capital city of Greece that exploits ruins of ancient temples, stadiums and theaters to draw millions of tourists yearly – Iloilo City could carve a glorious future out of its colonial past.
The “heritage law” pinpoints tourism as “an indispensable element of national economy and an industry of national interest and importance.” It attracts people who love to travel back in time.
During the Spanish colonial period (1521-1898) when it was still known as Salog, Jaro was the center of economic power trading with China and Siam (Thailand).
By virtue of Commonwealth Act 158 signed by President Manuel Luis Quezon on July 16, 1937, Jaro, Molo, Mandurriao, La Paz, and Villa de Arévalo merged to become part of Iloilo City.
Jaro is the cradle of various Christian denominations in the Philippines, as may be proven just by moving around the vicinity of Jaro Plaza. The Jaro Cathedral has the distinction of being the first and only cathedral built in Panay in 1864. It was in this Baroque structure where Ilonggo hero Graciano Lopez Jaena was baptized in 1865.
On another corner a few feet away from the cathedral is the Jaro Evangelical Church. Built in 1900 by the Northern American Baptists, it holds the reputation of being the first Baptist Church in the Philippines. Two blocks away on Fajardo Street is the first Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Visayas.
Aside from Jaro Plaza, the six other heritage sites include the Molo Church, Central Business District, Fort San Pedro, Molo Plaza Complex and Plaza Libertad Complex.
The Molo Church, constructed in 1831, earned the admiration of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, because of its distinctive and dazzling Gothic/Romanesque architecture.
The Central Business District, known to this day as City Proper, boasts of old buildings dating back to the Spanish and American eras, one of which is the restored Ker building mentioned above.
Fort San Pedro, built between 1603 and 1616, was the bastion that protected Iloilo from invading foreign pirates. Destroyed by the Japanese in World War II, in its place has risen a park with a statue of Jesus Christ standing amid the fort’s ruins.
The Molo Plaza Complex consists of the St. Anne’s Church and the Molo Plaza Gazebo.
Plaza Libertad, facing the old San Jose Parish, was where Spanish soldiers surrendered to the Ilonggo revolutionaries led by Gen. Martin Delgado on Dec. 25, 1898. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
