25/365 When In Iloilo: Places To Hang Out - Plazuela De Iloilo

I first mentioned about Plazuela De Iloilo on my roaming around the city post but I did not elaborate because there are a lot of things to say about this place. 

Plazuela De Iloilo at night

It is just a stone throw away from Smallville Complex and just like Smallville, Plazuella became the favorite hangout place of people who loves nightlife, hanging out, dining or just having simple coffee time/break.



I’m not sure how people differentiate these two places.  But if my two cents opinion matters I say that I would go to these two places on a night out depending on my mood or what kind of night out I am into or who I am with.

If I would like to have real party and a wilder crowd I’d go to Smallville Complex.  But if I just want to meet friends over coffee or food,  I would choose Plazuella.



This is very advisable also if you need to do some shopping before meeting up with someone because it is just adjacent to SM City Iloilo.



Not that there’s no place to party here.  Actually there’s a lot of bars in Plazuela  just like in Smallville.

Apart from the bars, Plazuela De Iloilo has a park located in the middle of the complex that is known for hosting big parties and events – just like the activity center of huge malls here in Manila.

It is located along the Benigno Aquino Avenue with a lot area of  12,533 sq mts.  The structure is inspired with Spanish-Italian architectural design.  It has long arcaded hallway that allows the people to walk with ease.  It is said to be designed as “flood free “ because it is elevated 2.05 meters from the street level.
(Credits sources from the web.)

So what’s your choice? Smallvile or Plazuela?

24/365: When In Iloilo: Places to Hang Out – Smallville Complex

Let’s pause for the road trips and historical churches because this Saturday and Sunday is the climactic weekend of the famous Dinagyang Festival – Hala Bira!

After the grand parade the streets of Iloilo will turn into a huge party city and apart from the street dancing everybody will surely be looking for a place to hang out and to partee!  So let me give you some places wherein you can hang out on this merry weekend.

I mentioned that one big reason why I’m enjoying Iloilo is because I can have both provincial and city life while on vacation.  If you are from Manila you will never miss the night life that you enjoy in Malate, Libis and the Makati hang-out places, Iloilo has their own fabulous night spots too!

There’s a lot to choose from but here are some places that I already hanged-out!

SMALLVILLE COMPLEX

Nope this is not the place where Clark Kent grew up.  I heard that it was called “Smallville” because the place is originally a row of small bars and restaurants adjacent to Iloilo Business Hotel.  The number of bars and gig houses became larger and is now popularly called the Smallville Complex.

This is the place where you can literally do “bar-hopping” just like what we did on Dinagyang and Kasadyahan Night. You can choose from any classy bars, open air bars, bands, karaoke, fast food, simple and fine dining, street parties and whatever kind of “gimik” you are looking for – you can find it here at Smallville Complex.

Here are some of the bars and gig houses in Smallville Complex.

Local bands play at the open bars and the crowd can sing and dance to their gusto!   Popular bands from the Philippines music industry usually flocks in Iloilo during the Dinagyang Festival. 

Carnival people are common subjects of “photo-opp” during the Dinagyang Festival too.

Street party!

I have high regards in Iloilo-s ordinance when it comes to night life.  With the many times that we had a night-out I never had a bad experience.  Well maybe I can attribute it as well to the people that I am hanging out with. 

One classy gig that we tried.  It’s a “No ID No Entry” policy and we have to fall in line for our turn to enter.

Smallville Complex is located at Diversion Road, Mandurriao District, Iloilo City.

Hang on till next night out!

23/365: When In Iloilo: The Church of St. Anthony de Padua Parish of Barotac Nuevo

Our trip to Barotac Nuevo to visit the Church of St. Anthony de Padua Church happened on a weekday.  I remember it was a Monday which is the day after we had our road trip to Molo.

Alighting from the jeepney I had a full view of the church across the street.   I was so excited to have a closer shot of the church’ façade but found that it was located in front of a football field which at that time was damped with rain water that when you step on it your foot will be covered with mud.

I have no choice but to take a far shot from the concrete border from the road where I alighted from the jeep.

The Barotac Church, also called as the St. Anthony of Padua Church, was constructed in the 16th Century by Spanish Missionaries. It is a Neo-classical church that has Roman arches. Its facade has ionic pilasters, square columns above and Doric pilasters below (Source: Various)

Taking photos of this church during our trip is quite challenging because apart from that the whole vicinity is damp, the church is also surrounded with safety fences because it is undergoing massive renovation.
Originally the church is fronting a plaza with a band stand but they were taken out and converted into a football field.  Iloilo is known to be the roster home of the country’s famous football players (I so agree - I know someone who is dear to me). 

Just few days back before our trip, the Philippine National team AZKALS played on this field versus a foreign team. 

The proposed structure of the church which is undergoing massive renovation

The church façade is decorated with the images of Jesus and Mary side by side and at the top is St. Anthony de Padua which is just a later addition.  I was not able to take a closer shot of St. Anthony’s image because it is located at the upper part of the church front structure.

The church has two belfries but they are both not built as high as the other belfries that were built during that time.   The belfry at the right side of the church is now topped with a bell house made of steel on a modern design.



The rear part of the church is now designed with a dome that is similar to some famous basilica in Rome.
The image at the side of the church is the huge image of St. Anthony de Padua.  I’m not really sure what this image is made up of.  I don’t want to touch anything on the structure because there are safety warning signs around the church due to the on-going renovations.

It’s good to know that restoration and renovation is already being done on this church.  Most part of the church are showing major damages.

I also was not able to take a good shot of the inner part of the church and the altar because most parts are covered due to ongoing renovations.



The Church of Barotac Nuevo together with its convent are declared as a National Historic Landmark. Its restoration and renovation is backed by public and private donations.



I wish that I will have the chance to go back to this church again when the restoration is completed.  I will surely share that experience with all of you if given the opportunity again.

22/365:When In Iloilo: Road Trip To Barotac Nuevo

Today’s destination is Barotac Nuevo!

Barotac Nuevo is a second class municipality in the province of Iloilo City.   The name came from the Spanish word “Baro” which means mud, as well as the last syllables of “tac” and “lutac”.  “Nuevo” means new to distinguished it from another town called Barotac Viejo. This town can be reached  in an hour trip coming from the city proper. (Source: Wikipedia) 

This is one real road trip! We commute via the public transport Iloilo jeepney yey!





According to local folklore Barotac Nuevo was famous for its well-bred horses  and whose main industry and capital is in agriculture.  Thus explains the view of hectares and hectares of agricultural fields during the entire trip.



The town's agricultural output includes rice, sugar cane, and spinach.  Marine products such as milk fish and tilapia are harvested from local fisheries.  There are usually three annual rice garvests, depending on the season. (Source: Wikipedia)

Going to Barotac Nuevo will give you the exact meaning of “provincial trip”.  Unlike the other districts in Iloilo City that most are showing a touch of “urbanity”, Barotac Nuevo still has the total feel of the laid back air in every corner of the town.

It was raining for days in Iloilo during that time and most areas were damp when I’m taking my random shots.   The town fiesta has just been over when we visited this town.  The popular “bargain” and "banderitas" (flaglets) are still visible during our trip.

This is one thing I love most in provincial fiesta!  The “bargain”!

A house that is under construction with a very modern design but the environment is an air of a simple provincial laid back life.

This was a quick trip and we did not even had lunch here.  We are not sure what is the schedule of the public transport so we wanted to be back home in the city without hassle.   What completed this trip is this “fresh buko galore” that I mentioned in my "must eat foods" post. 

It was just around the corner.  So delicious and refreshing!

But of course the main purpose of this trip is in the next post.  The church visit!

21/365: When In Iloilo: The Molo Church

“Oh wow!  We have this in the Philippines?” 

That was my first reaction when I see this magnificent Gothic structure of the Molo Church – one of the most familiar landmark and tourist attractions in Iloilo City.



I was so in awe with the front façade of the church that it took me a while to enter the  church to find a seat so I can celebrate the mass.  I have a mixed feeling of regret and blessed at the same time for the decision to go there on a Sunday morning to attend the mass or I should have visited on another day so I could have explored the wholeness of the church and took more photos from the inner structure.

Since the mass is not starting yet when we arrived, what I did is to stay longer by the (old) plaza fronting the church and feed my eyes with the beauty of this magnificent structure.

TRANSLATION
(I had a “nose bleeding” while doing this translation)

The Church of Molo
The structure was first built using tabique pampango - a popular construction technique in the Philippins during that time. The roof is made of chalk material (tisa) . Father Jose Maria Sichon temporarily replaced the church using palm (nipa) materials (1863). In 1866 a new church plan was proposed using rock materials and was approved by Bishop Mariano Cuartero (first bishop of Jaro Iloilo City). The result is this magnificent structure with Gothic-Rennaissance architecture. The church is dedicated to St. Anne and became known as the "Feminist Church because of the 16 female saints images . In 1896 Dr. Jose Rizal passed by the church to view its collection of biblical paintings. It served as an evacuation center during the World War II. It was slightly damaged during the Liberation period. After Liberartion Rep. P. Manuel Alba initiated the reconstruction with the help of the church supporters.

Here are the other information that I gathered when I researched about this church.  (Credits to all sources from the web).

The church is also known as St. Anne Parish.  It is dedicated to St. Anne the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It has larger than life images of female saints lined in two rows (eight on each side) inside the church, each standing on a pedestal attached to a massive stone pillar and under the Gothic style canopy.



Thus it is also known as the “Women’s Church” or “The Feminist Church”.  The female saints are: Sta. Apolonia, Sta. Cecila, Sta. Clara, Sta. Felicia, Sta. Genoveva, Sta. Ines, Sta. Isabel, Sta. Juliana, Sta. Lucia, Sta. Marcela, Sta. Margarita, Sta. Maria Magdalena, Sta. Marta, Sta. Monica, Sta. Rosa de Lima, and Sta. Teresa.



After  the mass we had a quick roaming around the church vicinity before hurrying back home.  We could not stay longer because there’s still a planned day-out on that Sunday with relatives and friends.









I remember that the magnificent plaza was still under construction during our visit thus I haven’t seen the grandeur of it yet.  This makes another reason for me to go back to Molo Church, plus exploring more the inner structure, plus the bibingka of course :)

So expect a second post about the Church of Molo in the future!

20/365: When In IloIlo: Photo Tour – Road Trip To Molo

Today’s destination is Molo!

Molo is one of the seven districts of Iloilo City.  It was built by Spaniards and was formerly called the Parian (Chinatown) due to its large number of Chinese residents and their business establishments in the area at the time. 

Its name was later changed to Moro during the frequent arrival of Muslim pirates from Mindanao until it later evolved into Molo. Molo was a town before it was absorbed by Iloilo City during its charter in 1937. (Source: Wikipedia)

For those who knew me better you probably know what is my particular target when I do visit a town.  But before we talk about that let me give you first another tour through these photos taken during my road trip to Molo.   Again most photos are taken while I’m on a speeding vehicle.

On the way to Molo…

The ANGELICUM SCHOOL and the LIZAREZ MANSION
The Angelicum school is a private Catholic school inside the compound of the LIZAREZ MANSION  located at Tabuc Suba, Jaro Iloilo City.  It is built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizarez for his family. 

This is one of the most elegant structure in Iloilo City - a combination of Spanish and American architecture.  What I remember about this place is that it is such a huge attraction during the Christmas season because of its magnificent holiday lights.



SM CITY ILOILO – located at Sen Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue, Jaro West Diversion Road, Mandurriao District, Iloilo City and considered as the biggest shopping mall in Western Visayas.



This is just a signage of  Bombo Radyo Iloilo City.  The actual location of the radio broadcast station is at Mapa Street, Iloilo City



Remember the small Bibingka in my “must eat food list in Iloilo” post?  Well this is where that photo is taken.

Yes this is the shameless me eating like a glutton just outside the church which is the main reason for this road trip.  The Bibingka is just a “side temptation” ha ha! 

On the way back home from Molo…

The PHILIPPINE AMERICAN CEMETERY – located at Jaro Iloilo City



SM HYPERMARKET – located at Commission Civil corner Jalandoni St, Jaro Iloilo City

The LEDESMA MANSION located at Jaro, Iloilo City



The AMIGO TERRACE HOTEL – located at corner Iznart and Delgado Streets, Iloilo City



The MUSEO ILOILO – located along Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City

I have yet to find the name of this old structure.  There’s a lot of famous mansions in Iloilo City

The GAISANO CAPITAL MALL – located at Luna Street, Jaro Iloilo City



And our last stop on the way back home.  Another pick from my must eat food! Yum!

Hang on for the next photo tour!