On the Road Again. We discover Capiz Province, Episode 1

14 March 2015 Creative Commons License: Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives, 4.0 International License 1

written & photographed by:

fergus jm ducharme

On the Road Again! We’re on the Road to explore Capiz Province

Episode 1 of 4: On the Road to Pontevedra, Capiz



from home base in Oton, Iloilo our drivetook us just over 2 hours and 10 minutes,we drove about 120 kilometres from doorto door, through some very interestingterrain with magnificent views and vistas.We’ll be visiting family & some churcheson this trip. We’ll report in 5 episodes.


This is the Province of Capiz, just east of the Province of Iloilo, where we comefrom. We are heading to the southern portion of the Province, to Pontevedra andwe’ll be going to the far east of the area bordered by Panitan & Panay.


We left the Homesteadat 5:15AM just at thecrack of dawn so thatwe would not have tocontend with the hugeamounts of trafficvolume which usuallyoccurs throughout theisland of Panay onSaturdays. Traffic wasvery good until wereached Passi City. Infact we felt that theroads in the region hadactually been desertedat that time of themorning.


…dawn is breaking




We made the mandatory ‘watering’ stop at the Passi Bus Terminal, whichallowed our seven passengers to stretch their legs and get some air beforeheading farther east. The traffic was building and the National Highway wasfilled with Jeepney’s, Ceres Liner Buses, and trucks hauling sugar cane fromthe fields to the refinery.



view of the countryside surrounding the Passi City Bus Terminal


the sun is rising and the mist is lifting from the nearby fields and mountains


As we pull out of the Terminal, the City isstarting to come to life in the cool, mistydawn.



You can be actually certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are in thePassi City area when you spot the Haulers transporting sugar cane to the mills.

That’s interesting in itself because the vast majority of the trucks used arerelics from World War 2 and the nineteen fifties and sixties.

It’s really something to see those old crocks still working hard at between 50and 70 years of age.

The other interesting is the fact is that there is an abundance of pineapples inevery roadside stand in the region. Passi City is known for producing the vastmajority of pineapples in the Philippines.




traffic is getting heavier heading into town


and it’s still pretty quiet heading farther east


We are soon climbing the mountains of Capiz and the weather is starting tochange ever so slightly. After crossing the provincial boundaries between Iloilo andCapiz Provinces the sun and humidity of the early morning hours in the “lowlands”of Iloilo is changing and it is now getting a little cooler and the skies are beginningto cloud over in the highlands of Capiz.




The Suhot Cave & Spring Resort near Dumalag, Capiz


According to friends who have been in the area, this Resort is a must see. The‘cold water springs’ are actually superb and the caves are super interesting. It usclearly a must see, even if you’re driving through to somewhere else…Admissionto the Resort is about Php20 per person and a guide is provided for the Cave visit.But you will be required to pay another Php100 per person for ‘safety equipment’The Cave visit may not be a good thing for older people with health concerns. .


Suhot- ( a visayan word which means" to go under") is famous for its caves and crystal clear,cold water and primitive scenic surroundings. Its water is rich in sulfur that originates fromnearby Mt.Panginra-on. Water has dripped drop by drop for countless centuries and haveformed magnificent stalactites and stalagmites.

For complete information contact: Mrs. Leah F Gialogo, Municipal Tourism Officer, BarangayDolores, Dumalag, Capiz at cell phone number: 0917 403 2857.

photos by: Suhot Spring Resort


We arrive momentarily in Dumalag and what strikes me, much as in other placesin the country is the extreme poverty that people are subjected to with little or nolivelihood opportunities available to them.

Arriving in Dumalag we first see the ruins of what looks like a former Mansion or atleast a very large old home…then not far down the road we encounter these ruinsof a former church…no time to stop to investigate, unfortunately, we are nowrunning late for our pre-arranged meeting…




I mentioned the extreme poverty earlier and I show these ”homes” in whichpeople actually live just to make the point…





Are we there yet?Yes dear, almost, we’ll be there in about 15 minutes, just be patient for a few more minutes and you’ll see…


The views are magnificent, I could spend all day just marveling at them


the workers are already in the fields harvesting the rice crop


it’s just so incredibly peaceful





…and then civilization intrudes


See dear, I told we were almost there, here are some house and we’ll be intown in just a few more minutes…




Pontevedra’s Municipal Hall



Pontevedra’s Municipal Plaza



Children’s Play Area in the Municipal Plaza


The Town Plaza is perfectly situatednext to the Municipal Hall on one side,the Municipal Multipurpose Gym on theother and the Agbalo River on the backside.

The Town Plaza has the ‘mandatory’statue of the Philippines National HeroJosé Rizal and something which Ifound unusual in this case was a list ofwhat is called Rizal’s Don’ts.

José Rizal Monument in the Municipal Plaza



The Pontevedra Multipurpose Gym under renovations


the Agbalo River is behind the Municipal Hall


Agbalo River Bridge behind the Pontevedra Municipal Hall


A couple fishermen working the river behind the Municipal Hall


Home on the River Bank facing the Municipal Hall


Pontevedra’s Central Business District is dominated by the Bank of Panay


Much of the Town’s Business District wasdevastated by Typhoon Yolanda as can bewitnessed by this and the following photosand many buildings such as this one have notbeen rehabilitated




The Municipality’s Market was doing land office business this day!



In 1853, the town Pontevedra was established at the present site of BarangaySublangon. Formerly this town was a part of Panay, being the first settlementin the province of Capiz. In that year the then Governor General ManuelCrespo y Cebrían, Governor General of the Philippines, between 1832 toDecember 5, 1856. (because the records from that time are very sketchy, it isposible that Crespo had been appointed in 1853 and only arrived in inPhilippines a year later in 1854. Nevertheless he is credited with signing theDecree making the Town of Pontevedra an independent twon from Panay.

Three years later, in 1856, the town leaders decided to transfer the Poblacionto its present site due to the easier access to the more navigable Agbalo river.

The natives called the place “Caguyuman”, a term descriptive of the place ofants or “ant hill”, because during those early days the market days attractedvery large number of people from neighboring town and far away places.


These people came to town like swarm of ants, on foot,bullcarts in bancas and sailboats. Hence the name was“Caguyuman”

In about 1877, the name was changed to Pontevedra andthe town had established its own parish. A request wasmade to then Governor General Domingo Moriones y Murilloto officially adopt the name of Pontevdra for the town. Therequest was made by Augustinian Friar Gregorio Hermidawho was the Parish’s first Parish Priest. Friar Gregorio foundthat there was a marked resemblance between this townand his hometown of Pontevedra in Spain.

The request was approved by the issuance of a RoyalDecree signed by Governor General Moriones two yearslater, in 1879.

Governor General of the Philippines.His Excellency

General Domingo Moriones y Murillo


General Domingo Moriones y Murillo became Governor General of the Philippineson February 28, 1877 and was in office until March 18 (or 20), 1880.

He effectively put down the artillery mutinies in the Philippines in 1877 andprevented the selling of tobacco that same year.

During his Governorship he also oversaw the on-going construction and thecompletion of the Manila waterworks in 1878.

There is little or no additional information on both Governors General mentioned inthis article. It simply, apparently and unfortunately no longer exists.


It appears that the damage suffered by theCentral School was the loss of its roof and agreat deal of water damage. The structureremained intact.


Reminders of the Yolanda Typhoon disaster of November 2013 are everywhere


There’s some kind of road construction coming up


…here it is, the bridge was apparently washed away by Yolanda’s flooding


I can never get used to the placement ofroad signs in Philippines…this one is in themiddle of the detour, but there’s no signgoing into the detour. What gives?


We’re having a great trip so far, we’ll bearriving at our ultimate destination in a fewmore miles.

We’ll bring you that exciting and veryinteresting part of our exploration in about aweek.

Hope you’ll join us then.


we thank you for being with us today and our teammembers for their efforts in bringing you this story.

[email protected]

Jomarie Acallar: navigator, facilitator, assistant discoverer & photographer

Roselyn J Parrenas:She Who Must be Obeyed

Nilo Jimeno: driver, facilitator & assistant discoverer

Amy Bailo: driver

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On the Road Again. We discover Capiz Province, Episode 1