CAPTIVATES DINAGSA OR ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL

A revelry from sunrise to sunset, with ceaseless and rhythmic beating of drums. A sea of humanity in cadence with black soot “ati” performing rituals, all in honor of El Señor Sto. Niño. A spectacular fluvial parade where the Infant Jesus is carried aboard a fishing boat around the river, out to sea and back. “Dinagsa” connotes the sudden surge of good things washed ashore, such as the generous catch of fish and other sea foods, which Cadiz is famous for. Throw all cares to the wind as you street dance with gaily-costumed ati-tribes. Be game however if you find your own face painted black by playful ATIS.

Another tourist attraction that Dumalag captivate is the Dumalag Parish Church under the Patron St. of Saint Martin de Tours. The first church and convent of Dumalag were constructed between 1600 and 1720, and the parish was dedicated to Saint martin of Tour, a bishop. In 1833 Fr. Augustin Duran, whose name has been adopted by one of the Dumalag’s biggest Barangays, started the construction of present church. The church had a five story bell tower which rose majestically at the left side of the church.

The church made of yellow sandstone, is 70m and 18m wide. It has two doors at the sid and one in the front. Small pilasters decorate the facade wall. Six engaged rectangular pilaster rise up to the triangular pediment. The five story belltower rises gracefully by the left side of the church.

CAPTIVATING SUHOT SPRING

One of the attraction that captivates the eye of the tourist is the SUHOT SPRING. The leading natural attraction of Dumalag is the Suhot Spring and caves being marked by the towering Panginraon Range. The natural brigde and the famed caves of Suhot lead into minimally explored caverns which are claimed to strecth as far as the other side of Panginraon, facing Dumarao, a neighboring municipality. The foot of legendary Panginraon mountain, just 300 meters from the town proper. Surrounded by lush vegetation and second - growth forest, the cave strecthes 18 kilometers. Its innermost recesses and labyrinthine passages have remained unexplored.

It is considered one of the longest caves in the country and has late been drawing amateur and seasoned spelunkers. The body of water in front of the cave is rich in minerals and originates from the watersheds of Panginraon.It flows through a subterranean passage and empties through the cave’s bowl-like opening guarded by a wall of solid rock.People came to Suhot Spring to test if that tourist spot can captivate them.

The many chambers of the Suhot Caves are grow over with stalactites and stalagmites of considerable sizes and lengths. At the mouth of the caves, near the natural brigde, is a spring with sulfurous, salty water that is consideres by the local folks as healthy for bathing. Suhot Spring and caves have become a favorite destination for people coming from other places visiting Dumalag.

Captivating Capiz - “Dumalag“. Dumalag is located by the slopes of several mountains on hilly but fertile land irrigated by the Panay and Malisbug rivers and other rivulents. It is bounded by Dao, Dumarao, Cuartero, Calinog and Tapaz.

Dumalag is typical small town in Capiz. People know and great one another by name. Seeking directions to reach the places that brought them to the idyllic town, 35 kilometers from Roxas City. Dumalag is located in between of Cuartero and Tapaz. Their source of income came from rice planting and selling vegetable. Their work are farmers, fisherman and vendors. One thing that captivate the Dumalag because they a lot of tourist attraction that they can see.

Born 1245 in Saint’ Angelo in Pontano, Italy, his parents are Compañon de Garutti and Amad Gaidiani. Being childless, they went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Nicholas of Bari, in Napolis. They prayed for a son who would serve God faithfully. He was named after the saint whom he imitated throughout his life. At the early age he took the minor orders. Impressed by a sermon of Fr. Reginald of the Hermits of St. Augustine, he joined the Augustinians. He was ordained priests in 1270 in Gingoli, Italy. Four years later, he was sent to Tolentino, a town for its wickedness. He labored for 30 years, reformed the people by his preaching and example. He died on September 10, 1305 at the age of 60 years old. He was canonized as s Saint on June 5, 1446 by Pope Eugene IV.

St. Nicholas was a man of great asceticism, deep spirituality and acute concern for the social problem of his day. He knew how to welcome guests to the monastery with gracious hospitality and charity just as he was aware to leave to the monastery to help someone in need. He was a Spiritual Director, a moral support for many families, as apostle of the confessional, a generous and sensitive alms giver.

St. Nicholas was a man of interiority concerned with that which is essential and lasting, which forms man from within, conforming to Christ and nourishing him with a deep love of the church.

Highlights of Historical Events

1815 - The Pueblo was established. The first Gobernadorcillo was Eugenio Gerardo, appointed by a Spanish friar.

1895 – A new reform in the government called “Reforma Nueva” changed the Gobernadornacillo to Capitan Municipal. Servillano Quiachon was appointed Capitan Municipal.

1901 – Revolutionary Reform changed the Capitan Municipal to Presidente Local. Don Eugenio Villagracia was appointed.

American Government in Ivisan was formally established and run by the American themselves.

1902 – Capitan Hipolito Vidal was responsible for the construction of the Catholic Church Convent.

1911 – Election of the Municipal Presidente. Pedro Advincula was the first Municipal President. In his term, the Gabaldon Building (later used as Ospital sang Ivisan, now Kabuhayan Training Center) was constructed.

1914 – The Road from Capiz was improved and extended to Ivisan. The Panay Autobus started the operation in Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan passing Ivisan.

1920 – Philippine copra was exported. Ivisan developed copra industry. Tice was produced in lowland areas with the use of plow and carabao.

Mayor Catalino Andrada established the Ivisan Elementary School.

1932 – Mayor Felipe Manalo opened the canal to facilitate water transportation to Balaring, Basiao and Cabugao.

April 2, 1942 – The Japanese Imperial Army forces came to Ivisan, occupying the Poblacion and put up their garrison at the foot of the bridge opposite the Roman Catholic Church.

The pattern living in the community abruptly changed. People left their homes and farms uncultivated for fear.

The Japanese exerted efforts to organize a civil government. The pre- war Mayor Manuel Villaruz was inducted into office. Norberto Villarde was appointed Chief of Police. Japanese Officers ordered the teachers to organize classes. The church was used as a classroom. The principal was Martiniano Andrada, aand the teachers were Mrs.basilisa Gustilo, Mrs. Marciana Valcarcel, Mrs. Consolacion Didulo and Mrs. Nancy Yap.

Major Esteban Andrada and Captain Leon Gamboa exerted efforts to organize different army troops who did not surrender to the enemies.

In the latter part of the war, sometime in 1944, a sporadic activity in Ivisan was aided by the Hublag Batallion which succeeded in raiding the Japanese Garrison in Loctugan.

July 4, 1946 – The Third Republic of the Philippines was born. Don Manuel Villaruz served as a mayor from 1935- 1948. In November 1947, Illuminado Villaruz was elected as Mayor. During his term everything returned to normal.

A Filipino cultural heritage that may never cease to exist for generations is the holding of Annual Town Fiesta, a tradition influenced through the spread of Christianity in the country and more particularly originated by the Catholic hierarchy whereby idolizing a certain saint as a patron. The municipality of Ivisan in this part, celebrate its annual Municipal and Religious Fiesta in the honour of its patron saint, St. Nicholas de Tolentino every September 10. Historical facts however, do not show what activities were undertaken during the first fiesta celebration, but for many years now, the festivity lasts for five days starting September 5 and culminating on its feast days. Unlike the barangay fiesta, the town fiesta celebration is usually associated with a theme be it cultural or current events that denotes significance to the occasion. Each and every year, the themes changes at the turn of events not until 1993 when the members of the fiesta management suggested that there should be a permanent theme for the affair, patterned after the provincial festivals of Halaran, Ati- atihan and Dinagyang which is a one-word theme in the local dialect that will depict the culture of the locality and should express simplicity and uniqueness. A management meeting was called for the matter to be discussed and decided, and among the suggestions raised, Buyloganay, a word typical of an Ivisan culture characterized by the gesture of unity and cooperation, turned out to be the one chosen as the permanent fiesta theme, thus BUYLOGANAY was conceived.

Lately, the fiesta management having been fascinated with the theme, further thought of organizing an association that will take responsibility of all fiesta celebrations of the municipality. Upon agreement of all members in the meeting, the plan was carried out. An association was organized and named BUYLOGANAY ASSOCIATION OF IVISAN (BAI), a non- stock, non- profit association with the objective to promote socio- economic, cultural and training programs that will enhance livelihood development in the municipality. The Buyloganay Association of Ivisan was founded on July 6, 1995 and handled for the first time the fiesta affair which was a big success. With this initial achievement, the BAI looks forward to many more fiesta celebrations to spearhead.

Ivisan Vision Statement

We envision Ivisan as a community of God and peace loving people working in partnership with a competent, dynamic and incorruptible local government in the efficient and effective delivery of basic services as a means of promoting social justice, self- reliance and enhancing the potentials of its human and natural resources without sacrificing its economic, socio- cultural and ecological balance for a healthy and contented citizenry.

Ivisan Mission Statement

Ivisan as a community of God and peace- loving people is committed to strengthen people- government partnership through pooling and harnessing human and natural resources for the efficient and effective delivery of basic services for social, political, economic, cultural, and spiritual development in order to promote people’s interest and capabilities in delivering basic services; ensuring equitable access to opportunities and benefits of development; promoting, enhancing, and protecting environment for a healthy and contented citizenry.

Ivisanons, like other Filipinos, are basically superstitious. A pregnant would never attempt to see an eclipse for fear that the baby would be deformed. A man should always see to it that his wife wanted to eat during conception should be give even if it is not the season for the bearing of the fruit she liked, otherwise the baby will not come into being. On the other hand, the fruit of the tree she conceived with, will become sour or tree, the tree will die.

Most deliveries were assisted by “hilots”, the unlettered obstetrician. Usually the father assisted the hilot. After the birth, the child was brought and turned around the stove so that he will be free from the ailment. The umbilical chord was cut by a “tagkis”, a thin sharp edged skin of bamboo. Presently, almost all of these hilots were already trained and recognized by the government.

Customs/ Culture

Courtship

The old ones would cherish the precious moments of courtship during their time. A man would bring with him his guitar and try to get the lady’s attention at night by a “harana” or singing the love songs. The lady would then invite the man inside the house. A man courted the lady (usually took a lot of time) and got the consent of the parents of the girl and the wedding proposals follow. The man had to render service to the parents of the girl called “pangagad” like tilling the fields, pounding rice, fetching water, gather firewood or building a new house. In the late 1970’s, these practices started to fade as influenced by modern culture.

Brief History

Famous for the abundance and delicious fish, called “IBIS”, the place was originally called during the Pre- Spanish period as Ibisan. People from the “Ilaya” would go near the bank of the river which they called “Ilawod”, where the Municipal Market site is now located, to barter their crops with “Ibis”.

Due to preference of “V” from “B”, the place was named Ivisan instead of Ibisan during the Spanish era. Through old local leaders and prominent people in the locality called the place “IVISAN” as evidenced by some inscription in old infrastructures. The later generation called it again Ivisan.

Captivating Capiz blogs are now growing tremendously. And I was also captivated to do such.

Brief Description of the Present- Day Ivisan

Ivisan is the smallest town in the Province of Capiz. It has a total land of 5, 420 divided into political subdivisions comprising fifteen barangay including Poblacion Norte and Sur as its urban center. It is strategically located at the western part of Capiz Province and is fifteen (15) kilometres away from the Capital City of Roxas via the national highway and 9.3 kilometres away via provincial road. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to travel the distance. Ivisan is the main gateway from Roxas City to main tourist’s destinations in Panay Island such as the Province of Aklan where the world’s famous Boracay Island is located and the Province of Iloilo where the century old church can be found. The municipality has three (3) coastal barangays namely, Balaring, Basiao and Cabugao. Basically, these are the main sources of aquatic products which contributed to having Capiz as the “Seafoods Capital of the Philippines:. Local delicacies abundant in Ivisan include talaba, tahong, diwal, crabs, shrimps, lapu-lapu, bulgan, bangus and small fish or “Ibis”, specie noted for the origin of the town’s name.

Being an agricultural and a coastal town, Ivisanons are basically engaged in farming, fishing, poultry and livestock industries. Other industries include auto repair shops, cottage and home industries and small to medium – scale furniture/ upholstery industry.

Agro- industrial development is gaining popularity among investors taking a venture in Ivisan. To date, a multi- million peso hatchery has been established in barangay Mianay and several other poultry houses is now exist indifferent barangays of the municipality.

Objectively, tourism is one of the industries promoted in Ivisan considering aspects and viability. Presently, a mini beach resort popularly known as Virgin Beach is frequented by excursionists coming from the neighboring towns of Capiz and Iloilo in big groups. The clean water, white sand and the scenery attracts every local touristo take another trip to Ivisan.

With its friendly and hospitable people, Ivisan is dubbed as the most peaceful town in the province as evidenced by the lo9w crime rate recorded in the Philippine National Police (PNP) files.

Captivating Roxas City

Roxas City

Roxas City-is a medium-sized city in the province of Capiz, Phillipines. It is the capital and component city of Capiz. The current city mayor is former provincial governor Vicente Bermejo who was elected during the 2007 election

It is a center of copra and aquaculture production. The surrounding area grows sugarcane, rice,coconut , fruit, hemp, and tobacco. The language spoken in Roxas City is Hiligaynon, otherwise known as Ilonggo.

According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 126,352 people in 25,126 households.

The abundance of marine life makes Roxas City the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines." This environment-friendly city is home to one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. Roxas City's Baybay Beach is 16 miles long, one mile wide and is the 15th largest natural bay in the world. The tallest sea cliffs in Western Visayas can be found on the city's north side. Roxas City has been a three-time recipient of the Regional Cleanest and Greenest Component City in Western Visayas Award of the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Program of the national government.

Captivating Capiz-PANITAN- Founded in 1621 by the malay brothers Danao and Dalhog, Panitan prides itself as one of the oldest town is Capiz. Its original settlement was at Sitio Capul-an, near the bank of lake Danao. It was only after the Spanish colonization, that it was transferred to its present location.Legends tell how the town got its name. Once of the most accepted traditions tells of a groups of Spaniard passed by a group of natives peeling off the bank of the tree presumably to be dried for firewood. Pcomo se llama el pueblo este lugar? asked the Spaniards thinking that they were asked what they were doing, they answered back without hesitations.. P A N I T A N, meaning to peel off. So, from then on.PANITAN became the official name of the village as listed by the Spanish overlords.Panitan has been led by many great men and women, since Spanish times they have molded Panitan into what it has become today.Panitan is a breathtakingly beautiful town-its sights and sounds, its people and history. Panitan truly is one of Capiz’s prized gems. Panitan is 45 minutes away from Ivisan. And 25 minutes away from Roxas City.