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It may be the notion of generally most of the Filipinos. Saying Capiz is generalizing to poltergeists and “aswangs” and more carnivores, no thanks to media who brought stereotyping to this laidback beauty in northern Panay. Roxas City, the capital of the northern Panay province of Capiz, its the main agro-industrial hub of the province. Dubbed as the “Seafood Capital of the Philippines”, it is blessed by bountiful harvests from both the sea, rivers and the land.

The city of more than a hundred thousand souls, it has a swampy area in the northern area and a hilly section in the southern area. Panay River runs through the downtown, giving a romantic scene in the city. Daw wala man kahaladlukan man di! Media!

I took Ivan and his friend JQ for a quick trip to Capiz for a heritage tour. This city was formerly known as Capiz, known for its shell industry of Capiz and the hometown of the former President Manuel Roxas. Just a few kilometers away east is the largest bell in the country.

Anyway, Ivan and JQ were craving for fresh seafoods so I brought them to Baybayan Plaza Seafood Stalls. And boy they’re into surprise. For then being Manileños, they were awed by the size and the price of the seafood, very affordable and delcious! Sulit!

After that sumptuous meal, we head on to the city plaza in which the City Hall, the Cathedral of Immacualate Concepcion and the Capitol are all located in a plaza and a fountain with fish heads besides the river of Panay.

Plaza

The Plaza was busy under the searing afternoon sky. This is a very fine example of Spanish colonial administration over the Philippines. Basically the church and the state is here.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion was painted blue in honor of their patron saint. The only thing that seperate the church and the state is the narrow Paseo de Catedral in which is lined up with retail stores.

Just accross the city hall is the “Panubli-on” or the Roxas Museum. Built in 1910, it primarily served as a water storange tank. A good example of adaptive use. It is now a museum featuring the historical and cultural manifests of Capiz. Unfortunately, the museum was closed at that time, although managed to get a glimpse inside.

The 2nd leg of our journey in Capiz takes us at the site of the oldest Spanish settlement in the island of Panay. Site of the bell of enormous size.

More of Roxas City Pictures, click here.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Food Trip, Travel Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.