Capiz

Roxas City, Capiz – Legendary Island of Olotayan

Posted on April 26, 2012

According to legend, Olotayan Island in Roxas City was formed by the head and stomach of a wicked giant. My second visit to Roxas City afforded a half-day visit to an off-the-beaten-track destination. The neighboring island of Olotayan – the only insular barangay of the city – harbors pristine beaches worth visiting. They’re strewn not with sand, but smooth pieces of coral that keep the waters crystal clear. Sure, it’s no powder-white Boracay; but there’s nothing as rewarding as enjoyingRead More

Christ the Redeemer – A Glimpse of Rio de Janeiro in Capiz!

Posted on February 29, 2012

Christ the Redeemer in Ivisan, Capiz For a glimpse of Rio de Janeiro, look no farther than the province of Capiz, gazing up a five storey tall white-painted replica of the world’s largest Art Deco statue, Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer, built from 1922 to 1931. Standing on a hilly private lot in the countryside of Ivisan municipality, the statue was erected a few years ago and has been attracting a number of tourists and motorists, who are drawnRead More

DIY Walking Tour – Roxas City

Posted on January 25, 2012

Location: Roxas City, Capiz Starting Point: Manuel Roxas Shrine End Point: Roxas City Museum (Panublion Museum) Distance: 1.5 km Duration: 2 hours Though much father from famed Boracay Island – four hours, to be exact – the city of Roxas in Capiz province makes for a much more pleasant, laid-back gateway to Western Visayas, compared to neighboring Kalibo in Aklan or even industrialized Iloilo City. Roxas City (formerly Capiz town) was established when Captain Diego de Artieda, who was sent by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi from Cebu, movedRead More

Pan-ay, Capiz – Where the Big Bell Tolls

Posted on June 3, 2011

The five-storey belfry of coral stone afforded a pastoral panorama beyond the town plaza occasionally punctuated by jeepneys and tricycles whirring along the highway that stretched back to Roxas City. Click! The tourist guide snapped photos of me grinning—half in fear—underneath 10.4 tons of cast metal precariously suspended by rusty chains. On its patinated belly, an embossed inscription: SOY LA VOZ DE DIOS. A less intimidating one simply declared the town’s name: PANAY. I was in the town of Pan-ayRead More