"Namit Gid"

CEBU, Philippines - Iloilo is in the Western Visayas region, with three languages: Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Akeanon and Kinaray-a. With their intonation, Ilonggos have been known to be sweet. But their sweetness does not stop with the way they speak. It extends to how they treat their guests.

I have been to Miag-ao 22 years ago, when I was still in grade school, to visit some relatives. My grandfather is originally from there so the language is not new to me. I may not be able to speak it but I can understand everything.

When the opportunity came to avail of a promo fare to Iloilo, my fiancée and I immediately bought airline tickets and waited for three months before we could use them. We actually had no definite destination once there finalized our itinerary a day before our flight, with the help of Google Maps. We listed every place we thought we should not miss during our two nights/two days trip. Miag-ao was one of them (to surprise some relatives).

We arrived at the Iloilo airport at around 7 p.m. Luckily, we had a friend who works in Iloilo who graciously met us at the airport and took us to our first destination, Dumangas, an hour away from the airport. We had dinner at Piads Talabahan and had our fill of mouth watering chili crabs, shrimps, and the famous dish in Dumangas, the “alimusan,” a dish made from catfish. It was a great meal to start our trip. As what the Ilonggos say, the experience was “namit gid” (an expression for liking something).

Miag-ao was our destination the next day, a place that is 45 minutes from the city by jeepney.

First thing on the Miag-ao itinerary was the famous Miag-ao church with its patron saint, Santo Tomas de Villanueva. We bumped into the caretaker who told us its history. The church was built using forced labor in 1787 and was finished in 1797. The 1.5 meter thick wall was all made out of egg whites and limestone mixed together to glue the rocks to form this fortress-like design. The church was made to look this way for two purposes – for worship and as a watch tower for Moro raiders. While the Miag-ao Church stood the test of time and calamities, it did not escape the trauma of two wars. It was burned during the revolution against Spain in 1898 and during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1944. It is one of only four (Augustinian-built) churches in the country to make it to the prestigious UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List. This church was declared as a National Landmark and in 1994 it was listed by the UNESCO as one of the world’s Cultural Heritage sites.

Next stop was my relatives’ house. As planned, they were surprised and they toured us around and showed us one old structure the municipality has preserved. It was just right beside the national highway, an old bridge called “taytay buni.” No one knows exactly when the bridge was constructed, but locals are sure that this was built during the Spanish period.

We didn’t have enough time to tour the rest of the municipality of Miag-ao, but we surely enjoyed the blast from the past moments.

Our second day in Iloilo was spent scanning Google Maps (again!) and touring the city. We enjoyed strolling around old structures that were well preserved and maintained. After 2 hours of walking around, we ended up at Perri Todd’s All American Burger, a restaurant which serves huge burgers – huge because one burger is good for four persons! The meal was a good way to end our Iloilo adventure. We soon headed for the airport for our flight back to Cebu, with our stomachs full and brains enriched with the history of Iloilo.

Iloilo is definitely a place where history and food meet. It is where you can see the past and the present. Not all places in Philippines preserve historical sites and culture, but in Iloilo they do it. They give importance to their history, to their culture. We should be proud of our past. Good or bad memories or experiences are part of our journey and we can never change these. The Ilonggos are truly proud of their heritage and so am I. “NAMIT GID!” ?