Queen City of the Southern Philippines

Iloilo has always been heralded as one of the most important provinces of the Philippines that
played a crucial role in regional and national development. Even before the Spaniards came,
Iloilo had already obtained a certain degree of civilization that allowed them to flourish and
progress from being a small and incoherent group of fishermen hamlets into the second most
important commercial town in the Philippines. With the boom of the sugar industry, the
opening of Iloilo ports to world trade, and other divergent economic resources, Iloilo became
the central hub of trade in the Philippines in the 19th century. Iloilo's economy soared to new
heights and became the second major seat of power during that time, with all administrative
functions directed only to Iloilo and Manila. Due to Iloilo's stable economic development, the
then queen regent of Spain raised the status of Iloilo from town to that of the Royal City of the
South. The Commonwealth Act No. 158 merged the surrounding towns of Lapaz, Jaro,
Mandurriao, and Arevalo to form Iloilo City and was finally inaugurated on Aug. 25, 1937,
and was later proclaimed on as the Queen City of the South.
 Granary of All Islands in the Archipelago

Iloilo is well-endowed with rich and diverse natural resources ranging from fertile lands to
large bodies of water. Its vast fertile fields and generally humid climate make it suitable for
greater agricultural production. Because of its fertile lands, Iloilo always yielded bountiful
harvests, that it was proclaimed as the most fertile and provisioned land in the Philippines. Rice
was its most abundant agricultural product, and Iloilo was considered the leading rice-
producing area in the Philippines, dubbing it as the Granary of all Islands in the Archipelago.
Aside from rice, Iloilo also had copious numbers of swine, fowls, wax, honey, and wine-
producing palm-trees. The rich agricultural sector of Iloilo have immensely helped in the
town’s economic growth. Without it, Iloilo would have been just like any
 Textile Center of the Philippines

Inhabitants of Iloilo have long been in the weaving industry, even before the Spaniards came
to the island. These inhabitants were said to be skilled in the art of weaving textiles from
different materials such as abaca, cotton, and silk imported from China. Aside from rice and
other kinds of food supplies, Iloilo was also thought to be one of the top producers of cotton
and other textile materials in the country. In fact, one of the major factors that started Iloilo's
modern economic transformation was the development of the large-scale commercial weaving
industry in the 18th century. Textile goods were the chief exports of Iloilo and were said to
have generated over a million dollars in revenue. And by the 19th century, Iloilo’s textile
production industry reached its peak development, resulting in Iloilo being called the Textile
Center of the Philippines. However, the weaving industry started to decline in the mid-19th
century as more entrepreneurs shifted their interest and capital to the sugar industry. The
weaving industry eventually lost its primacy and disappeared as a principal item in international
and inter-island commerce.
 Boom in the Sugar Industry

It was widely known that Iloilo’s notable development and greatest prosperity were caused by
the great boom of the sugar industry. Its development provided Iloilo with great opportunities
to flourish and progress into one of the most important commercial towns (later on as a city)
in the Philippines. Sugar was in high demand during the 19th century. To further its
advancement, British vice-consul, Nicholas Loney, gave off loans, constructed warehouses in
the port, and introduced new technologies for sugar farming. These factors urged well-to-do
families in Iloilo to develop large haciendas in Negros to further extend their croplands. With
the opening of large haciendas in Negros and the availability of modern pieces of machinery,
adequate financing, and exporting facilities, the sugar industry in Iloilo and Negros reached
remarkable heights. Because of its thriving economy, several local and foreign infrastructures,
facilities, educational institutions, banks, and businesses have appeared in Iloilo. Overall, the
great sugar boom created the golden era of Iloilo in the 1920s and early 1930’s and lasted for
approximately 50 years.
 Commercial and Cultural Capital of Southern Philippines

The opening of the Iloilo Port to world trade and international shipping lead to the growth and
development of the town’s export economy, which served as one of the pillars for its
unprecedented progress during the 19th century. With the rise of the sugar industry, Iloilo’s
economy surged to new and unparalleled heights, putting them above than most towns in the
country. Several native and foreign traders established permanent offices, storage facilities,
and retail outlets within Iloilo. Port facilities were improved and expanded; roads were built
and repaired; different infrastructures were constructed and develop to accommodate the
growing community and economy. Iloilo also served as the center of travel in the Western
Visayas. Aside from its domestic inter-island shipping schedules, Iloilo had direct lines to
countries such as Australia, England, Hong Kong, Continental Europe, and the United States.
Due to its stable economic transformation, Iloilo became one of the most important commercial
centers in the Philippines, and was later on promoted as a Royal City by the Queen Regent of
Spain in October 5, 1889. For 50 years, Iloilo continued to flourish and remained as the center
of trade and commerce in the Philippines.
 Social and Cultural Center of Western Visayas

Aside from being the Center of Trade and Commerce, Iloilo was proclaimed as the Social and
Cultural Center of the Western Visayas region due to its thriving economy and growing diverse
community, made up of native and foreign traders, workers, entrepreneurs, and diplomats.
During this time, Iloilo possessed the basic facilities of a modern city, which includes an
advanced communication systems. Iloilo established telegraph lines running to Capiz and
Antique and had an elaborate telephone system that extends to the towns of Lapaz, Jaro, Molo,
and Mandurriao. It also had a cable connected to Manila, and from there can communicate to
the major systems of the world. Iloilo also had its theaters and social clubs, to which people
from over the region flock to avail all sorts of entertainment. Social clubs exclusive only to
foreign traders and diplomats of the Americans, English, German, and Spanish races were
established. Moreover, Iloilo had its own Jockey club and bowling alley, and there were times
were a company of comedians from Manila would come and give performances in the city.
 The Most Peopled and the Richest

Due to the remarkable economic growth brought by the Sugar industry and Iloilo port, Iloilo
became the most populated provincial town in the Philippines in the mid-19th century. The
rising number of commercial activities caused the influx of people coming to Iloilo to avail
some of the economic opportunities of the town. As the town's economy increased, so was the
town's overall population. The town's population grew that in the mid-19th century, Iloilo had
numerous Poblacion and was proclaimed as the second most important in the Philippines after
Luzon. Even after Iloilo was promoted from a town to a city, its economic growth and
commercial activities steadily increased. Aside from being the most populated, Iloilo was
considered the richest province of the Philippines. Iloilo became the entertainment capital of
Visayas and was also considered the hub of various big business ventures. Some of the big
business ventures that existed in Iloilo were the transportation and publishing enterprises of the
Lopez family; the sugar and shipping ventures of the de la Ramas family; and the mining
enterprises of the Galatas and Montillas families. Also by this time, Iloilo’s transportation
system was the most advanced in the country, and all types of sophisticated cars such as
limousines, berlinas, Buicks, and Lincolns paraded the city. The city was also filled with two-
story and three-story buildings. Apart from the governmental, commercial, and residential
buildings, recreational facilities such as movie houses, sports facilities, cabarets, and clubs
were established.
References:

• Fajardo, D. (2011). Why Cebu gets the title “Queen City of the South.” The Manila
Times; The Manila Times.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2011/12/02/opinion/columnists/why-cebu-gets-the-title-
queen-city-of-the-south/751826
• Funtecha, H. F. (1992). The Making of a Queen City: The Case of Iloilo 1890s-1930s.
Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 20(2/3), 107–132. JSTOR.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/29792083
• Province of Iloilo. (2015). About Iloilo. Province of Iloilo.
https://www.iloilo.gov.ph/about-iloilo
• Province of Iloilo. (2016). History. Province of Iloilo. http://www.iloilo.gov.ph/history
• University of the Philippines Visayas. (2011). Revisiting Iloilo’s Urban Morphology.
Google Arts & Culture; Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/revisiting-iloilo-s-urban-morphology-iloilo-
heritage-mapping-project/rwKSZlHcCmAHIg?hl=en