THE GREATEST PAINTING OF JUAN LUNA

The Death of Cleopatra 1881


The Spoliarium 1884

Best in iloilo (Philippines)

      

BEST IN ILOILO PROVINCE

 

1. Savor a Food Tour

Food is undoubtedly Iloilo’s biggest year-round attraction. Most true-blooded locals will, without fail, offer to take you to eat at local restaurants or prepare a home-cooked Ilonggo meal if they find out that you’re a first-time visitor. Don’t miss out on savoring fresh seafood and Iloilo’s native cuisine, especially its signature dishes like La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo.

Hearty bowl of La Paz Batchoy at La Paz Market in Iloilo City.

Jaro Cathedral in Jaro District, Iloilo City.

 

2. Join a Festival

Not to be missed in January, the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival is one of the Philippines’ biggest religious and cultural festivals that transforms Iloilo City into one big venue for spectacle and merry making. Watch thousands of Dinagyang Ati performers fill the city streets as they dance in sync to fast-paced thundering drum beats. In addition to the Dinagyang Festival, the city is also host to many exciting events like the Paraw Regatta Festival, Jaro Fiesta, and Chinese New Year.

Brown-painted Ati Performer at the Dinagyang Festival held in Iloilo every January.

 

3. Visit Iloilo’s Heritage Sites

In between food trips, visit treasured historical sights scattered over different districts in the city. Walk the streets of Iloilo City Proper to find recently restored heritage buildings along Calle Real, the city’s old central business district, and other corners of the downtown area like Plaza Libertad, and the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds. Head over to the districts of Jaro and Molo to visit centuries-old churches and the city’s grandest ancestral houses that have survived the test of time. To start, take a tour of the Jaro Cathedral, Lizares Mansion, Casa Mariquit, Molo Church, and Bahay Camiña nga Bato.

Recently restored heritage buildings in Calle Real in Iloilo City Proper.

Molo Church and Plaza in Molo District, Iloilo City.

Angelicum School (Lizares Mansion) in Jaro District lit up by thousands of Christmas lights every December.

 

4. Walk along the Iloilo River Esplanade

Peaceful riverside views can be found along the Iloilo River Esplanade, a testament of the city’s desire to provide breathing spaces on its path to rapid urban development. The best time to start your leisurely walk along this landscaped promenade is during late afternoons to catch the beautiful sunset view.

Iloilo River Esplanade under the dusk twilight.

 

5. Explore Iloilo’s Beaches and Islands

Picturesque beaches are scattered across the seafood rich waters of Northern Iloilo where the islands of Gigantes, Concepcion, Ajuy, and Sicogon beckon. Head over to the southern coast of Iloilo to find well-preserved marine sanctuaries in San Joaquin and peaceful gray sand beaches in Miagao, Guimbal, Tigbauan, and Oton.

View from Agho Island in Concepcion, Iloilo.

Gabugaw Gamay Island in Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo.

 

6. Go Church Hopping

The towns of Iloilo are home to many centuries-old Spanish-colonial Churches of great historical and heritage value. The most famous and best preserved in the province is Miagao Church, which is included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. A 20-minute drive down the coast will take you to the militaristic-inspired San Joaquin Church. Also worth visiting are the old churches and church ruins in Guimbal, Tigbauan, Tubungan, Pavia, Santa Barbara, Cabatuan, Leon, Alimodian, Dingle, Dueñas, Passi City, and Barotac Nuevo.

Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church in Miagao, Iloilo

Jaro Cathedral in Jaro District, Iloilo City.

 

7. Cool Down in Iloilo’s Highland Areas

For nature lovers, there are many refreshing waterfalls, hiking trails, and highland areas in Iloilo’s central mountains, just waiting to be discovered. You can find these cool spots in Bucari, Igbaras, Janiuay, Calinog, and Lambunao.

Highland views of Bucari in Leon, Iloilo.

 

8. Take an Excursion to Nearby Gateway Destinations

Apart from its own collection of tourist attractions, Iloilo serves as a gateway to Western Visayas region and a favored stopover for tourists heading to the beaches of Boracay and the nearby Guimaras, Antique, Capiz, Aklan,Bacolod, and Negros Occidental.
Go on a side trip to Guimaras – A 15-minute boat ride is all it takes to get to Guimaras Island from Iloilo City Proper. This province has a lot of worthwhile sights and activities to offer for visitors who are keen to enjoy its peaceful beaches, crowdless islands, biking trails, and famously sweet mangoes.

7 Great Men in the Bible

                      7 Great Men in the Bible

Moses

In Moses’ life we remember events showing a Godly man and other stories that show a man who struggled with failure in certain areas. Even though he sometimes failed, Moses was a man consistently in tune with God’s plan. He loved the people of Israel who God called him to lead.

As a child Moses grew up in the Egyptian Pharaoh’s house even though he was born to a Jewish family. Moses learned from the best Egyptian teachers and scholars. He probably did not learn much about the God of Israel through his tutors, yet he grew up sensitive to God’s leading.

Moses claimed to not be a great speaker yet he was able to lead the Israelites for 40 years out of Egypt and to the edge of the Promised Land. Moses disappointed God with some of his actions but repented of his lack of trust and was used by God to accomplish His purposes

Joshua

When Moses led Israel out of Egypt one of the young men who quickly rose to recognition was Joshua. Joshua was chosen as one of the 12 spies to enter the land that God had promised to Israel. Though the vast majority of the spies returned with a discouraging report of the land God said He would give them, Joshua and Caleb reported all the wonderful things God could provide in Canaan.

The people of Israel refused to enter the land God had given. Patiently Joshua trusted God. He recognized the authority Moses and his position of leadership that God gave him. Joshua never tried to usurp the authority of Moses. He waited until it was his time to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

Joshua was an obedient follower. He was also known as a strong leader of Israel as they conquered the land that God had given.

 David

Multiple times in the Bible David is recognized as a man who followed God and was sensitive to the leadership of God in his life. We first learn about who David would become when God rejected Saul’s reign and said that He would give the kingdom to a neighbor of Saul’s who was a better man (I Samuel 15). At the time God said this to Saul through Samuel, David was only a boy of 8 to 12 years old. God knew that though David was young, he would grow up to be a man in tune with God’s heart and plan for Israel.

David wrote many of the Psalms that we cherish. This was not because David never had problems. David wrote many of those precious poems in the midst of trouble. Yet, David knew that his strength came from God. We enjoy his writings today because he was a man who knew how to lean on the Lord during times of adversity. What he wrote in Psalms about trusting the Lord is applicable to us today.

Job

Satan was talking with God one day when he said that no one completely obeyed God and worshiped Him. God said that He knew a man who was just and upright in his life. This man was Job.

God gave Satan rule over Job’s circumstances causing him to lose all of his wealth. Job still would not speak evil against God. He even acknowledged that God was the one who was testing him and he would continue to worship the Lord.

Job’s friends accused him of sin and said he was being punished by God for his secret sins. Job maintained his innocence. Even his wife told him he should curse God and die. But Job patiently waited on God to reveal Himself and publicly justify Job to the world.

 

 Daniel

Though he grew up a slave in Babylon, Daniel was eventually promoted to a position of authority under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. It was through the influence of Daniel that the kingdom was able to see some godliness brought to that godless time.

Later, King Darius befriended Daniel. However, there were men who were jealous of Daniel’s influence and position. They convinced the king to make a law that the people could only worship the king and no other person or god. Daniel continued to Pray as he always had to the God of Israel. The punishment for disobedience of the law not to worship was to be thrown into a pit of lions. These wicked men had Daniel arrested.

Daniel accepted the punishment that was given to him without complaint. King Darius fought the law on Daniel’s behalf, but was powerless to change the consequences. While Daniel slept peacefully in the den of lions, Darius was up all night worrying about God’s man. The next morning the king was relieved to have Daniel brought out of the pit and the men who plotted against Daniel were then fed to the lions. The Bible says that their bodies never even reached the ground before the lions had devoured them (Daniel 6).

Paul

Paul was a great man of the New Testament. We first see this man when his name was Saul of Tarsus. Before his salvation he was convinced that Jesus and Christianity were plots to destroy the Hebrew God of the Old Testament. However Jesus revealed himself to Saul and he accepted the Lord as his personal savior. Instead of persecuting the church, Saul changed his name to Paul and he began to preach and establish new churches throughout the known world.

Paul is most well-known for his three missionary journeys spanning from the middle east as far west as Italy. He established many churches, trained young pastors and wrote much of the New Testament.

The Apostle Paul is truly one of the great men of the Bible.

Barnabas

Though not as well-known as Paul, Barnabas played a large role in the establishment of new churches in the Greek and Hebrew world of his day. Barnabas was the man who took Paul under his wings when no one else wanted to trust Paul. This was because Paul was most known as the great persecutor of the Christian church when Barnabas met him.

Barnabas trained Paul in the ministry and accompanied him on his early missionary travels. Later the two men split up and formed two new teams of church planters. Paul took Silas with him and Barnabas took John Mark.

After Paul and Barnabas separated, the Bible does not say much more about Barnabas. However, Paul acknowledged later in his life that Barnabas had done a good job in training John Mark for the ministry.

 

 

Beautiful Place

The first settlers of Boracay in Panay are called Negritos or Atis. Panay are then called "Land of the Atis"  These Negritos are the indeginuous people of the Philippines and they farmed and fished in Boracay for centuries.

During the 1940s and 1950s, the Boracaynons or the people of boracay, depended largely on fishing and coconut plantation. Copra, the dried meat of coconut, was traded to businessmen from Aklan in exchange for rice and other goods and commodities.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Boracay became popular among families from Panay. When a German writer published a book about the Philippines in 1978, describing boracay history and the beautiful island in details, the island was introduced to the world. This mark the beginning of tourist "boom" with tourist.

Since then, The onset of tourism changed Boracay completely. As word of its exceptional beauty--specifically the immaculate white sands of White Beach spread, tourists began arriving.  Suddenly, from a sleepy, sparsely populated island, Boracay Island Island was transformed into a major destination on the international travel circuit. Whether the change was for the better or worse is an open question, but it was certainly a turning point in the history of Boracay Island.

The Great President

Did You Know?

The war years were difficult for Abraham Lincoln and his family. After his young son Willie died of typhoid fever in 1862, the emotionally fragile Mary Lincoln, widely unpopular for her frivolity and spendthrift ways, held seances in the White House in the hopes of communicating with him, earning her even more derision.
                                                                                                                                                                                              

History of abacus