Silay City

Infobox Philippine city
infoboxtitle = City of Silay | sealfile = Ph seal negros occidental silay.png locatormapfile = Ph_locator_negros occidental_silay.png caption = Map of Negros Occidental showing the location of Silay City.
region = Western Visayas (Region VI)
province = Negros Occidental
districts = Third District of Negros Occidental
barangays = 16
class = 2nd class city; urbanized
mayor = Jose Montelibano
founded = 1565
website = http://www.silaycity.gov.ph
cityhood = June 12, 1957
area = 21,479.90 hectares
pop2000 = 107,722
coordinates = 10°48' N, 122°58' E

Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 107,722 people in 21,446 households. It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod-Silay City International Airport, which replaced the Bacolod City Domestic Airport.

Silay had been often referred to as the "Paris of Negros" due to its large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses. More than thirty of these houses have been declared as historical landmarks. Silay is the second Philippine city to have been declared a museum city, next to Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

Etymology

The appellation "Silay" is derived from the name of a tree which grew abundantly in the area. The Kansilay is the city's official tree.

The legend of Princess Kansilay

A local legend tells of how Silay City got its name. It is said that in the days of the datus and rajahs, there once lived a princess named Kansilay. An attack on the settlement by pirates was thwarted when the princess bravely led the people in the village's defense. The fight was furious and the princess fought like a seasoned warrior. Murals that used to grace some of the city's public buildings depict her as a fierce fighter wielding a huge "talibong", a short native single-edged sword. The pirates were routed, but at the cost of the princess' life. Her paramour arrived in time to see her die. In grief, the people lovingly buried her. To their surprise, a tree grew right over her grave, the first Kansilay tree, a final gift from the brave princess.

History

panish colonization

Silay was first settled in 1565 under the name "Carobcob", which means "ribcage" in Hiligaynon. In early writings, the settlement was also referred to as "Calubcub", "Caracol" and "Caraco". [cite book | last =Sa-onoy | first =Modesto | authorlink =Modesto P. Sa-onoy | title =Parroquia de San Diego | publisher =Today Printers and Publishers | date =2006 | pages =1 | doi = | isbn = ] The last two variations mean "snail" or a "spiral" in Spanish. "Carobcob" was built near the mouth of a creek; nothing is left of the village today. "Carobcob" was granted as an encomienda to Cristobal Nuñez Paroja, one of the 17 soldiers of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi on January 25, 1571. In 1572 the Spanish King Philip II conferred the title of "Marques of Buglas" to the heirs of Juan Sebastian Elcano.Fact|date=May 2008

In the second half of the century, pirate raids escalated in the island, forcing the "Corregidor" of Negros to adopt the policy of flight rather than resistance. People left their homes sometime in 1760 and settled in a new location between two small rivers, Matagoy and Panaogao. A "paloisades" or "estacada" (Spanish for "fortification") was constructed to protect the populace from Moro pirates. The place is now known as Sitio Estaca, its name derived from the Spanish word "estacada".

In 1760 Silay was recognized as a town being referred to in a letter from Governor Juan Jose de Mijares (1772-1775) mentioning Silay as a leading town in the north. In 1776, the bishop of Cebu considered Silay as the center of the parish. In 1760, it became a "pueblo" or town. By 1896, it had become a leading sugar-producing area because of the "Horno Economico" (sugar mill) built in 1846 by a Frenchman who became a permanent resident of Silay, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston.

Negros Revolution

With the outbreak of the revolution of 1896 came a division between the sugarcane planters of Silay and the clergy. Some planters and clergy supported the rebels while others were against the revolution. On November 5, 1898 at about 2:00 in the afternoon, residents of Silay gathered in the street corner now known as "Cinco de Noviembre" Street and from there they proceeded to the Spanish garrison near the Catholic church. The encounter was bloodless. The Spanish civil guard commander, Lt. Maximiano Correa, refused to surrender. After negotiations with the revolutionaries mediated by Juan Viaplana, a local Spaniard, the Spanish garrison did surrender. A Philippine flag was raised for the first time at the Silay plaza later that afternoon. Leandro Locsin became temporary president after the signing of the terms of surrender. Timoteo Unson and the group of Silay residents then marched south to join forces with some residents of Talisay for an attack on Bacolod.

World War II

On the slopes of Mt. Silay lies Patag, the site of the Japanese military's last stand in Western Visayas during World War II. In 1945, U.S. military forces landed in Negros Island. The occupying forces of the Nagano Detachment of the Imperial Japanese Army retreated to Silay and proceeded up Mt. Silay to Patag. There, they established a defensive position. Military forces of the Philippine Commonwealth and soldiers of the U.S. 40th Infantry Division proceeded up the slopes of Mt. Silay with help from Filipino guerrilla fighters and defeated the Japanese defenders. Today, the site is marked by a monument dedicated to the efforts which led to the liberation of Negros Island.

Cultural and political aspects

Silay City had been known in the past as the "Paris of Negros" and the "cultural and intellectual hub of Negros" due to the residents' love for knowledge and works of art, and its collection of heritage mansions built during the height of the Philippine sugar industry's success, of which Negros was the center. Most notable among these houses is Balay Negrense, the mansion of the son of the first Negrense sugar baron, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston.

Silay became a chartered city on June 12, 1957 by virtue of Republic Act 1621.

On June 7, 2003, Silay City became the first local government unit in the Republic of the Philippines to hold a referendum through a People's Initiative approving the 2003 annual executive budget.

Today, Silay City is listed by the Department of Tourism as one of its 25 tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is considered the seat of arts, culture and ecotourism in Western Visayas.

Barangays

Silay City is politically sub-divided into 16 barangays.

* Balaring * Barangay I (Pob.) * Barangay II (Pob.) * Barangay III (Pob.) * Barangay IV (Pob.) * Barangay V (Pob.) * Barangay VI Pob. (Hawaiian) * Eustaquio Lopez

* Guimbala-on * Guinhalaran * Kapitan Ramon * Lantad * Mambulac * Rizal * Bagtic * Patag

ister city

In September 2008, Silay City forged a sister city relationship with Makati City. [cite news | title =Silay City celebrates Tourism Month | publisher =Philippine Information Services | date = 2008-09-02 |url =http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p080902.htm&no=63&r=&y=&mo= | accessdate = 2008-09-04]

Notable residents

*Yves Leopold Germain Gaston
*Leandro Locsin
*Jose Locsin
*Rose Lacson-Porteous

ee also

*Silay (volcano)
*Tagasilay

External links

* [http://dakbanwangsilay.com Unofficial Website of the City of Silay]
* [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
* [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information]
* [http://peter-gomez.smugmug.com/gallery/881948 Photos - Silay museums/ancestral homes]

Footnotes

Gallery