Philippine History: Chapter 5 - Should the town have been called Salvacion and not Victorias?

Chapter 5. Should the town have been called Salvación and not  Victórias?

Setting aside the connection to the Our Lady of Victory of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 as discussed in Chapter 4 and after reading the 1953 compilation about the miracle, three questions came to mind:

One, should Capitana Tutang (or was it the priest?) have named the image 'Nuestra Señora de La Salvación', instead of 'Nuestra Señora de Las Victórias'? Why? Because she was saved; there was no fighting or hand-to-hand combat with her captors. It wasn't a victory; it was a salvation of sorts.

Maybe she was traumatized by the whole experience that she wasn't able to think straight after. Otherwise, Victorias City wouldn't be holding any 'Kadalag-an Festival'. Instead, it would be celebrating 'Kaluwasan Festival', which wouldn't sound like a festive event but a religious ceremony for condemned souls.😂

But then, Victorias has a 'Salvacion Subdivision' (named after Sra. Salvacion Ditching-Triumfo) in its Barangay 6 in the present time, which pretty much redeems Capitana Tutang.😊

Two, the legend says it was San Casimiro who stood behind the Virgin at the banca. I looked him up. San Casimiro or Saint Casimir (the only Catholic saint with that name) was a Polish prince whose images show him wearing a robe and is attributed with holding a lily and wearing a grand ducal hat. He was a pious character who died of tuberculosis, which means, 'robust' wouldn't be an adjective to describe his posture.

Saint Michael, the Archangel, on the other hand, was a fierce warrior of God who is holding a lance on most images of him. So, did the priest make a mistake in identifying Saint Michael, the Archangel as San Casimiro just because he was the patron saint of Malihao? 

In Marian apparitions, it is very rare that the Virgin Mary is accompanied by a saint. If ever she was accompanied, it was always with an angel or a group of angels like when she appeared to St. James, the Great on January 2, 40 CE at Caesaraugusta in present-day Zaragoza, Spain; she was accompanied by angels. (Read my blog about that story here). 

So, was it an honest mistake or was it deliberate? 

In those times when priests were more powerful than politicians, when education was scarce and most were hardly educated, and when access to information was controlled by those who governed, the story about the patron saint himself descending upon Daan Banwa to save it was a very big deal! 

Who would benefit from such story? Would this have increased the Sunday mass donations and more prayer offerings be made to the patron saint, not just from the people of Daan Banwa, but from the neighboring areas as well? 😕

(And is it just a coincidence that a prayer pamphlet of St. Michael Archangel - given by a friend years ago - is unexpectedly lying next to the printed 1953 compilation just when I am writing this chapter?).😇  

    (A prayer pamphlet for St. Michael Archangel)

Three, I initially wondered why is San Roqué, whose feast day is August 16, the current patron saint of Daan Banwa and not San Casimiro. When did this change happen? Does anyone from Daan Banwa know?😕

But thanks to a resident of Daan Banwa, I learned that the residents of Daan Banwa, after losing the old simbahan in that area, had to go to the present-day Our Lady of Victorias parish church located at the along the national highway and Magsaysay Street for Sunday masses. The San Roque Parish church in Barangay 9, or Daan Banwa today, is only 25 years old, having been built in 1994. When it was put up, San Roque became its patron saint.

So, when and why did the old Daan Banwa church disappear? Where was its old location? Does anyone know?

Chapter 6. Eliodoro Tongoy, Esteban Jalandoni, and Former Governor Melecio Severino saved the town in 1902

Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"

Philippine Story: Chapter 4 - Capitana Tutang and Nuestra Señora de las Victorias (before 1880)

Chapter 4. Capitana Tutang and Nuestra Señora de Las Victorias (before 1880)

During the last decades of the Spanish period, the Daan Banwa settlement grew and prospered with its inhabitants coming from the neighboring areas like Saravia, Manapla or even from Panay island.

In the 19th century, migration from Panay island to the Negros island was not only common; it was encouraged so as to populate the island with industrious hands and fortune-seeking people. Even the former Victorias mayor, Don Felix Montinola, who was elected in 1934, crossed the Iloilo Strait and settled in Saravia. He was born in Jaro, Iloilo in 1864 but moved to Saravia (now E. B. Magalona) in the 1890s (or earlier) with two of his unmarried sisters. In 1897, he married the daughter of the mayor (no less!) of Saravia. 

Even some of the revolutionary fighters against Spain in the Negros island were Ilonggos who joined Elias Magbanua and his Negrense fighters in a stand against the American soldiers at Sitio Guintabuan in Saravia on August 19, 1899. (Read my blog about Elias Magbanua here).

While Daan Banwa was still a barrio, it switched several times from being a part of Saravia and Manapla because its population and income were hardly enough for it to be recognized as a town. It must have been a sleepy village near the sea and river where people gather in a popular shady spot during cool afternoons to exchange stories, argue and share opinions, spread gossip, and of course, flirt! 😃

Daan Banwa was a barrio of Saravia even before 1848, the year Bacolod became the capital of Negros Province.  It was just a village by the Malihao River that happened to have a settlement of nipa huts whose inhabitants survived on fishing from the river, gathering shells from the shore, and harvesting edible fruits from the forest. 

It became a barrio of Saravia because of a reported crime. A deadly quarrel happened between two neighbors that ended up one killing another. The crime had to be reported to Himamaylan, then the province's capital, where the governor, upon learning that the crime had to be reported to the capital as it was not part of any town, ordered that Victorias be officially part of Saravia and that it should have its own leader. An election among the villages was conducted and a certain 'Tomas' was elected. 

(This is not 'Daan Banwa' but this is a typical scene of a village in 1880s Philippines where neighbors gather to socialize, argue, gossip, and flirt)

Photo credit: Pump Park Vintage 
Photography-Alamy Stock Photo)

Around 1876, when the settlement grew in size and in population, it became a town and for three consecutive terms, Gregorio Conlu was the capitán. During his term, an unfortunate event happened - an event that somehow became fateful to both the inhabitants and the small town that eventually became a municipality and later, a city.

Gregorio Conlu and his wife Fausta Gosiaoco, popularly known as 'Capitana Tutang', sold tubâ (coconut wine) and probably other things like dried fish and fermented condiments at their home. And one afternoon, the couple noticed a paraw, a boat with outrigger and common in the Visayan seas, coming into the Malihao River and loaded with passengers. While its passengers remained on board the whole afternoon, they came to shore at seven in the evening, drank tuba at Capitana Tutang's store, and left at half past seven.

But when it was late in the evening with the couple's store already closed, the same men, numbering six, came back with bolos and robbed the couple by entering through a window. Capitan Conlu and his clerk, Alfonso Pechera, were able to evade trouble by putting out the light (there was no electricity then) in the store and went up the attic of the house to hide. Although Capitana Tutang was left sitting at the table frozen in fear, she was not hurt by the tulisanes. Instead, they killed four comisarios (peacekeepers during that time like our present-day barangay tanod) who later came to the house to apprehend the bandits and injured two villagers who also came to help. 

Unfortunately for the couple, Capitana Tutang had to surrender her earrings, diamonds and other jewelry, a comb, cash of 500 pesos, and some clothes the tulisanes liked, and although their neighbors came out of their homes because of the commotion, no one was able to help as they were all threatened by the bandits who escaped using Capitana Tutang and her maid Mikay as hostages. As the Jalandoni memoirs specifically mentioned that diamonds and a comb were part of the loot, I thought these were rough diamonds, not the Harry Winston quality whose brilliance blinds, but ones cut roughly, and the comb was probably ivory, which made me wonder if it was a special comb from China made of animal bones or bamboo.

Both hands tied, Tutang and Mikay were brought into the paraw until they reached the mouth of the Malihao River where Tutang was asked whether they could swim. When she said 'no', their hands were untied and were thrown overboard because they already served their purpose as hostages. Because the tulisanes were only after cash and valuables, and were not interested in capturing women and children to sell as slaves, they were most likely from a neighboring island or worse, from Buglas (Negros island) itself. (It was the fearsome Moro raiders from Mindanao who were notoriously known to kidnap women and children because they were more expensive commodities to sell.)  

A good swimmer, Capitana Tutang made it back to shore while dragging Mikay, who couldn't swim, with her. They were thrown out at a spot where the waters measured a little more than eight feet. 

Although we don't know how old Mikay was, it made me wonder why Tutang didn't allow her to take swimming lessons from the men in the village when Daan Banwa was just next to a river and a beach! She probably didn't trust the local men who she thought were really after teaching Mikay anything other than how to swim.😆  

I believe Capitana Tutang was more than a grand dame of Daan Banwa than what the limitedly known town history is telling us. She must have been a culinary expert like Nora Daza because she had a popular store where even bandits patronized, a champion Palarong Pambansa-caliber swimmer who could swim from sea to shore in cold, dark waters while dragging someone with her, a witty, quick thinker who outsmarted the tulisanes, and had more influence in Daan Banwa than her teniente-del-barrio husband. Otherwise, why would she be addressed as 'capitana'? And for all we know, Capitan Gregorio Conlu, with all due respect to his contribution to the old town, was 'under the saya'. He was the one who left his wife behind among the tulisanes and hid in the kísame, remember?

When Tutang and Mikay finally reached the shore that dreadful night, they knelt and prayed. Tutang believed it was a miracle and being a devotee, she believed it was the Virgin Mary who saved them. So when they got home, she told her husband, who must have been relieved but still shaken, about what happened to her and Mikay. She also shared with him her wish to buy an image of the Virgin even though they just lost their money. 

That night in Daan Banwa must have been dramatic scenes from a telenovela: four dead comisarios bathed in blood from bolo hacks and lying on dirt ground, a teniénte del barrio hiding in a kísame, a kidnapped 'first lady', two injured villagers, and a bunch of helpless townspeople carrying their lighted torches around trying to bring back order to their village. 

After four months, when she went to her relatives in Bacolod to ask their help in buying the image, a generous cousin, Eulalia Villasor, gave her 250 pesos. She then visited Saravia's parish priest, Fr. Hilarion Narro, whom she told about her wish to purchase the image. The priest then helped her by sending a letter to Spain to order a statue of the Virgin Mary. (In the Jalandoni memoirs, it was Capitan Gorio who ordered the statue from Barcelona, Spain).

Eleven months after Tutang's escape from the tulisanes, the image of the Virgin arrived and was placed at the altar of the church in Malihao alongside the statue of San Casimiro, their patron saint. The image was called Nuestra Señora de las Victorias or Our Lady of Victory, and this was the start of the barrio's veneration to the Virgin. (The 1953 Compilation and the Jalandoni Memoirs described the statue as that of the Virgin Mary with no mention of the Child Jesus. The current Our Lady of Victory statue, however, shows the Child Jesus standing on the right side of the Virgin.)

The statue that arrived from Spain was the Our Lady of Victory, a statue with the child Jesus on the right side of the Virgin. Upon the victory of the Christian forces over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571, Pope Pius V attributed that victory to the intercession of the Virgin through the praying of the Holy Rosary during days of the battle (The Our Lady of Victory is also known as Our Lady of the Rosary). When Capitana Tutang ordered her statue from Spain, the veneration to the Our Lady of Victory was already more than 300 years old and the statue maker probably sculpted her that image because, one, it was a popular choice, and, two, Capitana Tutang's ordeal over the tulisanes must have been a victory of sorts as well. So, the current image of the Virgin is, indeed, the Our Lady of Victory as venerated by Pope Pius V and the Christian forces in 1571. So, from 10,000 kilometers away in Greece and 300 years since the victory, the Virgin became the small settlement's Mother founded along a river and near the sea in Las Islas Filipinas.

Months later, two captives, one from Calatrava and another from Escalante, of the Moro raiders, escaped and took refuge in Malihao. They recounted stories about their Moro raiders attempting to enter the mouth of the Malihao River but was met by a beautiful woman standing on the front bow of a banca holding a sword while a robust man stood behind her and held a lance. Upon seeing the obvious threat, the raiders retreated and instead went up north to Manapla where they continued their atrocities on coastal villages. That's where the two  made their escape.

This story reached a Visayan priest, Crispino Hinolan, who was in charge of Saravia. He asked the capitán to gather his people for a momentous announcement. That occasion, where past and present capitánes as well as the townspeople were assembled, was where the Catholic Church publicly recognized the miracle and the legendary story on the Malihao River.

And to immortalize their gratitude to the Virgin, Malihao was renamed 'Nuestra Señora de las Victorias' with the approval of the townspeople. They must have unanimously approved it as, during those times, the friars and priests were influential and the majority were Catholics. The change of name was approved by the provincial governor but he officially shortened it to 'Victorias' instead. A novena was also held to solemnize the feast.

Capitan Gorio and Capitana Tutang were of Chinese ancestry and were probably from Iloilo, considering their surnames Conlu and Gosiaoco, and the valuables such as rough diamonds, gold earrings and a prized comb that she brought with her.

Capitana Tutang should be immortalized in our history with a bust or a monument (although it would be difficult as we may not have any portrait of her lying around) at Daan Banwa, not as a public servant, but because she represented the admirable spirit of our past that should be emulated in the present: bravery, resilience, and unwavering faith in God. 🙏

In 1882, the capitan that succeeded Gregorio Conlu was Mariano Conlu, who was nicknamed "Uban" because of his white hair. There was animosity between the two Conlus which caused the villagers to relocate elsewhere, diminishing the population and income of the town and consequently reducing it to a barrio of Manapla.


Chapter 5. Should the town have been called Salvación and not Victorias?

"Ang Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"

Philippine History: Chapter 3 - Did early settlers come from Aninipay during the pre-hispanic period?

Chapter 3. Did early settlers come from Aninipay during the pre-hispanic period?

If the history and research written by Pedro Monteclaro in Maragtas are correct, in the 1200s, ten datus from Borneo, led by Datu Puti (whose name in the present time has been unfortunately reduced to a cooking condiment) arrived at Aninipay, the old name of Panay Island, and asked Pulpulan, the chieftain of the ati natives, and his son Marikudo for land where they could settle. 

The ati people are an ethnic group of short, dark-skinned people with curly hair who were the earliest occupants of the islands with their own culture and way of living. (They have been sadly ignored and relegated to a minority).

And over the centuries, long before Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the archipelago, the communities of those Bornean datus thrived in the plains and along the coastline of Aninipay. These settlers were expert seafarers even before they set foot in Aninipay. They treated the sea, not as barriers, but as highways that enabled them to reach other islands. 

Like all early settlements, a river is always a required element. For survival, inhabitants needed a source of water for washing, cooking and other daily needs, irrigation for their vegetation, and a navigable passage into the inner areas of the island due to the absence of roads or cleared paths. 

The earliest known settlers of Daan Banwa must have arrived in several wooden boats loaded with brown-skinned men, women and children, huddled together with their livestock, ornaments, pottery, amulets, instruments, plant seeds, and Bornean culture and traditions.

(The 1734 Murillo Velarde map, the oldest map of the Philippines, showing the islands of Panay and 

Isla de Negros - map courtesy of 

Murillo Verlarde Map website)

If they were from Aninipay, the amihan winds would have carried them here to this northern part of Buglas, the old name of Negros Island, to an area with a river surrounded by fertile land. Their men must have scouted and chosen this place several moons before, a place near the mouth of a silty river where they could migrate to for reasons that would have included the need for a bigger, fertile area for a growing clan, or perhaps to avoid conflict with other clans and tribes. Although avoiding gossipy neighbors could have been a reason, it wouldn't have been enough to cross the Iloilo Strait for.  

Here, they found mangroves, nipa and malihao plants, and with their experience in agriculture, they planted and raised fruit-bearing trees and vegetables, and cultivated rice that fed their clan a few seasons during the year alternately with root crops.

This community must have thrived for a long period and must have even lived in harmony with the local ati tribes in the neighboring forests, an area full of trees, vegetation and wild animals thriving along the three rivers that converge as one and now known as Malihao. During the period of these early communities, these rivers overflowed when their banks could not contain the deluge from the mountains and the incoming high tides from the sea. (Two rivers - Malihao originating from Brgy. 18A, near the Victorias Golf & Country Club, and Magnanud River from Bgry. 8 - whose respective sources are 4.1 kilometers apart, converge as one at a spot 660 meters north of Bangga Daan, specifically at the intersection along the national highway that leads to Daan Banwa. Taytay Bahô is Malihao River while Magnanud is the one next to Bangga Daan).

If ever there was an ancient settlement in Daan Banwa, its disappearance might have been caused by bloody attacks from Moro pirates who roamed around the Visayan seas to plunder villages and kidnap women and children to make as wives or sell as slaves, natural disasters like destructive floods from the overflowing rivers, or deadly diseases that eradicated a whole tribe. Whatever it was, we will never know.😭


Chapter 4. Capitana Tutang and Nuestra Señora de Las Victorias (1880s)

Complete blog here: "Ang Kasaysayan sang                                                Victorias"

Philippine History: Chapter 2 - Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias

Chapter 2. Daan Banwa, where everything began

But the crowded city center was not the original settlement of Victorias; everything began 1.2 kilometers to the west of the Victorias public plaza.

Before becoming a town in 1898 and a city in 1998, Victorias was just a barrio near the mouth of the Malihao River on the northwest side of Negros island facing the Iloilo Strait. That barrio, also originally named Malihaw (or Malihao) after the abundant malihaw plants on the river banks, is now known as Daan Banwa (Old Town) and is currently the City's Barangay 9. 

                   (Present-day 'Daan Banwa' at the                                mouth of the Malihao River)

Though there are no verifiable written records of the barrio's earliest settlers, the 1953 compilation mentions of Indonesians, Cebuanos and Boholanos as early inhabitants of Daan Banwa even before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines. 

Although Cebuanos and Boholanos might have rowed from the east, a piece of Visayan history regarding 'Indonesians' came to mind. Or was the 1953 compilation referring to Indonesians, or maybe specifically, Borneans?

Chapter 3: Did the early settlers come from Aninipay during the pre-hispanic period?

Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan Sang                                               Victorias"

Philippine History: Chapter 1 - El Município de Victorias

Chapter 1. El município de Victoriás

Standing at the middle of the Victorias public plaza and facing southeast, I was face-to-face with the stone município whose presence and history dwarfed me literally and figuratively. 

It was completed in the late 1930s with the cost of 30,000 pesos under the town leadership of Don Felix Lozada Montinola (1934-1940), originally an Ilonggo after having been born in Jaro, Iloilo, with his ancestors coming from Malaga, Spain in the 18th century. Then, it was surrounded by trees, open spaces, and a few wooden houses in the surrounding plots. 

In the morning, public servants, local politicians, and townspeople crowded its halls, while in the late afternoon, its façade was bathed with red-orange hues of the setting sun with its twin, stucco-ivory columns driving home the message that this building was more than just a huge office for public servants. (Read my separate blog about the history of the município here). 

Back then, in the 1930s, tall stone buildings constructed near the national highway were rare on this part of Negros island as most mansions were hidden inside haciendas, and any visitor to Victorias would have been impressed by this elegant and massive structure, turning the município as a landmark. Any passing traveler would know this was Victorias when one saw the ivory building. 

Unfortunately, as of this writing, it is painted tastelessly white and green, and is surrounded by a poorly maintained  public plaza littered with dog poop (I always had to watch my step!😡) and garbage from undisciplined Victoriahanons, and is a favorite tambayan of high school students during the day when they cut classes.😓


Chapter 2. Daan Banwa, where everything began

Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan Sang                                                  Victorias"

Philippine History: Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias - Preface

Preface

After having lived away from this town that I also call my own, I came home to walk its streets, roam its busy corners, and rediscover its history. 

From the stories I was told, to the ones I asked and read about, and lately, to the detailed history written in 1953 by the Victorias public school teachers, and by one distinguished Victoriahanon, who made sure the generations that would come after his would be able to read it as he lived it, I thought of bringing their interesting stories all together and write them because, firstly, they have to be shared, and secondly, their stories have become ours, too.

I'm talking about my hometown, Victorias, in the southern Philippines, and thanks to the kind Victoriahanons who patiently answered my questions about their lives and their past, who walked with me as I explored the corners of this town to satisfy my curiosity, and who gave me mental images of what this town was like when photographs were not available about the past generations I wanted to know.

I am grateful to the Victorias public school teachers who, in 1953 and under the mayorship of Benito Montinola, Sr. (1950-1953, 1956-1959), recorded in written form the history, culture, traditions, even myths and legends of Victorias (hereinafter referred to as 'the 1953 compilation') in compliance with the 1951 executive order of then President Elpidio Quirino who instructed all cities and municipalities in the Philippines to do so in order to save what was left after the destruction of World War II. And thanks to Ms. Christine Mae Sarito, who painstakingly compiled the 90 pages of the works of these public school teachers into digital form, I was able to read and relive our past. 

These 100 teachers from various public schools in then municipality of Victorias, led by their district supervisor Mr. Hermogenes Hipolito, went around interviewing people, sat down together, and wrote these stories, legends, myths, and traditions of Victorias. Although I want to write all their names here as a tribute for their unforgettable deed for all of us, I am specially mentioning three, namely, Mrs. Juliana Delgado, Miss Manuela Delgado, and Miss Elsie Ledesma, whom I personally knew; they have long passed. These teachers should be given the honor and tribute for their contribution to the history and psyche of all Victoriahanons.🙏

But the biggest thanks we should all be giving to as Victoriahanons is to Señor Esteban Jalandoni for, not only writing down events and stories that were personal to him (hereinafter referred to as 'the Jalandoni memoirs') and that contributed to what we are today, but also for his service to our own that spanned his adult life. 

I also thank Mr. Modesto Sa-onoy, whose book "Negros Occidental History", a rich compilation of historical events that happened to the province, was a source of some details. I also thank the staff of the Negros Occidental Provincial Library and Mr. Roque Hofileña, Jr. of the Negros Occidental Historical Council.

After Sr. Esteban Jalandoni arrived in the old Victorias on July 31, 1901, originally from Iloilo and then Bacolod, he became an active member, lending his time, knowledge, and dedication to a new place he would call home until his last days. 

He was our town secretary in 1901 and eventually the treasurer, justice of peace, and our mayor from 1928 to 1930. He was a true Victoriahanon, a real 'public servant' during the time when that term carried integrity with it and deserved everyone's respect. Thanks to his family and descendants for preserving and sharing his memoirs with us, and to Mr. Dino Acuña who provided me photocopies of 21 selected pages of the Jalandoni memoirs, specifically, Pages 10 to 25 and 27 to 31. 

And thanks to the Victorias City Public Library for a copy of the supposedly compiled set of the said Memoirs.

Let me add that, with everything Señor Esteban Jalandoni had done for our town, he and Capitana Tutang (more story about her in Chapter IV below) are the only Victoriahanons who deserve to be up there on a monument at our public plaza and no one else.

I have laid in the following chapters the stories using the chronology of the 1953 compilation, highlighting the stories that interested me; their compiled stories ended in 1953. And now, I am retelling them along with my questions, ideas and arguments they caused me to infer because in written history, there are more stories hiding beneath those words than what they actually tell. And as I don't have the resources to dig deeper into our past, this is what I only came up with: Victorias's history in my style of storytelling.😄 And although I have made efforts to ensure that these stories are true based on the Jalandoni memoirs, the 1953 compilation, online information, and a few limited sources, I do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.😄

So, going back to our history, where do I start? Where else, but from the town plaza!😊 

Next: Chapter 1. El município de Victorias

Complete blog here: Ang Kasaysayan sang                                                    Victorias

Travelblog Philippines: Lantawan View Silay

I have always loved walking around Silay, a charming city in the Negros Island in the Philippines, whose earliest settlements date back to about 450 years ago.

Its rows and rows of heritage homes, built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are a showcase of its rich history and a testament to the locals' efforts to preserve it. 

And other than the Instagram-rich corners of Silay, its long list of culinary delights is  another irresistible attraction that keeps me going back to El Ideal and the Kaon Ta! food festival held at its most popular heritage home, Balay Negrense. 

But far from the busy city center and about 30 minutes by car towards the east, picnic lairs and retreats on Silay's mountains and slopes have been developed to offer a different kind of attraction: Silay's natural wonders.

And just last week, I discovered a unique picnic spot that you should visit as well.

Lantawan View Silay is a perfect hideaway that quietly rests on a slope that faces southwest and has an amazing view of Mount Banderahan, a small mountain that was the last stand of the Japanese Imperial Army in 1945.

'Bandera' is the Spanish word for flag and Mount Banderahan was a site where American soldiers were able to raise the flag of victory during World War II.

(A heart-shaped swimming pool with 

waters from natural spring)

Lantawan View Silay has cottages where you and your family, or your barkadas can have picnics or group retreats. This is also the perfect spot where you can spend the night and enjoy the rarest experience of watching the night sky bereft of any light pollution of the city as well as experience the cool, fresh breezes and the nocturnal sounds of crickets, owls and other night creatures.

                  (Cabana Zero's teddy bears)

The Cabana Zero, the first cottage, has two teddy bear residents but Leo, the resident cat, is the mascot.

      (Leo, the mascot lazily sits under the shade)

It also has heart-shaped swimming pool that is four feet deep, perfect for kids. The pool overlooks an amazing view of the western Negrense skies and the horizon of a setting sun that turns fiery red-orange as it sets for the day. Its several cottages can accommodate families and large groups and it's best to reserve one, especially if you're planning to visit during the weekend or holidays.

For family gatherings, one can just call or reserve through Lantawan View Silay's Facebook page. It also offers shuttle service if a group meets the minimum number of guests.  

But if you want to take the public transport, take a jeepney at the Silay Public Market going to Guimbala-on, where you can then take a tricycle to Lantawan View Silay at P100 per passenger.

               (You can swing to this amazing view)

While the resort's restaurant is still on the planning stage, you can bring your own food as long as you clean after.

Lantawan View Silay, a part of the protected North Negros Natural Park, is in Sitio Lantawan, Brgy. Guimbala-on of Silay City. You can get in touch with them through their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/lantawanviewsilay/

(The artist Ronnie Yasa created this colorful artwork features the air, water and earth elements with wildlife. The poser is a tourist, not the artist.😂)

Before, when I passed by Silay City, I could only watch its mountains from afar and wondered how the views there must have looked like. 

Now, I know. Thanks to Lantawan View Silay, those amazing views are only a short ride away.

And with family and friends, I can always enjoy them while dipping in a heart-shaped pool!😍