#101WaysToBeHappy in Iloilo

Iloilo is irresistible.

In the city, where Injap Tower Hotel, the tallest building in Western Visayas, stands proud, a tug-of-war between the past and the present is at a peaceful standstill. A joyful co-existence between modernity and tradition is observed in Iloilo City, which also has the charming feel of the old Calle Real.

The centuries-old churches in Jaro and Molo are the vanguards of tradition, the spiritual sentinels that feed the soul of the people. Piety is displayed as devotees line up to light a candle at the foot of the glass-encased statue of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in the cathedral of Jaro, whose bell tower is located across the busy street. The sweet air carries to the heavens the murmurs and pleas of the faithful. The Molo Church, on the other hand, is also unique as it is dubbed as a “feminist church” because the 16 statues by its pillars are all women saints. Devotion to St. Anne is carried out by people at the Molo Cathedral. (The Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the town of Miagao, more than one hour away from the city, is also a worship place where one can get a faith lift.) 

The other spectrum of Iloilo is the modern development mushrooming in the city. The Atria Park District, an Ayala Corp. venture, is a breathing enclave of shops amid eye-catching murals. Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park is an attractive work in progress with BPOs now operating. And Gaisano has Iloilo City Center. There’s Esplanade, too, a riverside development dotted with restaurants and bars.

The Iloilo Convention Center appears to be futuristic in design and is never without guests attending seminars or trainings almost every day.

Yes, there’s good business happening now in Iloilo City. Even the shoppers at SM Iloilo come out of the mall with a lingering smile.

Yet, despite the tempo of modernity, the cadence of tradition is felt — in the Ilonggos’ mien, in their ways, in their sweet, lilting accent.

The Ilonggos are big on traditional food. The La Paz batchoy is not just a dish but a savory definition of the people’s culture. (One shouldn’t leave Iloilo without savoring this dish). Fresh lumpia from JD Bakeshop and Roberto’s queen siopao are just a couple of specialties the people of Iloilo and their guests have grown accustomed to. Tatoy’s chicken is served hot from the grill, prepared on the spot upon ordering. So you learn to wait as good food, just like many good things in life, takes time to prepare. And the butterscotch from Biscocho Haus is sinfully delicious. Ditto with the mango chewies at Mama’s Kitchen. And talking of mangoes, the Guimaras mangoes, hands down, rival none in sweetness. Guimaras is an unspoiled island 15 minutes away by boat from the jetty of the city.

The first store of Mang Inasal, a chicken barbecue fast-food, is still a hit at the car park building of Robinsons Iloilo. It first operated on Dec. 12, 2003 and ever since then it has become a favorite dining place of the Filipino people, what with its almost 500 branches around the country. Mang Inasal is the brainchild of Injap Sia, a visionary businessman included in Forbes’ wealthiest men in the world. He sold Mang Inasal to Jollibee and founded Double Dragon Properties Corp. that operates Jin Jiang hotel and Hotel 101, which has popularized the hashtag #101WaysToBeHappy. 

The Ilonggos also have a hankering for continental food. Take for example the food at Horizon Café, the restaurant that has the best view of the city in the whole of Iloilo. Well, it’s located on the 21st floor of the tallest building in the region, the Injap Tower Hotel.

Horizon Café, relaunched recently, is an all-dining restaurant that serves the best Tequila Sunrise in that part of the world. Add to that the #BBbyDD, a concoction of whiskey sour, which, according to Dave and Daniel Legislador, the good-looking father-and-son tandem of the Horizon Café, is inspired by love.

Perhaps the fried mozzarella, the humongous burger, barbecue spareribs, lechon kawali and grilled beef roll of Horizon Café, because they spell yumminess in every bite, are also inspired by love. 

Above the restaurant is the helipad. There, because the hotel is the tallest building in the area, you feel like the king or queen of the world. At sunset, the whole of Iloilo City, as viewed from the helipad, is enveloped in hues of orange, pink, yellow and crimson. One cannot help but feel romantic. I embrace my soul as I bid the setting sun adieu. I imagine lovers promenading on the helipad, holding hands, looking out the horizon that they can almost clasp, promising each other a shared future, shared hopes, shared love. I also imagine a beautiful sunset proposal on top of the hotel, a string quartet in the background, a dream of forever being sung by the heart.

On top of the Injap Tower Hotel, where the best view of the old merging with the new and now is seen, I imagine #101WaysToBeHappy.

(E-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. I’m also on Twitter @bum_tenorio and Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed Sunday!) NEW BEGINNINGS by Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.