| Roxas City Siyudad sang Roxas |
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| — City — | |||
| City of Roxas | |||
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| Nickname(s): Seafood Capital of the Philippines | |||
| Map of Capiz showing the location of Roxas City | |||
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Roxas City
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Philippines | ||
| Region | Western Visayas (Region VI) | ||
| Province | Capiz | ||
| District | First District of Capiz | ||
| Founded | 1693 | ||
| Cityhood | May 12, 1951 | ||
| Barangays | 47 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Angel Alan Celino | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 101.96 km2 (39.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 157,313 | ||
| • Density | 1,542.9/km2 (3,996.1/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PHT (UTC+8) | ||
| ZIP Code | |||
| Income class | 2nd class city | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Roxas City is a medium-sized city in the province of Capiz, Philippines. It is the provincial capital and a component city. As of 2010[update], the city mayor is former city vice mayor Angel Alan Celino who was elected during the 2010 election.
The city is a center of copra and aquaculture production. The surrounding area grows sugarcane, rice, coconut, fruit, hemp, and tobacco. The language spoken in Roxas City are Capiznon and Hiligaynon.
According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 147,738 people with a density of 1,449/km2 (3,752.8/sq mi)
The abundance of marine life makes Roxas City the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines." This environment-friendly city is home to one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. Roxas City's Baybay Beach is just over 7 kilometers long. The tallest sea cliffs in Western Visayas can be found on the city's north side. Roxas City has been a Hall of Famer of the Regional Cleanest and Greenest Component City in Western Visayas Award of the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Program of the national government.
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The City of Roxas, once known as the municipality of Capiz is the provincial capital of Capiz.
In 1569, Captain Diego de Artieda who was sent by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi from Cebu, landed on the town of Pan-ay and proclaimed it as the capital. Later the capital was moved to its present site upon discovering that the town of Capiz was near the sea where they can have better docking facilities. The Spaniards saw the long coastal cover and envisioned a trading and shipping center. Ports were constructed in Libas and later in Culasi.
A river meanders across the town, cuts it at the heart and divides it almost equally into two. Tributaries from the mountains flowed into the head of Panay River through settlements formed along its shores, irrigating and fertilizing the land to provide food to the people. Following its course into the sea, it provides water to fishponds during high tide.
In 1590, the Navy of Acapulco, Mexico made Capiz port its arsenal (naval yard) where they can seek shelter when the sea was rough. Capiz then eventually grew into a bustling port and several houses of stones were built. The social and political status enjoyed by the native chieftains of Capiz often resulted in mixed marriages with the Spaniards. The mestizo descendants became the base of the principalia or influential citizens. Their privileged positions allowed them to build houses around the favored square of the poblacion - around the church and the government complex.
Their children became the beneficiaries of the Augustinian mission in 1593.
In 1746, Capiz was made the seat of the politico-military government, although it was ecclesiastically controlled by the Bishopric of Cebu. In the latter part of 1795, under Gobernadorcillo Miguel Bautista, the old road to Baybay Beach was built as an extension of San Roque Street.
The town of Capiz was frequently attacked by Muslims that in 1814, stone forts at Baybay Beach (Baluarte) were built through the initiative of Gobernadorcillo Jose Consolacion.
In 1870, the ground was broken for the foundation of the Cathedral of Capiz under the guidance of Reverend Apolonio Alvarez. It was built by sturdy hands, sweat and blood of Capizeños who were victims of forced labor.
In 1876, the diocese of Jaro in Iloilo was erected and Capiz came under its jurisdiction. In 1877, the cathedral was finally finished. Prior to its construction, a chapel was built in Burgos Street beside the municipal building.
In August 1899, the Spanish colonial government represented by Governor Juan Herrero formally surrendered to General Ananias Diokno in Baybay Beach.
Economic debacle hit the town of Capiz in 1914 when the Ayala Distillery grounded to a halt. What could have been an ambitious forerunner of nationalized industrialization became the victim of the Internal Revenue Law under American control.
In 1917, Division Superintendent of Schools F.E. Hemingway founded Capiz Trade School for intermediate pupils and offered woodworking as the only vocational course. The next division superintendent opened Capiz High School.
In 1926, Division Superintendent Arthur Wittman authorized teaching of complete secondary curriculum in the Capiz Trade School. In the same year, Culasi Port was built to accommodate inter-island ships.
On February 15, 1951 the diocese of Capiz became a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction from Jaro. Its first bishop was Msgr. Manuel Yap. In the same year, former Vice Mayor Libertad Conlu became the first female mayor of Capiz.
Capiz became a chartered city on May 12, 1951 through House Bill 1528 sponsored by Ramon Acuña Arnaldo, the representative of the First District of Capiz. It was approved by President Elpidio Quirino on April 11, 1951 as Republic Act 603.[1] Consequently, the town was named Roxas City after her greatest son, President Manuel Acuña Roxas, the last president of the Commonwealth and the first president of the Philippine Republic.
The first appointed mayor was Lorenzo Acuña Arnaldo followed by Ramon Berjamin Blanco, Jose Dorado and Juliano Alovera Alba. In 1959, Lorenzo Acuña Arnaldo again became the head of the city as the first elected mayor. The next mayor was Teodoro Roxas Arcenas who was succeeded by Juliano Alovera Alba who was also the representative of the First District of Capiz at the House of Congress when Martial Law was declared.
Hon. Antonio A. Del Rosario, who is now the Congressman of the 1st District of Capiz, was elected to three terms as mayor of Roxas City, serving from 1998 to 2007.
Hon. Vicente B. Bermejo, who is the former governor of the province of Capiz, was elected mayor and served for three years, from 2007 to 2010.
The incumbent mayor of Roxas City is Hon. Angel Alan B. Celino, who also served as Vice Mayor of the city from 2004 to 2007. [2]
Roxas City is situated just east of the north-central coast of Panay Island with geographic coordinates of 11°35' N, 122°45' E. Its boundaries are: the Visayan Sea to the north, the municipality of Panitan to the south, the municipality of Ivisan to the west, and the municipality of Panay to the East. It is located 250 nautical miles (460 km) southeast of Manila and 135 kilometers northeast of Iloilo City(Regional Capital). Travel time to Manila is 45 minutes by air and 18 hours by sea.
Roxas City has basically an agri-based economy. Farming and fishing are the major economic activities which claim 52.87% of the city’s total land area. Although agricultural, the city is now moving towards commercialization and industrialization as it is the center of trade and commerce not only in the province of Capiz but also in the northern part of Panay Island which includes the province of Aklan and parts of Northern Iloilo. The city also start to expand its city proper primarily because of the construction of Pueblo de Panay, which aims to build a new business district that would connect the major highways of the city namely, Lawaan and Sibaguan Highway.
The city has a national port, fishing ports and airport. Visitors or transients in the city could stay at any of the nineteen (19) available accommodation facilities and they could dine at the twenty-one (21) restaurant and thirty-nine (39) refreshment parlors.
Data as of March, 2006
Currently there are 29 banks in the city namely:
The Sinadya sa Halaran Festival is celebrated the first week of every December in commemoration of the founding of the city followed by the Diwal Festival signifying the city's importance as the country's "Seafood Capital" along with the Aswang Festival that symbolizes the rich heritage of myth and folklore in the province. There used to be two separate and distinct festivals, the Halaran ("Offering") and the Sinadya ("Celebration"), the former is celebrated by the Province of Capiz and the latter by the City of Roxas. The Sinadya was formerly held at the same time as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which was celebrated by the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral. The Halaran was usually held by the last week of October each year (A prelude to All Souls Day and All Saints Day festivals). However, because of the costs of holding two separate festivals year, the two festivals were merged, with both the Province of Capiz and the City of Roxas contributing to the expenses.
The Roxas City Seafood Festival is held to commemorate and promote the resurgence of the Angel Wing or diwal, which neared extinction until protected and cultivated in Roxas City.
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The City of Roxas is politically subdivided into forty-seven (47) barangays of which thirty-one (31) are urban and sixteen (16) are rural. It is classified as a second Class Component City belonging to the first political district of the Province of Capiz along with the Municipality of Maayon, Panay, Panit-an, Pilar, Pontevedra, and President Roxas.
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