Capiz | |
|---|---|
 .jpg)  .jpg)  (from top: left to right)Panay Church,Capiz Provincial Capitol,Panitan Plaza,Roxas City Bridge, andMambusao Church. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Seafood Capital of the Philippines | |
| Anthem:O, Capiz | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:11°23′N122°38′E / 11.38°N 122.63°E /11.38; 122.63 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Western Visayas |
| Spanish Settlement | 1566 |
| Encomienda | 1569 |
| Politico-Military Province | 1716 |
| Founded | April 15, 1901 |
| Capital and largest city | Roxas |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Fredenil H. Castro (1Capiz) |
| • Vice Governor | James "Mitang" O. Magbanua (1Capiz) |
| • Legislature | Capiz Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,594.64 km2 (1,001.80 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 52nd out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 2,074 m (6,804 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 835,098 |
| • Rank | 38th out of 81 |
| • Density | 321.855/km2 (833.601/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 25th out of 81 |
| Demonym | Capiznon/Capizeño |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 473 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Capiz |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)36 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-CAP |
| HDI |  0.650 (Medium) |
| HDI rank | 32nd in Philippines (2019) |
| Spoken languages | |
| GDP (2022) | ₱74.38 billion $1.268 billion[3] |
| Growth rate | 8.8% |
| Website | capiz |
Capiz ([kɑˈpiz]), officially theProvince of Capiz (Capiznon/Hiligaynon:Kapuoran sang Capiz;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Capiz), is aprovince in the central part of theWestern Visayasregion of thePhilippines. Capiz is located at the northeastern portion ofPanay Island, bordering three other provinces,Aklan to the north,Antique to the west, andIloilo to the south. Capiz faces theSibuyan Sea to the north. The capital city isRoxas, which is also the most populous city.
Capiz is known for thePlacuna placenta oyster shell that has the same name locally and is used for decoration and making lampshades, trays, doors andcapiz-shell windows. Likewise, the province is known as the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines"[4] and was among the top 15 most frequently visited places in the Philippines.[5] Capiz is the site of the famous coral-stoneSanta Mónica Church in the town of Panay, home to the largestCatholic Church bell in Asia. The bell was made from 70 sacks of gold and silver coins donated by the townsfolk. Measuring seven feet in diameter, five feet in height and weighing 10,400 kilograms or just over 10 metric tons, the Panay bell is popular among tourists visiting Capiz.
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The account of early Spanish explorers about Capiz and its people was traced back in 1566 when the Spaniards set foot in the mouth ofBanica river.[citation needed]
Early settlements were seen in the town of Panay. The town was originally called Bamban. The name was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, a word which means "mouth of the river." This is also the location of a fortress built by Juan de la Isla[who?] in late 1570. The Paseo de Evangelización 1566 can be found in the town plaza and was erected through the efforts of Rev. Msgr. Benjamin F. Advíncula.[citation needed]
When the Spaniards led byMiguel López de Legazpi came to Panay fromCebu in 1569, after sailing from Mexico, they found people with tattoos, and so they called the islandIsla de los Pintados.[6]
How the island itself came to be called Panay is uncertain. TheAeta (Negritos) called itAninipay, after a plant that abounded in the island. Legend has it that López de Legazpi and his men, in search of food, exclaimed upon the island,pan hay en esta isla! "There is bread in this island"! and the island of Panay closely resembles the shape of a heart and the heart of Jesus Christ is considered present in the Eucharistic Bread. The Spanish then came and established their first settlement on the island at the mouth of the Banica River and called itPanay. This was the second Spanish settlement in the Philippines, followingSan Miguel, Cebu. Unknown to many,Calle Revolución in Panay is the second oldest street in the Philippines afterCalle Colón inCebu City,Central Visayas.
Later in 1569, CaptainDiego de Artieda, who was sent by López de Legazpi, landed in the town of Panay and proclaimed it the capital of the province. Later, the Spaniards moved the capital to its present site upon founding the town of Capiz (not the province, and now Roxas City) which was near the sea and provided docking facilities.
In 1716, the province was created a separateencomienda and was later organized into a politico-military unit. By the end of the 1700s, Capiz had 11,459 native families and 89Spanish Filipino families.[7]: 539 [8]: 31, 54, 113
The Panayanon's noble character and royal blood shone out in later centuries when fellow people from Panay island, atIloilo City was given by the Queen of Spain, the Royal Title of "Most Loyal and Noble City" for being the most ardent and faithful city in the Spanish Empire and had remained loyal to Spain while the entire empire collapsed.
Although Capiz joined the Tagalog-ledPhilippine Revolution, the Spaniards didn't surrender to the Tagalogs but they did surrender to the people of Iloilo and eventually Iloilo and Capiz were part of the sameFederal Republic of the Visayas a substate which was formed within theFirst Philippine Republic, the first capital of which was inCavite while theUnited States of America had betrayed the Philippine Revolution which they initially supported and influential American officers swore allegiance to. These American officers betrayed their oaths and occupied Manila.
The American takeover of the Philippines resulted in the establishment of a civil government in Capiz on April 15, 1901, by virtue ofAct 115.[9]
On April 16, 1942, Imperial Japanese forces landed on Capiz City and occupied the rest of the province. However, on December 20, 1944, Capizanon guerrillas, whose forces had already occupied most of the province, liberated the capital from Japanese hands, leading to the full liberation of the province.[10]
Capiz and Aklan were united under one province until 25 April 1956, when PresidentRamon Magsaysay signed into lawRepublic Act 1414 separating the two entities.[11]
The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Capiz.[12][13] During hisbid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused[14][15] the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.[16][17][18][19]: "43" With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines underMartial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.[20] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record ofhuman rights abuses,[21][22] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[23]
One of the significant incidents of the era took place as the dictatorship began to fall, when Rodrigo Ponce - a farmer who monitored proceedings as a volunteer for theNational Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) in Capiz during the 1986 snap elections - was murdered. Four persons came in the room and seized ballot boxes. Because he recognized one of the men, Ponce was brought outside and shot dead.[24] Ponce was later honored by having his name inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes that resisted the authoritarian regime.[25]
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Capiz covers a total area of 2,594.64 square kilometres (1,001.80 sq mi)[26] occupying the northeastern portion ofPanay Island, and is one of the five provinces that compose theWestern Visayas region.Mount Nangtud, is the highest mountain in Capiz with an elevation of 6,804 ft (2,074 m) located on the Capiz-Antique border. Other peaks areMount Tigas 4,760 ft (1,451 m),Mount Agudo 2,736 ft (834 m). The province comprises 473barangays, 16 municipalities and a city.Roxas City, the provincial capital, is only 45 minutes away by plane fromManila and is within the routes of major shipping lines. ThePanay River used to be famous for the great number ofcrocodiles thriving there. Capiz is bounded by theSibuyan Sea and the Panay, Loctugan and Ivisan rivers.
Capiz comprises 1city (Roxas) and 16municipalities, further subdivided into 473 barangays, with 2congressional districts.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 119,948 | — |
| 1918 | 155,342 | +1.74% |
| 1939 | 228,660 | +1.86% |
| 1948 | 244,889 | +0.76% |
| 1960 | 315,079 | +2.12% |
| 1970 | 394,041 | +2.26% |
| 1975 | 445,716 | +2.50% |
| 1980 | 492,231 | +2.00% |
| 1990 | 584,091 | +1.73% |
| 1995 | 624,469 | +1.26% |
| 2000 | 654,156 | +1.00% |
| 2007 | 701,664 | +0.97% |
| 2010 | 719,685 | +0.93% |
| 2015 | 761,384 | +1.08% |
| 2020 | 804,952 | +1.18% |
| 2024 | 835,098 | +0.89% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[27][28][28] | ||
The population of Capiz in the 2020 census was 804,952 people,[2] with a density of 310 inhabitants per square kilometre or 800 inhabitants per square mile.
Historians and ethnologists narrowed it down to three types of people known to have inhabited Capiz:Atis/Aetas, popularly known asNegritos;Indonesian descendants of the Mundo tribe in central Panay; and theMalays.
Located inTapaz,Suludnon also known as the Tumandok, Panay-Bukidnon, or Panayanon Sulud, are culturally indigenous Visayan group of people who reside in the Capiz-Lambunao mountainous area and the Antique-Iloilo mountain area of Panay in the Visayan islands of the Philippines. They speak the Igbok language (also known as Ligbok or Sulod language), a member of the West Bisayan subdivision of the Bisayan languages within the Austronesian language family.
Roman Catholicism remains influential in the lives of most people living in Capiz especially in the fields of politics, education and even in their daily personal decisions. Roman Catholics are predominant with 70 percent[citation needed] adherence, theIglesia Filipina Independiente has a strong minority with 20 percent[citation needed].
Other groups includeMembers Church of God International (MCGI),[29]Born Again Christians,Iglesia ni Cristo,Methodists,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Baptists,Jehovah's Witnesses, andSeventh-day Adventists among others.
There are two main local languages:Capiznon andHiligaynon.Filipino andEnglish are also used and understood as administrative and business languages and are widely spoken as second languages.Aklanon is spoken in towns near Aklan such asSapian,Jamindan, andMambusao.Kinaray-a is spoken in towns in the southern and western part of the province such asJamindan,Tapaz,Dumalag, andDumarao.
Capiznon is concentrated in the province of Capiz in the northeast of Panay. It is a member of theVisayan language family and the people using it are part of the widerVisayan ethnolinguistic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. It is related but often confused withHiligaynon/Ilonggo, yet it has its own unique vocabulary and accent, as well as a handful of words unique to the language itself.
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Thegovernor serves as the chief executive of the province while the vice governor serves as the presiding officer of theSangguniang Panlalawigan (lit. 'Provincial Council' popularly known as 'Provincial Board').
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan is composed of ten members (known as 'board members' or 'BM') from the twolegislative districts of the province elected through popular vote. They are joined by threeex-officio members - the presidents of the province'scouncilors league,Liga ng mga Barangay, andSangguniang Kabataan.
The term of office of the incumbent officials, except for theex-officio members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, began at noon of June 30, 2022, and will expire at noon of June 30, 2025.
| Governor | Fredenil H. Castro |
|---|---|
| Vice Governor | Jaime O. Magbanua |
| Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Capiz | |
| Members from the First District | Members from the Second District |
|---|---|
|
|
| Ex-officio Members | |
| President Philippine Councilors League | Paul Ivan R. Baticados |
| President Liga ng mga Barangay | Nico A. Yap |
| President Sangguniang Kabataan Federation | Prince Rovic F. Gardose |
| Representatives to theLower House ofCongress | |
| First District | Second District |
|---|---|
| Emmanuel A. Billones | Jane T. Castro |
With its 80-kilometer coastline and wide expanse of swampy lands easily converted into fishponds, Capiz is dubbed as the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines". It holds one of the richest fishing grounds and is a major contributor to the aquamarine industry of the Philippines. Farming and fishing are the primary sources of income for the people. The combined natural bounty of land and sea sustains a vibrant food industry. Primary agricultural raw products are rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, banana and cut flower.
Apart from a surplus of agricultural products, Capiz is also a major supplier of prawn and milkfish (bangus). Other agro-industrial harvests include blue marlin, squid, oysters, shrimp, seaweed, and angel wings. Rich fish ponds attract investors to venture into prawn culture, prawn feed manufacture,seaweed farming and the distribution and processing of other marine products. A robust workforce of 445,246 operates with a literacy rate of 92.04%. Its relatively unexplored caves are said to have high deposits of mineral resources such as limestone, gold and metal.
Four big telecommunication companies offer telegraph, telex and telephone services. Communication facilities are catered by thePhilippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Bureau of Telecommunications (BUTEL), PT&T, RCPI-Bayantel, Globelines-Islacom and cellular phone companies: Smart, Globe, Dito, Touch Mobile & Talk and Text. Internet services are also available like PLDT Vibe and Wesfardell Connect.
Broadcast media is catered by 3 AM radio stations namely: AM -IBC DYJJ, DYOW -Bombo Radyo, DYVR - RMN Roxas.
FM stations. like 103.7 Star FM, 105.7 Love Radio, 97.7 Radyo Todo, 102.5 Baskog Radyo, 100.9 K5, News FM, 95.7 Brigada News FM, 93.9 IFM Roxas, 98.9 Radyo Alternatibo and minor FM Stations like CAP Rhythm, 88.1 Spirit FM Roxas and recently 106.5 XFM Roxas.
Television facilities reach the city through Iloilo. There are two cable television providers, Wesfardell Cable Services and Filvision, Inc. (Altocable).
GMA Network and SMNI are two television relay stations that are now operating in the city.
Capiz is also home to digital news publishing platforms.
There are more than 60 banking institutions and 116 intermediaries operating in the province.
Some popularCapiz shell chips decorating designs include gift items, indoor decoration and outdoor decoration ornaments. Capiz chip-made products range from lanterns, lamp shades,capiz-shell window panes, chandeliers, curtains, picture panels and frames, Capiz shell balls, plates, decorative bowls, candle holders, tiles, flower vase, door hanging chime, soapdish, pendant, globelight, necklace decor, beads, bird cage, floor lamp holders, faux chandelier, gift boxes, collection item rack and many more.
Bulad ordried fish is a major product. There are several varieties of dried fish that can be found in Capiz.
Capiz is known for its trademark product, the brilliantCapiz shell, used incapiz-shell windows, lanterns, decorations, vases, etc. The Capiz shell has a luster similar tomother of pearl shells.
The official hymn of Capiz,O, Capiz was adopted in June 2006 by ordinance of theSangguniang Panlalawigan. Vicente Bermejo, former province governor stated "we need a melody that will inspire us and forge our efforts together to achieve our dream for a better Capiz," in support of the hymn's incorporation.
Capiz is one of the places in the Philippines that contributes a lot to Philippine folk dancing. The province alone has 19 Visayan folk dances such as "Tinolabong", "Gayong-gayong", "Timawa", Dagit-dagit", "Beneracion", "Tatay Meroy Cariñosa", "Pukol", "Habanera Capiceña", "Cabatingan", "Saad", "Pitik Mingaw", "Kuratsa Capiceña", and "Palomita Coquitana" to name a few.
Roxas Airport is an airport serving the general area ofRoxas City, the provincial capital. The airport is classified as a Class 1 principal airport, by theCivil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Roxas Airport has 3 flights daily and 4 flights on selected days courtesy ofPhilippine Airlines,Cebu Pacific andAirAsia Philippines.
The primary transportation vehicle used in Roxas City and other municipalities in Capiz is thetricycle. Travel between municipalities is typically by jeepney, vans and Ceres operated buses. "Capiz Cab", the city's taxi that plies Roxas City and the 16 municipalities of the Capiz. Capiz Cabs are the first receipt-issuing taxis in the Philippines apart from those operating out ofNinoy Aquino International Airport.
TheIloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway (ICAEx) is a proposed expressway on Panay Island that will connect the province to neighboring provinces of Iloilo and Aklan.
Inter and provincial mobility of residents and their cargo is serviced by vans, buses and jeepneys. Sea transportation (cargo vessel) is served byMoreta Lines plying the route of Roxas to Manila. Roll On-Roll Off (Ro-Ro) are served by two shipping companies namely Super Shuttle Roro 2 and 2GO to fetch passengers from Roxas City toBatangas City viaOdiongan, Romblon. Inter-island shipping is also served from Roxas City to the following locations such as:Balud, Masbate;Mandaon, Masbate;Sibuyan Island, Romblon;Cadiz, Negros Occidental;Guimaras Island; andEstancia, Iloilo.
This list is only for people born or residing in Capiz.
Media related toCapiz at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toCapiz atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Capiz | |
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 Province ofCapiz | |
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Roxas (capital and largest city) | |
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