Plaza de Panay: Home of Asia’s largest bell

We continue on our journey to visit the plazas and parks of the Philippines. Last week we featured Roxas City’s wonderful plaza and eight heritage structures that define it. This week we motor southeast to the town of Panay, which has only three heritage structures but boasts the largest bell in Asia.

Panay, or Pan-ay, is a small town of about 50,000 people. It was also the original capital of the province. The drive from Roxas City was a short one, barely eight kilometers. I foresee that Panay will eventually be consolidated with Roxas City and a few other towns as these LGUs expand into a mini-metropolis in the near future. Roxas City is already identified as a “Next Wave” city that should be a target for investment and growth soon.

Panay town was originally called Bamban but this was reportedly changed to Panay, which means “mouth of the river” in the local dialect. The town was, according to literature, the second Spanish settlement after Cebu. It was founded in 1572, at about the same time that Manila was established.

The town became prosperous from trade and so Pan-ay was made capital of the province of Capiz for two centuries. The town name was also used for the whole island. In the 1700s Pan-ay became known for its textiles. It produced a cloth called suerte, which found a market in Europe. In the 19th century, the town also started to produce wine and rum and wine.

The 20th century saw a slowdown in the town’s development as the capital was moved to Capiz (eventually named Roxas City). The place has since kept relatively quiet and small, one of a handful that orbit the main urban center of Roxas City with its port.

The plaza of Panay retains most of its original area of one-and-a-half hectares. It is defined by three heritage elements: the Sta. Monica church, its adjacent convent and the town hall on the other side of the church. The trio faces a bridge and creek, much like Roxas City, but the waterway is considerably smaller and does not appear to be navigable.

The town is now known for its large coral-stone Santa Monica church, which is typical of Spanish-era churches in size and configuration. The original church was built in the 1690s but was of light materials and was destroyed in a typhoon.  A second church of stronger construction also met the same fate in 1875. It was rebuilt in its current form in 1884.

The town and its church are most famous for for its bell, known popularly as dakong lingganay (the big bell). Weighing 10 tons, the bell was cast by a Don Juan Reina who hailed from Iloilo. The bell was made from 70 sacks of coins, all donated by citizens. The seven-by-five foot bell was completed in 1878. It bears the Spanish inscription “Soy la voz de Diosquellevare y ensalzaredesde el principio hasta el fin de este Pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesus vengan a esta casa de Dios a recibirlas gracias celestials.” (“I am God’s voice which shall echo praise from one end of the town of Pan-ay to the other, so that Christ’s faithful followers may enter this house of God to receive heavenly graces.”)

The National Historical Institute declared the church as a national historical landmark in 1997. Beside the church is an old Spanish well that is now restored. Behind the church are remains of what was thought to be the original town fortification. To one side of the church is a convent complex, which had been renovated and part of which is a museum today.

The convent and church appear to be well conserved. I did, however, notice some issues of concern at the back of the church. Drain pipes from the roof stop short of the ground level. The water has been eroding the base of some of the walls and buttresses. Moisture is also evident in key areas as vegetation is thriving in nooks and crannies. All these are telltale signs that the structure may be structurally compromised and these need to be addressed before even more damage results.

The third structure that defines Panay’s plaza is its municipal hall or presidencia. This structure dates from the early American period and probably replaced an older Spanish-era structure. It is done in a simplified Mission style using reinforced concrete. The two-story structure is perfectly conserved. Thankfully, authorities have not fallen to the temptation of “modernizing” the structure. A statue of Dr. Jose Rizal from 1926 stands in front of the structure, at the head of a simple patch of green.

The other side of the plaza holds a tourism pavilion, the Centro Turismo de Panay. It holds a souvenir shop and a café, cheekily called Holy Grounds (apparently owned by someone religious). A wide road separates one side of the plaza with the other. In a town like Panay it matters little. Once Panay town grows however traffic may increase, too.

I give the Panay plaza a rating of seven out of 10. The open space is there but it needs a bit more landscape and trees for shade. The heritage structures are fairly well conserved but the church may need a structural checkup to address the issues of vegetation growing on the structur

Panay, Capiz is growing, albeit slowly, but it will grow. It is one of the recipients of the 1st International Agriculture and Tourism Expo Award. It has a certain vibe. I do hope that it keeps its identity, cultural heritage and pride of place intact, pride that apparently is as large as its bell.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.