Silay, officially the City of Silay (; ), is a component city in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Negros, Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically s ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 130,478 people. Silay is often referred to as the "

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

of Negros" due to its artists, cultural shows and large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses. More than thirty of these houses have been declared by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

as part of the Silay National Historical Landmark. In 2015, the city celebrated its 58th charter anniversary.

Etymology

The appellation ''Silay'' is derived from the name of a native tree which grew abundantly in the area. The kansilay is the city's official tree.

The Legend of Princess Kansilay

A local legend tells of how Silay City got its name. It is said that in the days of the

datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous Indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though no ...

s and

rajah Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

s, there once lived a princess named Kansilay. An attack on the settlement by pirates was thwarted when the princess bravely led the people in the village's defense. The fight was furious and the princess fought like a seasoned warrior. Murals that used to grace some of the city's public buildings depict her as a fierce fighter wielding a huge '' talibong'', a short native single-edged sword. The pirates were routed, but at the cost of the princess' life. Her paramour arrived in time to see her die. In grief, the people lovingly buried her. To their surprise, a tree grew right over her grave, the first Kansilay tree, a final gift from the brave princess.

History

Spanish colonization

Silay was first settled in 1565, under the name ''"Carobcob"'', which means "to scratch" in Kinaray-a; residents of the settlement relied upon harvesting ''tuway''

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

s, which involved "scratching" (or raking) the sands for the

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s at low tide, as a means of livelihood. In early writings, the settlement was also referred to as ''"Calubcub"'', ''"Caracol"'' and ''"Caraco"''. The last two variations mean "snail" or a "spiral" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. ''Carobcob'' was built near the mouth of a creek; nothing is left of the village today. ''Carobcob'' was granted as an

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

to Cristobal Nuñez Paroja, one of the seventeen soldiers of

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

on January 25, 1571. In the second half of the century, Moro slave raiders escalated their incursions on the large island, forcing the ''Corregidor'' of

Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...

to adopt the policy of flight rather than resistance. People left their homes sometime in 1760 and settled in a new location between two small rivers, Matagoy and Panaogao. A ''paloisades'' or ''estacada'' (

for "palisade" or "stockade") was constructed to protect the populace from Moro raiders. The place is now known as Sitio Estaca, its name derived from the Spanish word ''estacada''. In 1760, Silay was recognized as a town being referred to in a letter from Governor Juan Jose de Mijares (1772–1775) mentioning Silay as a leading town in the north. In 1776, the bishop of

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

considered Silay as the center of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

. In 1760, it became a ''pueblo'' or town. By 1896, it had become a leading sugar-producing area because of the ''Horno Economico'' (

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar. The term is also used to refer ...

) built in 1846 by a Frenchman who became a permanent resident of Silay, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston.

Negros Revolution

With the outbreak of the Revolution of 1896 came a division between the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

planters of Silay and the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. Some planters and clergy supported the rebels while others were against the revolution. On November 5, 1898, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, residents of Silay gathered in the street corner now known as ''Cinco de Noviembre'' Street and from there they proceeded to the Spanish garrison near the Catholic Church. The encounter was bloodless. The Spanish civil guard commander, Lt. Maximiano Correa, refused to surrender. After negotiations with the revolutionaries mediated by Juan Viaplana, a local Spaniard, the Spanish garrison did surrender. A

Philippine flag The national flag of the Philippines () is a horizontal List of flags by design#Bicolour, bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and Crimson, crimson red, with a white, equilateral chevron at the Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements, hois ...

was raised for the first time at the Silay plaza later that afternoon. Aniceto Lacson became president after the signing of the terms of surrender. Timoteo Unson and the group of Silay residents then marched south to join forces with some residents of Talisay for an attack on

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; ; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Negros Island Region in the Philippines. With a total of 600,783 inhabitants as of the 2020 census, it is th ...

, the capital.

World War II

On the slopes of Mt. Silay lies Patag, the site of

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

last stand A last stand, or final stand, is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are d ...

in Negros during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1945, U.S. military forces landed in the island. The occupying forces of the Nagano Detachment of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

retreated to Silay and proceeded up Mt. Silay to Patag. There, they established a defensive position. Military forces of the

Philippine Commonwealth The Commonwealth of the Philippines (; ) was an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States that existed from 1935 to 1946. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government of the Phi ...

and soldiers of the U.S. 40th Infantry Division proceeded up the slopes of Mt. Silay with help from Filipino soldiers of the 7th, 72nd and 75th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Negrense guerrilla fighters and defeated the Japanese defenders. Today, the site is marked by a monument dedicated to the efforts which led to the liberation of the island of Negros.

Post-World War II

Cityhood

On June 12, 1957, Silay was converted into a city, by virtue of Republic Act 1621.

Culture

Maria Ledesma Golez Heritage House Front view

Silay City had been known in the past as the "Paris of Negros" and the "cultural and intellectual hub of Negros" due to the residents' love for knowledge and works of art, and its collection of heritage mansions built during the height of the Philippine sugar industry's success, of which Negros was the very center. Most notable among these houses is Balay Negrense, the mansion of the son of the first Negrense sugar baron, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston and the Hofileña Ancestral House built by Manuel Severino Hofileña for his wife, former Miss Silay Gilda Ledesma Hojilla. On June 7, 2003, Silay City became the first local government unit in the Republic of the Philippines to hold a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

through a People's Initiative approving the 2003 annual executive budget. Today, Silay City is listed by the Department of Tourism as one of its 25 tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is considered the seat of arts, culture and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

in the

Negros Island Region The Negros Island Region (NIR). is an administrative region in the Philippines. Covering both the islands of Negros and Siquijor, the region is composed of three provinces: Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, as well as the ...

Hugyaw Kansilay Festival

Every 12th day of June, the city celebrates their annual festival called ''Hugyaw Kansilay Festival.'' The theme is derived from the story of Kansilay, which is also the origin of the city's name. The festival reflects the growth of Silay; from a lowly

pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

to a city that can hold its own among the country's best. The city's festival dance depicts the setting, characters, plot, sub-plots, conflict,

climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

and the story of the Legend of Kansilay.

Geography

Silay is part of the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of

(the metropolitan center) and Talisay. It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod–Silay International Airport, which replaced the old Bacolod City Domestic Airport. It is from Bacolod.

Barangays

Silay is politically subdivided into 16

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Barangay I (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) (Urban Division) * Barangay II (

) (Urban Division) * Barangay III (cinco de Noviembre) (

) (Urban Division) * Barangay IV (

) (Urban Division) * Barangay V (

) (Urban Division) * Barangay VI (

) (Hawaiian) (Rural Division) * Eustaquio Lopez (Rural Division) * Guimbala-on (Rural Division) * Guinhalaran (Urban Division) * Kapitan Ramon (Rural Division) * Lantad (Rural Division) * Mambulac (Urban Division) * Rizal (Urban Division) * Bagtic (Rural Division) * Patag (Rural Division) * Balaring (Rural Division)

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Negros Occidental Convention Center

Eugenio Jose Lacson led the

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

of the 2-story multipurpose PHP1.03 billion Negros Occidental

Convention Center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

in Silay. It was Mayor Albee Benitez who initiated the project near the Bacolod-Silay Airport. His brother 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez certified the center as

green building Green building (also known as green construction, sustainable building, or eco-friendly building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's li ...

for conferences, cultural events, and social gatherings.

Transportation

Airports

The Bacolod–Silay International Airport, serves the whole Metro Bacolod area and surrounding places. The P4.37-billion airport is capable of handling all-weather and night-landing operations. Its 2,000-meter (6,600 ft.) long and 45-meter (148 ft.) wide primary runway, and 678-meter by 23-meter taxiways can accommodate

Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fami ...

-size aircraft, and the

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

, while the apron can hold five aircraft at any one time. The runway runs in a direction of 03°/21°. Provisions for a expansion of the present runway in order to accommodate even larger airplanes like the

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-haul, long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the Airbus A300, A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 qu ...

and

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

are now in place. The airport is expected to be the primary entrance by air to Negros Island Region. Silay is 50 minutes by air from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, 30 minutes by air from

, 1 hour by air from

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...

and 37.2 minutes by air from

General Santos General Santos, officially the City of General Santos and abbreviated as GenSan, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Soccsksargen, Philippines. According to ...

. Commercial airlines operating in the Bacolod–Silay International Airport are

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Philippine ...

, Cebu Pacific Air, PAL Express, and

Philippines AirAsia Philippines AirAsia, Inc. is a Philippine low-cost airline based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila. The airline is the Philippine affiliate of the Malaysian AirAsia. The airline started as a joint venture among three F ...

Education

In Silay City, there are 31 schools that are officially listed by the city's

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

Public schools

Elementary

* Silay South Elementary School *

Silay North Elementary School Silay North Elementary School is a public school in Silay City, Philippines. It is located beside the Silay, Silay City Public Plaza {{Cite web, url = http://www.silayheritage.com/search/label/Silay%20North%20ELementary, title = Heritage Silay, da ...

* Governor Emilio Gaston Memorial Elementary School * Barangay Mambulac Elementary School * Guinhalaran Integrated School * Balaring Elementary School * Don Estaquio Hofileña Memorial School * Villa Miranda Elementary School * Estaquio Lopez Elementary School * Don Homero Hilado Tanpinco Elementary School * Patag Elementary School * Silay SPED Center (''Elementary'') * Salvacion Elementary School * Emiliano Lizares Elementary School * Hinicayan Elementary School * Hawaiian-Philippine Company Elementary School * Santo Rosario Elementary School * La Purisima Concepcion Elementary School

High schools

* Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School * Barangay E Lopez National High School * Barangay Guimbalaon National High School * Don Felix T. Lacson Memorial National High School * Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School HPCO Extension * Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School Patag Extension * Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School Santo Rosario Extension * Don Albino and Doña Dolores Jison Integrated School * Lantawan Integrated School * Don Serafin L. Golez Memorial Integrated School * Napilas Integrated School * Sibato Integrated School * Violeta Integrated School * Silay SPED Center * Guinhalaran Integrated School

Private schools

* St. Theresita's Academy * Silay Institute * Cinco De Noviembre Learning Center * Faith Christian Academy-Silay Incorporated * St. Francis of Assisi of Silay Foundation Inc. * San Diego Study Center * Silay Hope Baptist Academy * L'ecole Silay

Gallery

File:7-11 Silay City.JPG, The Josefina T. Lacson Ancestral House, renowned for the 7/11 leasing underneath the clan residence. File:Hofilena Museum.JPG, The '' Hofileña Ancestral House'' is the first museum in the city to open in public. File:Dr. Jose Corteza Locsin Heritage House.jpg, '' Dr. Jose Corteza Locsin Ancestral House'' is one of the ancestral houses in the city. It was the domicile of the late Sen. Jose C. Locsin. File:Bernandino Jalandoni Ancestral House, Silay City, Negros Occidental.JPG, The ''Bernandino Jalandoni Ancestral House'' or also known as the "''pink house'', is one of the museums in the city. File:JoseRizalStatue.jpeg, A Dr. Jose Rizal statue is located at the Silay City Public Plaza. File:Smallest Doll In The World.jpeg, The smallest doll in the world can be found in '' Hofileña Ancestral House.'' File:Balay Negrense.JPG, The '' Balay Negrense'' is the most visited museum in the city. File:San Diego Pro-Cathedral, Silay, Negros Occidental.jpg, The ''San Diego Pro-Cathedral'' is the only church in the province that has a dome. File:Angel Ledesma House aka Green House in October 2024.jpg, Angel Ledesma House, one of the hundred-year-old houses in Silay City File:Alejandro Amechazura Ancestral House.jpg, The Alejandro Amechazura Residence

Sister cities

Silay City has been twinned with the following cities:

Local

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

Santa Rosa, Laguna Santa Rosa, officially the City of Santa Rosa (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, its po ...

International

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

, France * Amagi of

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

Prefecture, Japan

Notable residents

Juan Sebastián Elcano Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque language, Basque; also known as ''del Cano''; 1486/1487 – 4 August 1526) was a Spaniards, Spanish navigator, ship-owner and explorer of Basques, Basque origin, ship-owner and explorer from Getaria ...

* Yves Leopold Germain Gaston *

Leandro Locsin Leandro Valencia Locsin, Sr. (August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994), also known by the initials LVL and the nickname "Lindy", was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplisti ...

Jose Locsin Jose Corteza Locsin (August 27, 1891 – May 1, 1977) was a Filipino medical doctor and senator. Early life and education Locsin was born on August 27, 1891, in Silay, Negros Occidental. He was the third child of Domingo Locsin and Enriquet ...

* Teodoro Locsin Jr. * Rose Lacson-Porteous * Sander Severino

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Official Website of the City of Silay2007 Philippine Census Information Region VI – Western VisayasLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Declared cultural properties of the Philippines, state=collapsed Cities in Negros Occidental Metro Bacolod Populated places established in 1760 1760 establishments in the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines