HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pilar, officially the Municipality of Pilar ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Pilar''; ), is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
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 ...
of
Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...
,
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 47,100 people. Pilar is from
Roxas City Roxas (, ), officially the City of Roxas (Capiznon language, Capiznon/; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2 ...
.


History

The coastal town sprang out from an Austronesian settlement in the early 16th century when ''indio'' natives managed to escape oppression from Spanish colonial authorities. The settlement was then known as ''Sibala'', named after the river that ran through the coastal village. In 1570, however, the settlement was seized by Spanish forces and the ''guardia civil'' took full control of the village fortifying it with a military garrison. It later flourished into a bigger town and was renamed after its designated patron ''La Nuestra Señora del Pilar'' (
Our Lady of the Pillar Our Lady of the Pillar () is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40, AD 40 while he was pre ...
). In the 18th century, it adopted the (
Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
) ''La Santisima Trinidad'' as its municipal patron after a wooden image of the Holy Trinity from the wreckage of a Spanish galleon ship en route from Mexico was found in the town's coastline. Augustinian friars were initially assigned to preach in the town since then until it would later receive its permanent parish priest and Roman Catholic Church. In 1897, there had been an armed insurgency known as the ''Battle of Balisong'' during the Philippine Revolution in an attempt to overthrow Spanish authorities in the municipality led by local revolutionaries with the support of other resistance groups in Capiz, namely from the neighboring towns of Pan-ay and Pontevedra. In 1949, the sitios and barrios of Aranguel, Culilang, Pandan, Pinamihagan, Cadoulan, Quiajo, Sangcal, Pondol, Marita, Madulano, Jabuyana, Bo-ac, Cabugcabug, Goce Badiangon, Bayuyan, Agbobolo, Cubay, Ibaca, and the sitio of Lotudlotud, which was converted into a barrio of Elizalde, were separated from the municipal jurisdiction of Pilar to form a separate town, namely President Roxas, by virtue of
Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not ...
No. 374.


Geography


Barangays

Pilar is politically subdivided into 24
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 ...
. * Balogo * Binaobawan * Blasco * Casanayan * Cayus * Dayhagan * Dulangan * Monteflor * Natividad * Olalo *
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 ...
* Rosario * San Antonio * San Blas * San Esteban * San Fernando * San Nicolas * San Pedro * San Ramon * San Silvestre * Sinamongan * Santa Fe * Tabun-acan * Yating


Climate


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Pilar, Capiz, was 47,100 people, with a density of . Most of the town's population are made up by Austronesian descendants, such as Capiznon and Hiligaynon, followed by
Aeta Aeta (Ayta ), Agta and Dumagat, are collective terms for several indigenous peoples who live in various parts of Luzon islands in the Philippines. They are included in the wider Negrito grouping of the Philippines and the rest of Southeast A ...
s and a few of Chinese and
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 ...
ancestry.


Economy

Pilar has an income classification of third class. Development in basic infrastructure has been stagnant during the last decades. Annual income is low and poverty rates are said to be high, although the town has also seen greater years. The rural municipality is said to be rich in natural resources such as aquatic and mineral wealth. It used to be a strong seafood producer in the province and once even possessed its own sugar and mining industry. Major agricultural produce of the town include fish, prawn, crab, rice, sugar, cattle and poultry. Other notable industries include shell craft and wood furniture.


Culture

Roman Catholicism combined with indigenous superstitious traditions have a strong imprint on the town's local culture. An iconic 12-foot landmark of the Virgin Mary is visible at a mountaintop in Barangay Dulangan, built by an affluent Filipino-Chinese businessman from Roxas City. A chapel facing the figurine has been erected where occasional thanksgiving masses are held during special occasions. The town celebrates its annual feast along with the coming of the sacred ''Santisima Trinidad'' (The Holy Trinity), an early 18th-century wooden figurine from Mexico found by local fishermen in the shores of the town during the British invasion of the Philippines in 1762. The figurine is believed to have been brought over by a galleon trading ship from the port of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, but destroyed by British warships on its route to Luzon and was washed off to the coast of Pilar. It is on display in the altar of the town's church, the ''Parish of the Most Holy Trinity''. The town also has its own Baptist church, ''Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' and ''Iglesia ni Kristo'' Parish. The barangays of Dulangan and Casanayan are known to be satellite villages of the municipality. The town is also known for its rich heritage oral folklore and supernatural practices. The ''Legend of the Golden Ship'', a trading ship owned by deities that docks on the town's coast en route to a parallel world and the enchanted ''Balisong Caves'' inhabited by beautiful fairies but highly territorial are popular stories that have been passed down for generations. Barangay Casanayan is home to the mummified corpse of ''Lola Bebe'' or Maria de Juan Basañes, a migrant from Cavite who married a town local but died from heart attack in 1929 only to be found fully intact in her grave several decades later. The cadaver is believed to be miraculous as it has healed many residents from illness and is preserved by family descendants for public viewing.


References


External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control Municipalities of Capiz