Bridging the Gap
By Henry F. Funtecha

The Iloilo Town and River in the 19th Century

The opening of the Port of Iloilo along Iloilo River in 1855 not only resulted in the expansion of trading activities and increase in population in the town of Iloilo but also led to the development of the sugar industry. The Iloilo River provided for a safe entry point and storage for sugar which were subsequently loaded on ocean-going vessels bound for other countries.

Following the annual harvest cycle of the sugarcane, foreign traders filled their bodegas at the Iloilo waterfront with bags of sugar from hundreds of sugar mills in Negros and Panay delivered by the fleets of lorchas from September to April. Then, from January to August, foreign freighters docked at the pier to unload finished products-farm equipment for the haciendas, luxury goods for the sugar planters and businessmen of Iloilo and Bacolod, cheap cotton cloth for the sacadas, and various household items. Upon departure, they took on cargoes of sugar bound for America, China and Europe.

Because of the opening of the Port of Iloilo and the development of the sugar industry, there was also the influx of businessmen and traders, as well as migrant workers into the town of Iloilo.

In 1869, the foreign element in the population of the town of Iloilo was still sparsely represented, consisting of one American and two British subjects only (Lone to Farren, 1860). This was not to remain so. Aside from Great Britain, other countries soon recognized the importance of Iloilo as a trading center. For example, in 1862, US Consul Jonathan Rusell wrote to Washington from Manila recommending that an American Vice- Consulate be opened in Iloilo in as much as several American vessels had already been calling at the port. Consequently, in 1864, the US Vice Consulate was opened with Wright Loring, the only American resident in Iloilo, as the first Vice Consul (120 th Port of Iloilo anniversary, 1975). The example of Great Britain and the United States was followed later on by other countries.

With the growing business opportunities in the town of Iloilo, the traders in the neighboring town of Molo later on transferred their operations to the former. This was done because the coasting vessels that used to sail to Molo could no longer do so due to the fact that the drawbridge through which they had to pass had gotten out of repair (Loney to Farren, 1857). Also, they found it more profitable to do their business in the town of Iloilo.

Moreover, the town maintained a substantial population of resident and migratory stevedores to move the sugar from the lorchas into the bodegas and from the bodegas into the foreign vessels. During September and October as the sugar mills began grinding in Negros and elsewhere in Panay, thousands of seasonal stevedores migrated into the town of Iloilo to handle cargo. This influx last up to May or June when the bulk of the foreign vessels had finished loading. These stevedores were paid daily in cash and were active consumers. Their wages injected a substantial flow of cash into the town's economy and supported its commercial and recreational establishments.

The Iloilo River also served as an artery of Jaro's trade through the Dungon Creek which was a contributory factor in the town's development. Representing this aspect of the town's development was the Jaro 'Huebesan' or Thursday market. During the 19 th century, it was the most popular market and had a festive atmosphere. People from the town of Iloilo and from all over the province flocked to the place to sell their products and to buy what the market offered. The goods which were bought at the weekly market were mainly ferried through the Iloilo River and subsequently offered for sale in the towns of Iloilo, Molo, Oton, and other places (Loney to Farren, 1857).

Finally, the Iloilo River played a very crucial rule in the emergence of Iloilo as a commercial center and an entertainment capital. Because of the remarkable increase in commercial activity and its expansion in areas, the town of Iloilo developed into one of the most modern cities in the Philippines which called for basic facilities and fast means of transportation. The main artery in this development was the river, providing revenues to the city because of the heavy traffic of water vessels and the loading and unloading of cargoes.