Bridging the Gap
By Henry F. Funtecha

The death knell of the Port of Iloilo

As the primary port in Western Visayas and the secondary port in the whole country, the Iloilo Port during its golden days was the entrepot of trade and commerce solely emanating from the sugar industry. Logically, the inflow of cash into Iloilo City's coffers depended much on the volume of business made at the water front.

The improvements done in the Iloilo River, in general, and at the Iloilo Port, in particular, were limited only in the physical aspects, i.e. dredging, installation of facilities and the like. The absence of a comprehensive plan on both the Iloilo River and the Iloilo Port resulted to situations where Iloilo City was caught unprepared in facing problems pertaining to the wellbeing of the river. What happened, therefore, was that the American colonial government's all-out support and efforts in improving the port of Iloilo made it the city's foremost and best economic asset upon which other aspects of Ilonggo life rest while neglecting other potentials Iloilo River has.

The outbreak of World War II signaled the death knell of the Port of Iloilo and, naturally, the “Queen City of the South”. The Japanese began their bombing sorties in Iloilo City on December 18, 1941 and destroyed several sections of the city, including structures in Muelle Loney (The Manila Tribune, December 19, 1941). This was just the beginning of a long war. As it unfolded, some sections of the city became war zones. What was apparent at this time was that commercial and industrial centers in the city were the primary targets of Japanese bombers.

By the end of the World War II, Iloilo City was almost reduced to ashes. The bombings made by the Japanese and American pilots in the course of the conflict leveled much of Iloilo 's waterfront—the city's prime asset. Of the twenty-three sugar warehouses situated at the Iloilo pier, the majority of them were either destroyed or abandoned during the war and never resumed their operations in the post-war period (McCoy, 1977). As to the other structures along the Iloilo River, they did not escape from the destruction brought about by the war.

The cessation of the war also marked the ninth year of silt accumulation in the Iloilo River. It must be noted that the last dredging work done in the river was in 1937. The decline and eventual death of Iloilo City as the “Queen City of the South” also resulted to the Iloilo Port losing its prominence. Indirectly, too, Iloilo River suffered a major setback since government efforts at improving it was directly dependent on the Iloilo Port. From 1938 to 1946, there was practically no activity with regards to the improvement of the Iloilo Port and the Iloilo River. The silt that had accumulated in the Iloilo River rendered Iloilo's harbor no longer accessible to foreign ships and inter-island vessels. As a result, the waterfront was closed to all shipping. All shipments of Negros sugar from Iloilo City ceased, and the bodegas that brought the fortunes to the city were gone. In effect, the economic bond between the city and the sugar industry, attenuated during the 1930's, was now severed.

As can be recalled, labor disputes in the 1930's at the Iloilo waterfront intensified the worsening conditions of that time. Battle for control of the docks resulted in a number of violent encounters between two contending labor groups that were both backed up by local politicians. Businessmen and dock officials frequently were coerced into lending support, by granting contracts, to one side or the other. Passengers were harassed and the Iloilo waterfront became unpleasant and frequently was a dangerous place to do business. They resulted to the flight of business and capital, and the eventual gross neglect of the waterfront. All these, ultimately, resulted to the death of the once heralded dynamic Port of Iloilo and its vibrant queen, the City of Iloilo.