BRIDGING THE GAP
Capiz (Roxas City) in 1903
In his "Memoirs", an unpublished undated manuscript,cited by Milton W. Meyer in his book "Prophetic Vision (2003), Dr. Peter Lerrigo, an American Baptist missionary who arrived in Panay in May 1900, had left a valuable description of Capiz (now Roxas City). Such a picture of the town came about when he embarked on an exploratory trip to Capiz from Iloilo, together with his wife and a fellow missionary, Rev. George Finlay.
According to Dr. Lerrigo, Capiz at that time had a port in Libas at the mouth of the Capiz River. From Libas, one had to ride a ferry following the winding river for several kilometers to reach the town which was the capital of the province of the same name.
The town Capiz was built on high ground and was situated right along the bank of the river. It was marked by a plaza with a Jose Rizal statue and some concrete benches on it and a provincial capitol on the north side. Nearby was the imposing Catholic Church made of stone facing a bridge constructed of wood and bamboo just several meters away. The provincial capitol was a two-storey structure with an open veranda at the center towards the direction of the plaza. At the south bank of the river were found the homes of well-to-do families. Beyond these sections could be seen the typical average thatched houses of the common people. Dr. Lerrigo estimated that there were about 10,000 people living in and about Capiz in 1903.
A section of Dr. Lerrigo's account states: "Arriving in the vicinity of Capiz, we made our way into a lovely bay surrounded by white beaches which gleamed in the morning sun and were backed by a majestic forest of coconut palms. A winding river flowed into the bay and we made our way for several miles up the river before coming to the city of Capiz... A few short streets paralleled the stream on each side containing quite a number of well-built houses. These belonged to the upper classes. The basements were built with stone and the upper stories of hard wood which came from the neighboring forests."
Dr. Lerrigo had also noted the business and the poorer sections of the town. He writes: "Beyond the sections of the streets which contained the well-to-do residences there were several blocks devoted to the shops and the business section of the town; and subsequently humbler dwellings stretched out into the surrounding country. These latter were constructed for the most part of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves."
As can be gleaned from this short description, there is not much change in the location of the important landmarks and major sections of the town of Capiz, now city of Roxas. The Catholic Church, the Provincial Capitol, the Rizal statue, and the bridge cutting across the river are still very much the points of identity of the city.