Molo:AthensofthePhilippines

ByAtty.RexS.Salvilla
President,WestVisayasHistoricalResearchFoundation,Inc.

CananyplaceinthePhilippines,asidefromMolo,claimtohaveproducedachiefjustice,threejustices,nine
senators,sevengovernors,severalgeneralscongressmenandcabinetmembers?

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MolohasChiefJusticeRamonAvance,Justices
GregorioAraneta(alsosecretaryoftheMalolos
Congressandfirstsecretaryofjustice),Raymundo
MellizaandFelicisimoFeria.

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Itssenatorsare:FranciscoVillanueva,Estebandela
Rama,EsperidionGuanco,JoseMa.Arroyo,Francisco
Zulueta,JoseC.Zulueta,PotencianoTreas,Rodolfo
GanzonandFranklinDrilon.
Thegovernorsare:RaymundoMelliza,Amado
Avancea,GregorioYulo,MarianoYulo,JoseYulo
Regalado,TimoteoConsing,Sr.andJoseC.Zulueta.
ThegeneralsofthePhilippineRevolutionare:Esteban
delaRama(firstcommandantofthePhilippineMarines),
RaymundoMelliza,PabloAraneta,AngelCortezaand
AnicetoLacson.

Thecongressmenare:JoseLocsinSian,Amado
Avancea,RodolfoGanzonandFernandoSalastogetherwithConstitutionalConventiondelegatesManuelLocsin
andEfrainTreas.
MolohadalsoafatherandsonmayorsLeopoldoandRodolfoGanzonwithMayorMansuetoMalaborandJerry
Treas,firstladyIloiloCityCouncilorSimpliciaMagahumOffemaria,famousvernacularwritersAngelMagahum,
Sr.,RosendoMejicaandJimenoDamasofirstMissPhilippinesandnationalsuffragettePuraVillanuevaKalaw
andfirstIlonggonunRosarioArroyo.
NowonderwhyMolodeservestobecalledAthensofthePhilippines.ThiswassobecauseduringtheSpanish
timeitwasaneducationalcenterofthePhilippines.Perhaps,itwastheonlypueblo(town)inthecountrywhichhad
fourcollegesColegiodeSantaAnaoftheAvanceasisters(JovitaandRamona),CentroEscolardeMoloof
Salasbrothers(PerfectoandFernando),InstitutoEnsenanzaLibredeMoloofManuelLocsinandEscuelaPublica.
DuringtheAmericanregime,RosendoMejicafoundedin1903BaluarteElementarySchool(thefirstinthecountry)
outsideofManila.In1941,theIloiloCityHighSchoolwasopenedinMolowhichbecamethefirstfreepublichigh
schoolinthePhilippinesduringthetimeofMayorRodolfoGanzon.
Inthesixties,thefirstcollegeofmedicineinPanaywasopenedinMolobytheIloiloDoctor'sCollege.Moloisalso
thepresentsiteofthepioneerprivatemaritimeschoolinthePhilippinesJohnB.LacsonMaritimeUniversity
Foundation,Inc.(originallyIloiloMaritimeAcademy)whichwasdeclaredfewyearsbackasoneofthebest
maritimeschoolsinthewholeworld.
MolowasalreadyathrivingancientMalayportwhentheSpaniardsarrivedinthePhilippinesinthelate1500's.
WhennearbyArevalobecamethecapitalofthealcaldiadeYlongylong(ProvinceofIloilo)Molowasitsmere
suburbuntil1818whenitbecameapueblo.Itscasareal(municipalhall)isstillstandingbesidetheMolochurch.
DuringtheAmericanregime,itbecameamerepartofthetownofIloiloin1903andin1973becameadistrictofthe
CityofIloilo.
ForfearofaChineseuprisingsimilartothatinManila,theSpanishauthoritiesimplementingtheroyaldecreeof
Gov.Gen.JuandeVargasdatedJuly17,1679,roundeduptheChineseinIloiloandhamlettedthemintheparian
(nowAvanceaStreet).
Incidentally,therewereonlythreepariansinthePhilippinesIntramuros,CebuandIloilo.Thisexplainsthe
prevalenceofChinesesurnamesinMololikeLacson,Locsin,Layson,Yusay,Consing,Sanson,Ganzon,
Quimsing,TinsayandDitching.
WhentheSpaniardsgavesurnamestotheIlonggosin1849thrutheordersofGov.Gen.NarcisoClaveriayZaldua,
theyassignedsurnameswhosefirstletterscorrespondedtothefirstlettersofthenamesofthepueblos.

Thus,MolowasassignedsurnamesbeginningwithletterM.ThefiercelynationalisticnativesdidnottakeSpanish
surnamesbutinstead,adoptednativesurnameslikeMagahum,Mabilog,Mahinay,Malabanjot,Mabunay,
Maprangala,Macatiag,Malabor,MagbanuaandMacatual.
DuringoneoftheMororaids,itwassaidthattheChineseintheparian,whofounddifficultyinpronouncingthe
letter"r",shoutedMolo,Molo,Molo...hence,theplacecametobecalledMolo.
TheoriginalportofIloilowasactuallynearthepresentMoloMandurriaoBridge(Gov.SmithBridge)atthebackof
theplaza.ItwascalledTabucan(rivercrossing).ToreachthisportfromIloiloStrait,theChinesejunksandSpanish
smallboatsenteredthemouthofBatianoRiveratthesmallSpanishfort(Baluarte)whichbeforethewarwascalled
TreasureIslandland.
ThejunksfollowedthecircuitousriverroutewestwarduptoOtonwhereitturnedbackeastwardtoMolo.Thiswas
sobecausetheIloiloRiverwasnotnavigableatthattime.
Incidentally,theothersideoftherivercrossingatMandurriaostillretainsthenameTabucan.
MoloisalsoareligiouscenterinIloilo.EveryJuly26thousandsofpilgrimsfromalloverthecountrytrooptothe
imposingGothicChurchtohonoritspatronsaintSantaAnathepatronessofchildlesscouples,familyharmony,
thesickandtheafflictedandotheroftheBlessedVirginMary.
MoloisalsothesiteoftheonlyorphanageinWestVisayasAsilodeMolofoundedin1934byVincentianFr.
GermanVillazantogetherwithDoaPilarAdvinculadeJavellanaandDoaAdelaLizavda.deMapaandwhich
wasplacedunderthemanagementoftheDaughtersofCharity.ItislocatedonthelotdonatedbyDonIgnacio
Arroyo.
ItisthesiteofmotherhousesofreligiouscongregationsinthePhilippinesDominicanSistersoftheMostHoly
Rosaryfoundedin1925bythefirstIlonggonunMotherRosarioArroyoandoftheMillHillMissionariessince1906.
MoloalsohousedtheCarmeliteSistersinthePhilippinesbeforeittransferredtoSambag,Jaro.
ThedistricthasnowfourcollegesIloiloDoctorsCollege,JohnB.LacsonCollegesFoundation,Inc.,St.Therese
MTCColleges,Inc.andSt.AnneCollegeofIloilo.
IthasalsotwohotelsHoteldelRioandLaFiestaHotel.
TheMejicaHistoricalLandmarkisalsofoundinMolo.Ithousesitemslikethefirstprintingpressof
MakinaugalingonthefirstvernaculardailyinWestVisayaseditedbyRosendoMejicawhichhitthestreetsin
1913foldinguponlyin1942whentheJapaneselandedinPanay.
MoloisthehomeofthenationallyknowndelicacypansitmoloafavoriteinrestaurantsinManilaandcookiesof
PanaderiadeMoloandoftheMoloCountyBakeShop.
MoloisalsothesiteofthenationallyfamoustouristeventtheannualParawRegattaraceofsailboatsin
GuimarasStrait.
DuringtheSpanishtime,themaindefensefortinWestVisayaswastheLaFuerzadelSantisimoRosario(laterFort
SanPedro).ItsrightflankingfortwasBaluarteinMolowhererecentlytwoSpanishcannonswerediscoveredinthe
mud.TheyarenowattheMuseoIloilo.
MoloisproudofitsveryimposingchurchtheonlyGothicRenaissanceChurchinthePhilippinesoutsideof
Manila.ItwascalledbyJoseRizalas"bonitaiglesia"duringhisvisitatMoloin1896onhiswaybacktoManila
fromhisexileatDapitan.
Atpresent,therearethreeparishesinMoloSt.Anne'sparish(theoriginal),OurLadyoftheMiraculousMedalin
CalumpangandSanJoseObreroinFundidor.
ThebarangayofFundidor(foundry)wastheseatofmanyfoundryshopsduringtheSpanishtimewhichbuiltmost
ofthebellsinPanay.OneofthemisRegina.
Lastly,MoloclaimstobethehometownofBlessedPedroCalungsodbeatifiedrecentlybyPopeJohnPaul.This
beatowasacatechistwhodiedamartyratGuamonApril,1672.
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