CAPTIVATING CAPIZ!

“The Seafood Capital of the Philippines”

Region 6 (Western
Visayas Region)
map

Official seal of
Capiz province
Brief History…
 became the second Spanish settlement after Cebu when Captain Diego de Artienda, sent
by Legaspi landed in the town of Pan-ay and proclaimed it the capital of the province.
The capital was then moved to the present location of Roxas City.
 in 1570, the Datu Bankaya’s wife of the Aklan district gave birth to twin daughters. Twin
is "Kapid" in the local dialect, so the Spaniards adopted the name Capiz (Kapid) as
inadvertently miscommunicated to them by the natives.
 1569 Captain ('Capitan') Diego de Artieda who was sent by Legaspi landed in the Town of
Panay and proclaimed it as the capital of the province. Later, they moved the Capital to
its present site upon discovering the town of Capiz (not the province, and now Roxas
City) which was near the sea and provided docking facilities.
 In 1942, the region was occupied by the Japanese troops.
 In 1945, the region was liberated by the joint Filipino and American troops with Filipino
guerrillas from the defeated Japanese Imperial forces during Second World War.
 Capiz and Aklan were united under one province until April 25, 1956, when President
Ramon Magsaysay signed into law Republic Act 1414 separating the two entities.
Festivals

Sinadya sa Halaran
One of Roxas City’s most important annual events is the Sinadya sa
Halaran festival. A fusion of two festivals – “Sinadya” (City) and
“Halaran” (Province) which literally means joy in sharing and
thanksgiving. It is celebrated on December 4-8 to commemorate the
religious activities that embody the true Capiceño spirit. The highlights
of the celebration are the Dancing Parade, ”Higantes”, Fluvial Parade,
Fireworks display, Mutya sa Halaran beauty pageant, Coronation of the
Fiesta Queen, and Agri-Aqua Trade Fair.
Balintawakan Festival
Pontevedra. Balintawakan is a simple gathering, mostly of
senior citizens of Pontevedra, Capiz who are sentimentally
bound together to an unwritten commitment to preserve a
simple tradition which began long ago and was only
interrupted by WWII. Every December 31 people hold a
Binayle at the town’s public market. Its highlight is the search
for Miss Balintawakan as the Festival Queen. The event is
capped by a Rigodon de Honor. The Filipino costume called
Balintawak is the official attire of the womenfolk
participating in the affair.