Iloilo City is known for many things and also dubbed in many ways — from the hotly debated, “Queen City of the South”, to the widely accepted, “Where the past meets the present (for the future)” or “The City of the Old and the New”.

And since it’s the day of hearts, I would like to focus more on perhaps the most known and used tagline for Iloilo City today — “The City of Love”.

For one, it is unoriginal — a more globally popular city is known for that moniker. Heard of Paris? Yes, it’s just one of the most famous cities in the world.

I’d really like to know the real score. Who introduced that tag line? Did a few people with influence and position sit on this and agree?

I did some online snooping but nothing really objective came up. I also asked in a reputable Facebook group, Old Iloilo, if they know the origins of this tag line. So far, no clear answers. Not yet, anyway.

So like the many blog posts I encountered in my research,
I will also give my own take on why Iloilo is called “The City of Love”.

Language: The Sing-Songy Loving Tone of Hiligaynon

The first thing people noticed about Ilonggos is the speaking tone. It is soft-mannered in delivery, and wavy in intonation. It is almost song-like.

This dialect is called Hiligaynon and the natives of Iloilo speak them in the most loving manner possible.

According to linguists, language reflects the values and beliefs of a culture. So if the nuances and manner of speaking is loving, it is supposed that the culture of the people is the same way.

Actually it is often joked that Ilonggos don’t know how to be angry because their spoken language makes them incapable of expressing anger.

Case in point: [Read in Ilonggo tone] “Tama na na bala. Sumbagon ta ka karon.”

Food & Cuisine: Wide Array of Edibles and Delicacies

Food culture is BIG in Iloilo City. Ilonggos are proud of their food and proud of their LOVE for FOOD!

The unstoppable online force that is Kaon Ta, Iloilo is proof of this intoxicating love affair between Ilonggos and food! Kaon Ta, Iloilo is a Facebook group with more than 100K members and all they talk about is food!

Food has always been synonymous with romance — both appeal to the senses; both demonstrate passion. Take Italy and France as examples. They are not only known for love but also for love of food!

Iloilo as a community is pretty much the same!

Ancient Structures & Architecture: Evidence of Old Romance in a Modern World

If you are like me, I view romance as a thing of the past. Don’t get me wrong, romance still exists today but they are nothing like the harana and the ‘pangaluyag‘ of old Iloilo.

Nowadays, romantic expressions have been dumbed down to ‘swiping right’, Facebook stalking, or by casually messaging “Labyu beh”.

Courtship now has a digital shortcut. It is considerably sad, but certainly convenient.

But since Iloilo City preserves their old structures — buildings, ancestral homes, and old mansions — you are somehow reminded that true, hardcore, OG romance existed once in this place. Iloilo City’s old charm somehow awakens your romantic sensibilities.

Ilustrados: The Original Romantics

Iloilo, in the past, was populated by Ilustrados — the Filipino educated class during the Spanish colonial period. They were the intellectuals, mostly the middle class, educated in Europe.

Graciano López Jaena was an Ilustrado and so was Jose Rizal.

These intellectuals of the past were the true romantics. Since they (the men) were enlightened, they knew how to charm and court women into submission. Admittedly, sometimes to a fault. Women, in turn, developed a keen sense of judgment based on the courtship and back-to-back flirtation.

Today, this somehow holds true. Iloilo is still mostly composed of middle-class, well-educated, and classy people.

When it comes to love and romance, Ilonggo men are natural casanovas (I mean this in a good way) and women are generally reserved until wooed the right way.

Ilonggos are neither promiscuous nor prudes. They just know how to play the romance game.

Again, since I did not find an objective answer to Why Iloilo City is known as “The City of Love”, I came up with these theories. These are just my opinions. They may mirror yours, and that’s good — makes me feel validated. If not, it’s okay. Feel free to express your thoughts using the comment box below. Let’s discuss with our fellow netizens.