Enchanting Pilar, Capiz

                              Having a total land area of 11,559 hectares and with 24 barangays.  Pilar, Capiz , Philippines  is bounded with many physical attractions. Ranging from man-made to natural made. The most number one attraction is the Miraculous Medal at Agtalin hill in Barangay Dulangan. But there are many things a  Pilareño  can be proud of.             As you can remember in my  previous post , that Pilar, as many people said, the name of  Pilar  came from the two tall caves in the northern part of the town that looks like an entrance.  Then it gave it the name for its pillar-like structure. One of these caves it is found at Barangay Natividad, the largest barangay of the town.            Pilar cave at Natividad  Pilar,  Capiz , Philippines  was indeed one of its beautiful features. The marble stone which is always mistaken to be sculpted is a natural feature Pilar can offer. The openings of the cave are really inviting, but sorry to tell you that during my h

In 1990, a 1 7-year old teenager from Roxas City,Capiz was afflicted with a rare and fatal kidney ailment, the second in the philippines. The diseasemanifested extreme pain on her. right lower back. Suspecting that it was appendicitis, doctors operated on her. Instead, they saw an enlarge and bleeding right kidney. To stop the source of bleeding, the kidney was removed  (only to find out that it was a good and functioning one).           After a month, the remaining kidney experienced the same pain. In fear of losing her, her family brought her to the best medical expert in Manila for further test. Results all the more baffled doctors, who in turn suggested that she seek further treatment abroad. Realizing that the situation was turning critical, family and friends prayed  to God for a miracle. While she was being prayed over in a hospital, she fell into a deep and dreamt of a beautiful lady in blue and white dress - Our lady of the Miraculous Medal.                       The next da

Pilar has an income classification of third class. Development in basic infrastructure has been stagnant during the last decades. Annual income is low and poverty rates are said to be high, although the town has also seen greater years. The rural municipality is said to be rich in natural resources such as aquatic and mineral wealth. It used to be a strong seafood producer in the province and once even possessed its own sugar and mining industry. Major agricultural produce of the town include fish, prawn, crab, rice, sugar, cattle and poultry. Other notable industries include shell craft and wood furniture.

Roman Catholicism combined with indigenous superstitious traditions have a strong imprint on the town's local culture. An iconic 12-foot landmark of the Virgin Mary is visible at a mountaintop in Brgy. Dulangan, built by an affluent Filipino-Chinese businessman from Roxas City. A chapel facing the figurine has been erected where occasional thanksgiving masses are held during special occasions. The town celebrates its annual feast along with the coming of the sacred  Santisima Trinidad  (The Holy Trinity), an early 18th-century wooden figurine from Mexico found by local fishermen in the shores of the town during the British invasion of the Philippines in 1762. The figurine is believed to have been brought over by a galleon trading ship from the port of  Acapulco ,  Mexico , but destroyed by British warships on its route to Luzon and was washed off to the coast of Pilar. It is on display in the altar of the town's church, the  Parish of the Most Holy Trinity . The town als

Population census of Pilar Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 35,929 —     1995 36,464 +0.28% 2000 38,903 +1.40% 2007 40,912 +0.70% 2010 41,572 +0.58% 2015 45,287 +1.64% Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [3] [5] [6] In the 2015 census, the population of Pilar, Capiz, was 45,287 people, [3]  with a density of 580 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,500 inhabitants per square mile. Most of the town's population are made up by Austronesian descendants, such as  Capiznon  and  Hiligaynon , followed by  Aetas  and a few of  Chinese  and  Spanish ancestry.

The coastal town sprang out from an  Austronesian  settlement in the early 16th century when  indio  natives managed to escape oppression from Spanish colonial authorities. The settlement was then known as  Sibala , named after the river that ran through the coastal village. In 1570, however, the settlement was seized by Spanish forces and the guardia civil  took full control of the village fortifying it with a military garrison. It later flourished into a bigger town and was renamed after its designated patron  La Nuestra Señora del Pilar  ( Our Lady of the Pillar ). In the 18th century, it adopted the ( Holy Trinity )  La Santisima Trinidad  as its municipal patron after a wooden image of the Holy Trinity from the wreckage of a Spanish galleon ship en route from Mexico was found in the town's coastline. Augustinian friars were initially assigned to preach in the town since then until it would later receive its permanent parish priest and Roman Catholic Church. In 1887, there h