Jaro (Iloilo City)

Jaro (pronounced: Haro ) is one of the six boroughs of Iloilo City , capital of the province of the same name in the southern part of the island of Panay . The place originally emerged as a Malay settlement in the late Middle Ages at the mouth of the Jaro River. Even then, the village had direct trade contacts with China , India and Siam ( Thailand ). Jaro was founded as a Spanish municipality in 1584. The name of the place changed several times from Salog to Saro to the current term Jaro .

During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, Jaro was considered a flourishing commercial center of Visaya and was recognized as the richest township in the entire Spanish colony (1584–1886). At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch invaded the place. In 1886 Jaro was re-founded as a city and was already economically advanced compared to other cities in the colony. In 1937 Jaro was finally assigned to the new city of Iloilo City together with the port city of Iloilo and 4 other municipalities .

The center of today's district is the Jaro Plaza , where the St. Elisabeth Cathedral (1834) and the famous bell tower are located. The district is also known for its cultural monuments as well as the many colonial houses from the Spanish colonial era as a cultural center. Jaro is also considered the home of numerous Filipino industrialists such as the clans of Lopez, Sarabia, Jalandoni, Montinola and Ledesma. There are still many industrial plants to this day. Today, Jaro has a university and several technical colleges. Every year on October 2nd, the festival of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria , the patroness of the Western Visayas, is celebrated, and Graciano Lopez Jaena Day on January 19th.

Jaro is also the seat of the Archdiocese of Jaro .