Roxas City

Why Roxas City:

One of the main reasons we chose the Philippines for our honeymoon was to visit Leticia, Maisie’s childhood nanny who recently retired and moved back home. She is from and currently lives in Roxas City, a non-touristy city on the island of Panay. 

May 12, 2024: The Reunion

The most reliable airline in the Philippines, Philippine Airlines (PAL) only flies to Roxas once per day from Manila. Unfortunately, that flight leaves at 4:50 am, which should be criminal. 

After waking up at 2:00, we caught a Grab ride to the airport which was surprisingly busy. We waited in the check-in line for almost 45 minutes!

The flight itself took just 30 minutes and soon enough we were at the tiny Roxas City airport where we were greeted by a musical serenade at the baggage claim. We were picked up by Leticia’s son, Dave, who lives in Chicago but just so happened to be back in the Philippines. He then drove us 2 minutes to their beautiful house.

Once inside, we saw Leticia sitting in the dining room table. After a teary greeting, we sat down and caught up while eating a homecooked breakfast. 

Having woken up so early for the flight, Maisie and I took a big nap for a few hours. 

At 12:00, we were ready to go out and explore. Dave and his wife Hide took us to Baybay Beach, the town’s main beach. The road is lined with restaurants serving fresh seafood. Roxas City is the self-describes seafood capital of the Philippines. Dave said that 1/3 of all the seafood in Manila comes from Roxas. Much of the seafood is caught by fishermen in handmade wooden boats. 

We stopped at one of the restaurants where Dave ordered a FEAST. We ate stuffed squid, whole grilled fish, seafood soup, prawns and gigantic oysters that had 3-5 oysters in each shell (each with a different opening). I still have no idea how we ate so much food. 

Dave then drove us east along the coast. We passed by farms for fish and oysters. We also stopped by a street full of vendors only selling dried fish. 

10 minutes later, we reached the town of Panay, namesake of the island. Panay was the original Spanish capital before it moved to Roxas City. Panay town is now very quiet. Its main attraction is the Spanish church which contains the largest bell in Asia. 

Inside the restored coral stone church children were playing. 

Our final stop on the mini tour was the schoolhouse where Leticia used to teach. Leticia taught here until she was 40 years old at which point she left for the US. To move across the world and start a new career is very brave. Moreover, the warmest day in Chicago is probably colder than the coldest day in Roxas City. 

After the tour, we rested some more because it was too hot to do anything else. 

At 18:00, as the sun started to set, we headed back to the beach to check out a festival. The city government set up a massive stage in a park with local DJs playing EDM music. Nobody cared for it, but perhaps the crowd might pick up later in the night. 

The park itself was busy. Additionally, we could see lots of people swimming in the ocean during the majestic sunset. What a sight!

For dinner, we ate street food. I tried a sisig, which is chopped pork jowls and ears and chicken livers stir fried with vegetables. The dish was tasty but I really wish they would use diced meat instead. 

By 19:00, we had seen pretty much all there was to see and headed back. We were still tired from the travel and the jetlag, so we went to sleep. 

May 13, 2024: The Center

After a good night’s rest, Maisie and I headed out to explore the city center of Roxas. Dave offered to show us around.

He drove us to the coast to a Coast Guard base. Dave used to be in the Coast Guard and used his status to let us park on the base. From there, we walked 5 minutes to a lighthouse with sweeping views of the neighboring islands.

He then drove us past one of the main fishing ports where Hide and her family grew up. Surrounding the village are more fish farms and amidst them, floating restaurants. 

We then headed into the center. As previously mentioned, Roxas, then known as Capiz, was the Spanish capital of the island for many years. A few Spanish buildings remain including the cathedral. 

Capiz was the birthplace of Manuel Roxas, the first president of the Philippines after independence from the United States. After he died in 1948, the government changed the name of the city in his honor. 

The city center contains a small museum dedicated to their namesake located inside a former water tank. The museum has many of Roxas’s personal artifacts including suits. The museum also contains the very first flag of the Philippines flown during the independence declaration in Manila. 

In the late afternoon, Dave and Hide drove us to see a gigantic Jesus figurine. The statue was built as part of a housing development, in similar fashion to the Hollywood sign. The Jesus statue is 31 meters tall and sits atop a 10-meter pedestal. The statue was originally supposed to have its arms outstretched, but due to budget and structural constraints, Jesus has an “I surrender” pose. 

For dinner, we went back to the beach to try some pizza. The sunset tonight was surreal. 

We then went to bed and the next day drove to Boracay. 

Final Thoughts:

Roxas is far from the tourist trail although realistically there is enough to fill up most of a day. If you visit, I guarantee you will be the only tourist there. 

The highlight for me was the local seafood lunch, which was truly exceptional, but the other sights were interesting too.  

However, we were not here for the sights, we were here for family time. This trip was special not only because Maisie could reunite with Leticia but also so Maisie could see a place that she had heard about her entire life! 

Visiting Roxas City also made Maisie and I feel patriotic to be American. Leticia moved to the US at the age of 40 and was able to have a career that now affords her one of the largest houses in Roxas. Moreover, she has children and grandchildren who are successful in the US. America gave Leticia and her family the chance for upward mobility and opportunity that simply does not exist in Roxas.