The History of Victorias (Philippines) - CHAPTER 1: EL MUNICÍPIO DE VICTORIAS


Standing in the middle of the Victorias public plaza facing southeast, I was face-to-face with the stone municipio whose presence and history dwarfed me literally and figuratively.


It was completed in the late 1930s with the cost of 30,000 pesos under the town leadership of Don Felix Lozada Montinola (1934-1940), originally an Ilonggo after having been born in Jaro, Iloilo, with his ancestors coming from Malaga, Spain, in the 18th century. Then, this municipio was surrounded by trees, open spaces, and a few houses owned by the town hacienderos (read related history on Chapter 16).

In the morning, public servants, local politicians, and townspeople crowded its halls, while in the late afternoon, its façade was bathed with red-orange hues of the setting sun with its twin, stucco-ivory columns driving home the message that this building was more than just a huge office for public servants.

Back in the 1930s, tall stone buildings constructed near the national highways were rare on this part of the Negros island as the huge mansions were hidden inside haciendas, and any visitor to Victorias would have been impressed by this elegant and massive structure, turning the municipio as a landmark. Any passing traveler would know this was Victorias when one saw the ivory-colored edifice.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the municipio is painted tastelessly white and green (more about the municipio in Chapter 16).


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