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Balaan bukid (English: Holy mountain, Filipino : Banal na bundok) is a 558 feet (170 meters) mountain, located in Barangay Balcon Melliza, Jordan, Guimaras in the Philippines. This site has a church and a huge cross which can be seen from Iloilo City coast and known for being a pilgrimage site of Catholic devotees especially during the Holy Week.
Bala-an bukid | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 558 ft (170 m) |
Prominence | 310 ft (94 m) |
Geography | |
Country | Philippines |
Region | Western Visayas |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Balcon Melliza trail |
It has also a lighthouse serve as a navigational aid for boats and ships. Alongside the trail to the top are 14 stations called "Way of the Cross", which depicts significant events in the life of Jesus Christ. Catholics visit Balaan Bukid to be reminded of the suffering Jesus gone through to save mankind. [1]
The Ave Maria Shrine in Jordan, Guimaras is popularly known as the Bala-an Bukid, the highest elevation of the headland called by navigators as the Bondolan Point. The shrine includes a chapel and a concrete cross both erected in 1954 during the Marian year celebration on a property donated by the heirs of Don Raymundo Melliza y Angulo, Iloilo's second governor.
The construction of the chapel and the cross was financed by Ana Ledesma vda de Lopez and her children Victoria, Eduardo and Cesar "in gratitude for Our Lady's protection during the last war."
The chapel overlooks the whole of Guimaras and the south eastern coast of Panay. Opposite it is a 60-foot cross erected on a narrow circular gallery that can accommodate about five persons at a time.
The shrine, completed in 1956, provides a panoramic view of Jordan and Buenavista, and of Iloilo City across the strait.
The Marian year celebration commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Roman Catholic Church's pronouncement of the Virgin Mary's immaculate conception, a dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1854.
The shrine was conceived by Mill Hill missionary Virgil Pixner, an Irish priest and chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Iloilo Council No. 3346.
Before leaving Panay for another assignment, he entrusted his plan to lawyer Jose Maria Lopez Vito who, along with then Jaro Archbishop Jose Maria Cuenco, looked for donors for the project.
Governor Melliza owned a lot of properties in Jordan, particularly in the northern part of Barrio Balcon which was later divided into Balcon Melliza and Balcon Maravilla where the Maravilla family owned most of the land in the south. Bala-an Bukid is in Balcon Melliza. [2]
On regular days, Balaan Bukid can be accessed by riding a ferry boat bound for Jordan Wharf in Parola Port in Iloilo City. From Jordan Wharf, take a tricycle ride to the foot of Balaan Bukid, where you will start your 30min – 45 min hike to the top. During the holy week, there are special trips that transport visitors directly to the foot of Balaan Bukid.
The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples.
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 12,011 km2 (4,637 sq mi) and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Iloilo is its largest settlement with a total population of 457,626 inhabitants as of 2020 census.
Iloilo, officially the Province of Iloilo, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas. Iloilo occupies a major southeast portion of the Visayan island of Panay and is bordered by the province of Antique to the west, Capiz to the north, the Jintotolo Channel to the northeast, the Guimaras Strait to the east, and the Iloilo Strait and Panay Gulf to the southwest.
Guimaras, officially the Province of Guimaras, is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. The capital is Jordan, while the largest local government unit for it is the municipality of Buenavista. The province is situated in Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros. To the northwest is the province of Iloilo and to the southeast is Negros Occidental. The whole island is part of the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras, one of the twelve metropolitan areas of the Philippines.
Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz, is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan to the north, Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north.
Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista, is a 2nd class municipality and the largest settlement in the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,899 people.
Jordan, officially the Municipality of Jordan, is a 3rd class municipality and capital of the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,566 people, making it the third largest settlement in the province.
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay. It is the capital city of the province of Iloilo, where it is geographically situated and grouped under the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent in terms of government and administration. In addition, it is the center of the Iloilo–Guimaras Metropolitan Area, as well as the regional center and primate city of the Western Visayas region. According to the 2020 census, Iloilo City has a population of 457,626 people. For the metropolitan area, the total population is 1,007,945 people.
Dumangas, officially the Municipality of Dumangas, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,899 people.
Our Lady of China, the Great Mother, also known as Our Lady of Donglü, is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a reputed Marian apparition in Donglü, China in 1900.
The Archdiocese of Jaro is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. Its episcopal see is at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles, as its seat. The metropolitan archdiocese covers the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras, an island off Iloilo. Its titular patron saint is Elizabeth of Hungary, whose feast is celebrated on November 17.
Cabatuan, officially the Municipality of Cabatuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,110 people.
Jaro is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines, located on Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is the largest district in terms of both area and population, with 130,700 people according to the 2020 census. Jaro merged with Iloilo City in the 1940s during the American administration in the Philippines. It is also the largest among the seven districts of Iloilo City. La Paz district and the present municipalities of Leganes and Pavia were historically part of Jaro before becoming independent.
Iloilo City Proper is a district in Iloilo City, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It holds great historical significance as the birthplace of modern-day Iloilo City and serves as a civic center, hosting the city and provincial government offices, as well as various local, provincial, and regional government establishments. The district also serves as the primary hub for financial institutions, with banks and other firms dispersed throughout its streets.
Metropolitan Iloilo–Guimaras, also shortened as Metro Iloilo–Guimaras or simply MIG, is a metropolitan area in the Visayas in the Philippines. It consists of the highly urbanized city of Iloilo City; the regional agro-industrial center of Pavia; the municipalities of Cabatuan, Leganes, Oton, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara; and the neighboring island province of Guimaras, with its five municipalities of Jordan, Buenavista, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo, and Sibunag.
The Port of Iloilo in Iloilo City, Philippines, serves the province and city of Iloilo and the entire Panay Island, in Western Visayas of the Philippines. It is located away from the older port facilities on the Southern coast of Panay Island, in Panay Gulf, and one of the country’s safest and most natural harbors. Guimaras Island shields the port from violent storms and makes it ideal for harboring ships and vessels.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles and colloquially as Jaro Cathedral, is a cathedral located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was established in 1575 as a visita (chapel-of-ease) of Oton by the Augustinians and as a separate parish in 1587. The present-day structure of Jaro Cathedral was built in 1874.
Panay Liberation Day, alternatively Panay Landing Day and Victory (Liberation) Day on Panay is an annual event that commemorates the landing on Panay during the Battle of the Visayas in World War II. It is a public holiday on the islands of Guimaras and Panay in Western Visayas and Romblon in Mimaropa.
The Iloilo Strait is a strait in the Philippines that separates the islands of Panay and Guimaras in the Visayas, and connects Panay Gulf with the Guimaras Strait. It is the location of the Port of Iloilo, the third-busiest of the ports in the Philippines in number of ships. Iloilo City on Panay is the major city located on the strait with Buenavista and Jordan, both on Guimaras, immediately across the strait from the city. The Iloilo River empties into the strait.
Nuestra Señora de la Purificación y la Candelaria is a venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary enshrined in Jaro Cathedral and the patroness of Western Visayas.