REGION 6
weaving industry. Piña cloth was given as precious
Western Visayas is an administrative region in the
Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI.It
has six provinces (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras,
Iloilo and Negros Occidental) and two highly
urbanized cities (Bacolod City and Iloilo City). The
regional center is Iloilo City. The region is dominated
by the native speakers of four Visayan languages:
Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon, Aklanon and Capiznon.
On May 29, 2015, the region was redefined, when
Western Visayas (Region VI) both lost the province of
Negros Occidental and the highly urbanized city of
Bacolod to the newly formed Negros Island Region.
However, the region was dissolved, with Negros
Occidental and Bacolod returned to Western Visayas
on August 9, 2017.
The Six Provinces
A. Aklan
Aklan (Akean) (Aklanon pronunciation: [ak'ɣan])
(Akeanon: Eaeawigan it Akean; Hiligaynon: Kapuoran
sang Aklan) is a province in the Philippines located in
the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Kalibo. Aklan
became an independent province through Republic
Act No. 1414 signed by Philippine President Ramon
Magsaysay.
General Information of Dish
1. Inubaran- The star of this stew is the ubad, which
is the pith of a banana tree. This is not to be confused
with ubod, which is its coconut counterpart. Chicken
and ubad is a usual pairing, and it lends the dish a
unique flavor and texture.
2. Binakol- Binakol, also spelled binakoe, is a Filipino
chicken soup made from chicken cooked in coconut
water with grated coconut, green papaya, leafy
vegetables, garlic, onion, ginger, lemongrass, and
patis. It can also be spiced with chilis. Binakol can also
be cooked with other kinds of meat or seafood.
The richness of the Aklanon Heritage
The Museum of Aklan is a credible story teller about
Aklan and her people, their culture and historical
heritage, their economic and social achievement. It
becomes a challenge to her leaders and her people to
dream and aspire for greatness as their forefathers
did. The building was built in 1882 and has been used
in different manner.
CLOTHING
Aklan is the main and the oldest
manufacturer/weaver of piña (pineapple fiber) cloth
in the Philippines which are exported to North
America and Europe. Piña weaving is an old-age
tradition which was revived in the past 20 years.
History records suggest that Kalibo’s piña cloth was
traded during the Pre-Hispanic times. In the 18th
century, Kalibo was noted as the center of the piña
gift to kings and royalties of Europe.
B. ANTIQUE
Antique (Kinaray-a: Kapuoran kang Antique;
Hiligaynon: Kapuoran sang Antique) is a province of
the Philippines located in the region of Western
Visayas. The province capital is San Jose de
Buenavista, the most populous town in Antique.
Antique has rugged and varied land. Nogas Island,
Hurao-Hurao Island and Mararison Island have long
stretches of white sand beaches that are ideal for
shell-hunting. Batbatan Island on the other hand,
appeals to scuba divers because of the well-
preserved coral reefs.
There are two main festivals held every summer.
1.Binirayan Festival- held every last week of April
commemorates the arrival of 10 Malay Datus in
Malandog, Antique in the mid-1400s to set up the
supposedly first Malayan settlement in the country.
2. Council of Balabago Re-Enactment – held every
first week of March is a historic re-enactment of the
meeting of Malayan Datus in their Malandog
settlement for renewal and thanksgiving.
GENERAL INFORMATION OF DISH
1. Alupe
Alupe or alupi is a cassava-based kakanin that is well
loved by Filipinos. This native delicacy is usually
prepared for snacks and can be found in most parts
of Western Visayas.
2. Linapwahan
Is another native preparation of vegetables. It could
be purely vegetables or vegetables with seafood mix.
The most common vegetables best for linapwahan
are malunggay, kapayas (young papaya), saluyot,
okra, alugbati, kalabasa (squash), latoy (string beans),
amargoso (bitter gourd), tarong (eggplant) and kulitis
(spinach).
AGE OLD ART OF PATADYONG WEAVING
The age old weaving art of patadyong is still alive
through the Bagtason Loom Weavers Association and
the community's effort to educate and encourage the
next generations to continue the weaving heritage.
The patadyong is a pre-Spanish clothing item or loose
skirt worn by women in substitute to skirts.
C. CAPIZ
Capiznon: Kapuoran nang Capiz; Hiligaynon:
Kapuoran sang Capiz) is a province located in the
region of Western Visayas in the central section of
the Philippines. Its capital is the City of Roxas.
Capiz is known for the title “The Seafood Capital of
the Philippines”, with its fresh fishes and incredible
tasty cuisines. It is part of the Capizenos to embrace
and to love seafoods the most.
Capiz is known for the Placuna placenta oyster shell
that has the same name locally and is used for
decoration and making lampshades, trays, window
and doors. Likewise, the province is known as the
"Seafood Capital of the Philippines. The language
spoken in Roxas City are Capiznon and Hiligaynon.
FESTIVALS
1. Balintawakan Festival
A gathering of senior citizens in the town of
Pontevedra. The aim of the activity is to bind elder
people in unwritten commitment to preserve simple
traditions that began long ago, but interrupted by
World War II. The event is held every December 31 at
the town's public market. Balintawak is a traditional
Filipino costume for womenfolk.
2. Sinadya sa Halaran
Among the significant yearly celebration in Roxas
city. It is a fusion of two different festivals sinadya
and halaran (city and province respectively) The
festivities commemorate in Thanksgiving and sharing.
Sinadya sa Halaran celebrated every December 4 to
8.
FAMOUS DISH
1. Uga or dried fish is one of the Capiz Best Delicacies
and a major product of the province of Capiz
considering that it is blessed with miles and miles of
rich coasts. There are several varieties of dried fishes
that can be found in Capiz that makes it a captivating
land for the middleman sellers of dried fish in Metro
Manila. Sellers of dried fish earn a living simply by
exporting these to other areas in the country as well
as abroad.
2. Baked Oysters with Cheese and Garlic. These
delicious oysters are baked with butter, cheese, garlic
and pepper. Oysters are tasty depending on people
who eats it and how it is cooked.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Capiz is well known for their lampshades, trays,
chandeliers, etc. that were made of oyster shells.
D. GUIMARAS
Guimaras is an island province in the Philippines
located in the region of Western Visayas. Among the
smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The province
is situated in the 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.
The province is basically agricultural with mangoes,
palay, coconuts, livestock, poultry and fishing as
major products. Its major industries are tourism, fruit
processing, coconut processing, fish farming,
handicrafts making, mining, quarrying and lime
production.
FESTIVALS
1. Palayag Festival, Municipality of Buenavista
Celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January by the
municipality of Buenavista. This cultural festival
makes maximum use of the rich cultural tradition of
the oldest municipality of the province. The
presentation of songs, dances and musical tableau
depicts the various influences Buenavista has been
subjected to. It is celebrated in honor of the town’s
Patron Saint Sr Sto. Nino. “Palayag” marked a new
footprint during the 2008 Buenavista Centennial
Celebration They defined “Palayag” as to sail through
“Layag”-using water vessel. This is really indeed a
Kinaradto-form of sea travel.
2. Mango Festival
Highlight of the festival, which was supported by the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts, was
the ecotourism trade fair and convention that
featured every possible delicacy and product that
could be derived from the golden fruit: mango
shakes, mango hopia, mango tarts, etc.
FAMOUS DISH
1. Mango Tart
Freshly baked tarts with fresh mangoes, English
cream and meringue butter cream. Perfect for
desserts and for any kinds of occasions. When
choosing mangoes, use ripe ones and as much as
possible the carabao mango variety because they are
more fleshy, soft and sweeter than other varieties of
mangoes.
2. Mango Pizza
Mango Pizza originated in Guimaras province. The
province of Guimaras is very famous for its mangoes.
Every year they even have a festival dedicated to this
fruit, which is why it isn’t a surprise that the locals
have also incorporated this fruit into pizza, a dish that
all Filipinos love.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
The weaving community in Guimaras started a very
long time ago when their ancestors started crafting
banigs as a source of livelihood.
One of the known weaving communities in the island
is the Sapal Weavers Association (SWA) who still
practices the skills and traditions of their ancestors
with a little help of new technologies. The small
community is located at Brgy. Sapal, San Lorenzo,
Guimaras.
CLOTHING
The women wear a skirt made off silk cotton
embellished with natural buri fibers and mango-
shaped sliced foams, wrapped with hablon de
patadyong, a famouse fabric weaved in Miag-ao.
E. ILOILO
Iloilo is a province located in the region of Western
Visayas in the Philippines. 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.
FESTIVALS
1. Dinagyang Festival
The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural
festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the 4th
Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu
and the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan.
2. Kasadyahan Festival
Kasadyahan Festival is held every 4th Saturday of
January which showcases several main festival
attractions of Iloilo Province including Western
Visayas.
FAMOUS DISH
1. Batchoy
A serving of egg noodles called miki, topped with
generous amounts of fried garlic, crushed chicharon
(crispy fried pork skin), scallions, slivers of pork meat,
intestines, and liver, and for the finishing touch–a
spoonful of bone marrow. The secret to the dish is in
the buto-buto broth, which is slow-cooked for hours
with beef, pork, and bulalo mixed with local
guinamos (shrimp paste) for flavoring.
2. Native Lechon Manok
The charcoal-roasted native chicken called “daraag”
is marinated in vinegar and calamansi then stuffed
with lemongrass and sampalok leaves. It’s crisped to
a golden brown, with a very flavorful and slightly sour
taste from the marinade. Native chicken is known to
have a gamey taste and stringy texture because it’s
leaner with less fat.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
1. Tubuk- is a century old needlecrafts of the
hinterlands of Iloilo in Panay which is located
centrally in the island.
2. Bobbin Lace of Santa Barbara, Iloilo- Bobbin lace is
a craft form of using bobbin or spindle to braid and
twist thread to form intricate designs that result in
beautifully made handkerchiefs, coasters, table
cloths, mantles, and lace appliques.
F. NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
Also known as Occidental Negros or Western Negros,
is a province located in the region of Western
Visayas, in the Philippines. It occupies the
northwestern half of the large island of Negros, and
borders Negros Oriental, which comprises the
southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the
Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than
half the nation's sugar output.
FESTIVALS
1. Panaad sa Negros Festival
Also called simply as the Panaad Festival (sometimes
spelled as Pana-ad), is a festival held annually during
the month of April in Bacolod City, the capital of
Negros Occidental province in the Philippines.
Panaad is the Hiligaynon word for "vow" or
"promise" coming from the root-word saad; the
festival is a form of thanksgiving to Divine Providence
and commemoration of a vow in exchange for a good
life.
2. Masskara Festival
Is an annual festival with highlights held every fourth
Sunday of October in Bacolod, Philippines. The most
recent festival was held October 8-28, 2018. The
festival sites include the Bacolod Public Plaza, the
Lacson Tourism Strip and the Bacolod Government
Center. The festival has evolved into one of the major
annual tourism attractions of the Philippines over the
next four decades. Held in typical Oktoberfest and
Mardi Gras fashion, the MassKara Festival served as a
catalyst for far-reaching growth and development of
the city's tourism, hospitality, culinary, crafts and
souvenirs and services sectors. In later years, the
Electric Masskara was added as another attraction of
the Festival. For several nights leading to the
highlight weekend, tribes of MassKara dancers
garbed in colorful neon and LED lights on illuminated
floats make their way up and down the Lacson Strip.
FAMOUS DISH
1. Chicken Inasal
Chicken Inasal is a popular dish from the City of
Smiles. It is not marinated or prepared like the usual
chicken barbeque found in the rest of the country.
The marinate does not make use of soy sauce and
consists of other ingredients to create a unique flavor
found only in this part of the Philippines.
2. Napoleones

This is another one of Bacolod’s famous delicacies.

It’s a layered puff pastry that is filled with custard
cream and then glazed with white sugar on top. They
are sold in small square sizes or larger rectangle sizes.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Shell products, handcrafted by local artisans from

seashells collected from the shores of the two towns.