The joy of Ajuy

Seafood Valenciana, a type of localized paella.

juy, a town in the northern part of the province of Iloilo, was described by Augustinian chroniclers in the 19th century as having a fertile land and producing a number of products such as rice, corn, cotton, coffee, cacao and tobacco.

Aside from these, the town also had agricultural products such as lentils, pepper, coconut and mango, and its fishing industry was also noted.

Today, the town is one of the sugar producing areas in the province with vast sugarcane plantations.

Sugarcane is a crop that started to be cultivated in the town in the late 19th century by the Iloilo sugar barons.

Historically, the town was established in 1590 and was served by both Augustinian and secular priests.

In the 19th century, Ajuy (also spelled Ajui) was governed by and under the spiritual care of the neighboring Barotac Viejo.

Marbuena Island Resort is popular for its white-sand beach, sandbar and stunning sunset.

Built in 1950, Balay Bacabac-Babar is the only post-war house in northern Iloilo, reminiscent of the Baguio houses of the American colonial period.

It was described to have over 700 houses of simple construction with a casa tribunal and casa parroquial of the secular priest serving both the town and Barotac Viejo.

Ajuy also had an escuela de primeras letras with funds donated by the community, a jail, cemetery and nice houses of good construction in the higher part of the town.

In 1898, Fr. Juan Fernandez, OSA, noted that all of the structures in town were made of wood.

The only remnant of those wooden structures is a big post inside the town’s church dedicated to San Nicolas Tolentino.

An 1895 bell also hangs inside the concrete belfry of the church.

Since Ajuy is a sugar-producing town, a number of simborios or smokestacks were constructed in various areas of the town from the Spanish to American colonial eras.

One of those smokestacks is located inside the Terra Verde Integrated Eco-farm in Barangay San Antonio.

Originally owned by Captain Alejo Posadas, a local leader during the early American period, the property, now owned by Dulce Posadas Blas, features camping areas as well as nature walks, lake paddling, cottages for visitors and a ballroom with an impressive bas relief of Ajuy agricultural life.

The farm also offers sumptuous Ilonggo dishes such as the Seafood Valenciana (localized paella), chicken binakol and lumpia.

The simborio inside the property, which was constructed in 1912, has inscriptions “Hacienda de San Antonio” and “Sitio Bayugo,” pertaining to the original name of the farm and its location which is just outside the Poblacion.

Captain Posadas was a landed but generous gentleman, donating a lot in the Poblacion for the construction of the Ajuy Elementary School, renamed Alejo Posadas Memorial School (now Alejo Posadas Memorial Elementary School) through Republic Act 4254 of the Philippine Congress on 6 November 1945.

In front of the school with a Gabaldon-type original school building is the Balay Bacabac-Babar, the only post-war house in northern Iloilo, reminiscent of the Baguio houses of the American colonial period.

Built in 1950 by couple Melquiades Babar and Agatona Bacabac, the house was the first to have in town a drug store, bakery and a karitela for local transportation. It also served as an extension of a school in the 1960s.

Today, it houses a number of artifacts including a 17th century crucifix, Art Deco furniture and works of art by Fernando Amorsolo and Paete master carver Luis Ac-ac.

Other heritage structures in Ajuy are the Calabazas (also Calabasa) Island Lighthouse, built from 1892 to 1895, guiding vessels passing through Guimaras Strait and a baluarte (bulwark) in a hilltop area of the town.

Aside from Calabasa Island, Ajuy has a number of natural sites for visiting tourists.

One of these is Buri Island, with the Marbuena Island Resort, popular for its white-sand beach, sandbar and stunning sunset.