San Joaquin, Iloilo

If you take the road from Iloilo City to Antique, the last town of Iloilo that you will pass by is San Joaquin. It is a 3rd class municipality and deemed un-touristy. It is one of the many blur of towns passed by if one opts to pass through Antique, coming from Iloilo, to Boracay.

But San Joaquin has some exciting spots to offer if only one stops by to look around. Its beaches along Tiolas, awashed with pebbles instead of sand, are havens to swimmers. But take note that the beaches are deep. Kantilyado. I remembered I nearly drowned in one of the beaches when I was still in college.


The ancient baroque San Joaquin Church is a must-see. It is made of limestone from the nearby town of Igbaras and coral stone which was abundant in San Joaquin. Like many other churches, it served in the past a dual purpose - as a look-out for sea-faring invaders and as an impregnable refuge for the town’s people in time of invasion. Today, the church is a beacon of the Catholic faith and a proud landmark of San Joaquin. The church’s façade is its most famous trademark and is unique in the Philippines. While other churches display saints, angels or holy objects on its facade, San Joaquin Church sports a mural of the victory of the Spaniards over the Moroccan forces in the Battle of Tetuan. So realistic and so detailed are the carvings that a viewer standing on the ground can see the facial expressions of the soldiers during the battle. In fact, the façade could have earned the church its recognition as a national historical landmark.



Outside the poblacion, as the road zigzags up the mountains to Antique, motorists can see stalls along the road selling bandi and other peanut condiments. (Reminds me of the mountain roads in Baguio where locals sell strawberry and ube jams.) The San Joaquin bandi and condiments are made by the locals and are good pasalubongs. A note to drivers: stall owners give the driver whatever item for sale he wants, as bonus for stopping by. I was always given a big bandi the size of a saucer, even if I drive a family vehicle - with only my wife, kids, and some nieces as passengers – and even if my passengers had already asked the needed paaman with their purchases after an intense bout of haggling.



San Joaquin is 53 kilometers south of Iloilo City. The road is asphalted and safe. The public utility jeepneys plying the area are somewhat too fast. And it seems embarrassing to apprise the driver when the local passengers seem not to care and they even seem to enjoy the fast ride.

Note: The pictures above were taken when we passed by the municipality of San Joaquin on our way back to Iloilo from Antique.@