Passi

city of the Philippines in the province of Iloilo

Passi is a city of 80,000 in Iloilo. It is at the center of Panay Island, and is the only other city of Iloilo province.

Understand

Passi is one of Iloilo's oldest settlements, and is founded in 1766 as a town center. It however, has lost its colonial heritage homes as the Japanese razed the town center during World War II. Passi only became a city in 1998, and still has a small town vibe.

The city is nearly at the center of Panay Island, and is an economic center. Passi's economy is centered on sugarcane and pineapple production.

The locals call themselves Passinhons. The main language spoken in Passi is Kinaray-a, a Visayan language related to Aklanon, Capiznon and Hiligaynon.

Get in

The nearest airports are in Roxas City (RXS) and Iloilo City (ILO).

Passi is along the Iloilo-Capiz Road (Route 5), a major highway connecting the cities of Roxas and Iloilo. It is 50 km (31 mi) from Iloilo, and 68 km (42 mi) from Roxas City.

There are frequent Ceres Liner buses between Iloilo City and Roxas, Kalibo and Caticlan, and occasional long-haul Ceres Transport and Gold Star buses from Manila to Iloilo City or Bacolod.

  • 🌍 Passi Bus Terminal (behind CityMall). (updated Jan 2020)

Get around

The poblacion or city center is walkable, but you can take a tricycle.

See

  • F. Palmares Street (Calle Real). Passi's main street, which leads to the old downtown (updated Jan 2020)
  • Old Passi Municipal Hall (Residencia Passi). A town hall built in 1930, and the few buildings that survived the razing of Passi by the Japanese. (updated Jan 2020)
  • 🌍 Plaza Paloma, M. Panes Street. Open 24 hours. This Spanish-era town square has a pineapple sculpture, its main attraction. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 St. William Parish Church and Convent (Passi Church), F. Palamares Sr. Street. A Spanish-era church with a façade that resembles more of a fortress, with large buttresses on the front and back. It was first built in 1612, to replace smaller churches destroyed by an earthquake. The architecture reflects the church's secondary purpose as a Spanish military outpost. (updated Oct 2023)

Do

Festivals and events

  • Pintados Festival: Passi's major festival, done every March to celebrate Passi's cityhood since 1998. It became one of the Visayas' most established festivals, with street dances involving people adorned in traditional tattoos. They dance with aggressive movements which retells an ancient epic that explains the origins of the legendary Madja-as sultanate.
  • Christmas displays: Passi's central plaza hosts a Christmas in the City display, which lasts from mid-December to early January. It opens with a fireworks display, followed by opening of the lights that illuminates the plaza. Trees, lampposts, and other are adorned with Christmas lights, and there are also live performances at the middle of the plaza. There are food stalls, mostly selling barbecue, lechon, liempo, chicken inasal, popcorn, cotton candy, and bibingka (pancakes made from rice flour).

Buy

  • 🌍 CityMall Passi, Simeon Aguilar Street. 9AM–9PM. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 Gaisano Capital Passi, Iloilo East Coast - Capiz Road. 8:30AM–7:30PM. Has a supermarket, department store, and chain restaurants. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 Passi City Public Market, Dorillo Street. 5AM–5PM. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 Nala's Pasalubong Center & Convenience Store, Iloilo East Coast - Capiz Road. 5AM–8PM. (updated Oct 2023)

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Connect

Go next

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