Passi

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 and Iloilo City.

Passi is along the Iloilo-Capiz Road (Route 5), a major highway connecting the cities of Roxas and Iloilo. It is from Iloilo, and  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.



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

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).