The Jaro Belfry

The Jaro Belfry or the belfry of the Shrine of Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria is one of the few belfries in the Philippines that stands apart from the church. The three story structure, which was built at around 1744, is 29 meters high and is made of bricks and limestone blocks.

The belfry, suffered heavy damage from three strong earthquakes: on July 17, 1787, sometime between 1881-1933, and in January 25, 1948 with an earthquake named Lady Caycay (photo of the damaged belfry can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iloilocity/1452911494/).

During the 1990s, the belfry was restored under the supervision of the National Historical Institute with the intention to make it a major landmark in Iloilo City.

It is located in Jaro Plaza, in front of the Roman Catholic Cathedral (locally called Jaro Cathedral) or the Shrine of Our Lady of Candles.

How to Get There:

1. From the airport, ride a van to SM City. 

2. From SM City ride a jeepney with Leganes route and tell the driver to drop you to Jaro Plaza.

The Chimney

The Chimney, that stands 35-feet, is the centerpiece of the Pison Rotunda. It was built to honor the late Donato Pison Sr. The design around the chimney depicts sugar production, rice production, fishponds, and salt making - the industries that the Pison family started. This chimney can be found at Barangay San Rafael in Manduriao in Iloilo City in the Philippines.

In the picture, the chimney, serve as foreground for the pyrolympics, an annual fireworks competition that is held during the Dinagyang week.

How to Get There:
1. From the airport ride a van to SM City.
2. From SM City ride a jeepney that goes to City Proper and ask the jeepney driver to drop you to the intersection to Barangay San Rafael or to Ateneo Iloilo. The Chimney can be seen from the intersection. Your jeepney ride from SM City would be less than five minutes so be alert.