The Component City of Passi

During the early days in Panay, a group of Spanish Conquistadores under Legazpi managed to find their way into the mouth of what is known as Jalaur River at Talaugis near Barotac Nuevo on a mission of exploring the hinterlands in Iloilo.

They rode on a unique flatboat known as the “Sciata” (yacht) that could float and move easily on any kind of up or downstream travel. That trip took them as far as the sitio of Calinog, northwest of Passi.
One day, a bunch of these Spanish explorers came downstream.

They stumbled on a small hut by the river’s bank where an old woman was found winnowing pounded palay. One of them asks her, “Como se Lama Este Lugar” not knowing the native language of course. Much to the old woman’s surprise and perhaps excitement, she replied without much ado “Passi” which means some of the unhusked rice in her basket held in both hands. She must have thought that they were eager to know what was in the basket and what she was doing because she could not understand their language.

From that time on, the Spanish began to call the place “Passi” at first. The word later evolved to be known by its present “‘Passi”. Since then, the settlement founded by Dig-on, Tokiab, and Umawang became known as Passi. (Taken from ”History and Cultural Life of Passi”.

Mayor Jesry T. Palmares with the support of the SB members, took the first move and tried all possible means in the proposal of converting the Municipality of Passi into a Component City upon knowing that Passi has met the requisites as provided in Article II of the Rules and Regulations Implementing the Local Government Code 1991. This was done through Resolution No. 97-094 and House Bill 9933. All these accomplishments have contributed much to the development process of the Municipality of Passi.

Source: The League of Municipalities (Iloilo Chapter) | “A Testimonial Program” | Pototan, Iloilo | January 8, 1998