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Archdiocese of Capiz

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Archdiocese of Capiz
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In a land area of 2,663 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers the civil Province of Capiz and the City of Roxas.

Capiz is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region (Region VI). Its capital is Roxas City and is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan and Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north.

Roxas City is situated at the Northeastern tip of the Island of Panay. Its boundaries are: Visayan Sea on the North, Municipality of Panit-an on the South, Municipality of Ivisan on the West, and Municipality of Panay on the East. The city classified, as a second Class Component City, belongs to the first political district of the Province of Capiz along with the Municipality of Maayon, Panay, Panit-an, Pilar, Pontevedra, and Pres. (President) Roxas.

Population

As of year end 2016 the total population of the diocese is 835,457 of which 93.10 percent are Catholics.

History

The Diocese of Capiz was created on Jan. 27, 1951 and was elevated to an archdiocese on Jan. 17, 1976. It now comprises the civil province of Capiz and Roxas City and has Kalibo and Romblon as suffragans.

Capiz is one of the provinces on the island of Panay. It is part of a group of provinces forming the Western Visayas group now comprising Region VII. On Panay Island, Capiz is bounded on the south and on the east by the province of Iloilo, on the west by Antique, on the northwest by Aklan and on the north by the Sibuyan Sea.

The early history of Capiz is closely associated with that of Aklan. Both were called Aklan under Datu Bankaya who, with ten other datus from Borneo settled in Panay in the 13th century. Aklan was ruled by the descendants of Bankaya until the Spaniards arrived in 1569. Miguel Lopez de Legaspi is reported to have established a settlement in Capiz and made it an independent encomienda.

The entire island of Panay was under the leadership of Datu Sumakwel who is remembered in Philippine history as the wisest of the group of datus from Borneo who bought the lowlands with gold from the Negritos. The so called Code of Kalantiaw, a code of laws in pre-Spanish times, also originated from Panay, presumably made by Datu Kalantiaw, descendant of Sumakwel.

The separation of Aklan from Capiz took place in 1956. Most of the inhabitants speak Hiligaynon a kind of Visayan with a distinct accent.

Education

Literacy rate (simple literacy) is 92.04 percent.

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