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Anini-y is often left out in an average traveler’s itinerary when making their way to San Jose, Antique. After all, the usual route of vehicles plying to and from the province’s capital does not pass through here but through Hamtic. Anyway, there are a lot of good things that you will find in Anini-y, although one will need to have a deep sense of appreciation for anything that’s simple, rustic, and laidback, for these three words are best things that you will appreciate about Anini-y. It’s a place that gives meaning to the small-town-everyone-knows-everyone notion—Filipino style. Coming to Anini-y will make you realize that these simple folks are actually by far more blessed with the abundance of life compared to those living in the city.
Yes, Anini-y
does not have the trappings of strong internet connection, cable channels or
so. It has unlighted streets at night, dirt roads and silence that would tend
to bore you. But one would always realize that this place, these people are
blessed with the bounty of Mother Nature and their simple way of life manifests
to the abundance that they have—not the material things, but rather, things
that money could never buy.
A trip to Anini y does not come by chance because you don’t
pass by it when you think a bus ride to San Jose would lead you there. Upon
reaching the Antique-bound terminal in Molo, Iloilo City, you have to ask
dispatchers where the vehicle is bound for Anini-y. There would be a bus or van
leaving every hour or so, but be patient because the driver usually waits until
the vehicle gets full to leave. If you’re riding an ordinary bus, fare is
usually around P80; P100 for an airconditioned van. Senior citizen and student
discounts are granted, just be sure to present your ID.
Near the end of the town of San Joaquin, there would be an intersection with a sign that tells the left road leads to Anini-y and the right one treads to Hamtic. Travelers riding the PUV don’t need to worry because your driver would take you there. You will pass through winding, zigzag roads shrouded by trees and tall mountains. Occasionally, you would see glimpse of the sea and the rugged shoreline and terraced farmlands that sit on the lap of tall mountains. There’s no wonder that Anini-y is dubbed as the town where the mountain meets the sea.
You will know you’ve entered Anini-y when you’ve been
welcomed by the marker. It’s another 30 minutes before you reach the town
proper. You will pass through the famous Siraan Hot Spring. Entrance is P30 for
the locals and P60 for nonlocals. It is actually located right in front of the
beach, cradled in rocks. The spring (aka pool) is actually manmade and the
sulfuric water flows deep from the grounds to a reservoir that supplies water
to the pool. There is actually an extinct volcano in the location, which
explains why a hot spring is in place.
There’s a restaurant inside the resort, Gerbo’s, and there’s a plethora of menus to choose from. So after soaking for an hour or two, you can enjoy a sumptuous meal of seafood, meat or so. There are also cottages for rent, so visitors who want to stay overnight could book for an accommodation. Air-conditioned rooms are available for P1,200, while non-airconditioned rooms are available for P800. Find out more details about Siraan Hot Spring on their Facebook page.
No trip to Anini-y is complete without crossing to Nogas
Island. Legend has it that Nogas is Anini-y’s better half. Sweet hearts, so
they say. A mermaid helped Nogas win over Anini-y’s love but on their wedding
day, the couple failed to invite her, so the enraged sea-creature decided the
couple was not worth her help and cursed them for separation forever. A glimpse
of Nogas at Siraan’sviewing deck would definitely want you to reach for that
island. It’s like a place you don’t want to miss. Good thing the resort offers
boat ride for P500. It’s a 15-20 minute ride going to what is dubbed as
Antique’s little Boracay. Sadly, the waves were strong during my visit and the
receptionist told me the trip to Nogas was suspended until the weather turns
fine.
When your stint at the resort is done, you can catch a
tricycle ride going to town to see Anique’s oldest and perhaps finest Catholic
Church. Anyway, you’d feel like walking when you’re here. Life seems to be
slow-paced here, so treading the highway from the resort to the town proper by
foot would be fine. Anini-y teaches visitors to slow down for a while and
appreciate the beauty of nature.
Anini-y was said to have been founded by a fisherman between
1600-30. It then became a settlement primarily of fishers who moved from
Asluman (Asloman), a barrio in Hamtic, which is Antique’s oldest settlement. Here
in Hamtic, it was also said that the legendary Barter of Panay between the
native Atis and the Malays took place. Until 1862, Anini-y was a visita of Hamtic and priests would come
here every now and gain to hold mass, preach the gospel and evangelize the locals.
The conversion of locals to Catholicism was primarily the work of Fr. Hipólito Casimiro
and Fray Felíx Rojay Zuñiga. A decree in 1861 eventually established Anini-y as
an independent parish.
The lack of personnel in Anini-y caused the influx of Cebuano seculars to run the parish. Antique governor Don Joaquin Varón (1849-53) requested the Augustinians to take charge “so that better buildings would rise in Antique’s skylines.” In 1875, the first Augustinian priest, Fray Romualdo Crespo was installed. The parish laid vacant during the Philippine Revolution and was eventually take over by the Aglipayans in 1902. In 1906, the British Catholic missionary congregation, the Mill Hill Fathers, took charge of Antique. Two years later, Anini-y returned to the Catholic faith the fathers and the fathers started running the parish in 1908.
Impressions on the Antiqueños, particularly to the locals of
Anini-y: They’re warm, friendly and they have that sense of community. You’ll
seldom see big houses here, just your average nipa hut or the usual bungalow. Some have been built quite some
time ago, others, just recently. The
highway is concrete but most of the municipal roads are not. But you will see
and feel the contentment in the people’s lives. Here, time stands still and this
would make you feel that the essence of living is the hearth and home. I met
country folks who let me in and it was raining hard outside and I got nowhere
to stay for the night. That was an experience. I really loved strolling on the
dirt roads that pass through expansive farmlands on that foot of tall
mountains. I felt the morning dew and felt great with the fog around me.
Traveling to Anini-y would make you realize that it’s not really all about
staying at a 5-star accommodation or eating the best gourmet dishes.
Sometimes,
even when you eat on your bare hands, even if you sleep on the floor, even if
you just walk around, there’s that sense of fulfillment knowing that you’ve
learned something you won’t ever learn even if you have all the technology
around you. And Anini-y made me experience how it is to enjoy life at its
barest simplicity.
