Iloilo does not get nearly so many foreign tourists as Cebu and Manila. Places like Boracay, Dumaguete and Bohol see more tourists and have many more resident foreigners than Iloilo. Sometimes, I can spend the day in the city and not see another foreigner. I find Ilonggos, male and female, to have a reserve and seriousness which differentiates them from the more outgoing Cebuanos and even Tagalogs. They seem serious, proud, industrious, honest, and pious compared the more fun-loving Cebuanos or Tagalogs.
I rarely see young Filipinas with older foreigners, a very common sight in Cebu. Many of the Filipina-foreigner couples appear to be married couples who have grown plump together over the years. In short, Iloilo is not the best choice for the foreigner looking for a good time. The upside of this is that the foreigner is more a curiosity than an opportunity and is generally left in peace and treated with respect. There are not so many beggars. Sometimes when I do see children begging money, they will approach other Filipinos or my wife but not me.
I wonder if the relative lack of begging and prostitution relates to Ilonggo pride. In almost ten years I have never had even a hint of a problem with crime or pickpockets. On the contrary, we have experienced so many acts of kindness. I left a bag with cellphone and digital camera behind when getting off the jeepney. Fellow riders stopped me to be sure I did not forget the bag.
If I drop something, multiple people rush to make sure I get it back. When this post was originally written, Iloilo was a quiet small city, easy to get without too much traffic.
That is rapidly changing as the city grows at a breakneck speed. Traffic congestion and lack of parking is are increasingly serious problems and getting around the city can be a trial. Hopefully residents will benefit from this rapid growth and expats will have new housing and shopping options, but for us going into the city is no longer as easy or enjoyable as it once was.
