Panay, officially the Municipality of Panay (Capiznon/Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Panay; ), is a municipality in the province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
Pronounced as Pan-ay, it used to be the provincial capital of Capiz. It is the site of the famous coral-stone Santa Monica Church, home to the largest Catholic Church bell in Asia.
The town originally called Bamban was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, a word which means âÂÂmouth of the river.â This is also the location of a fortress built by Juan de la Isla in late 1570. The Paseo de Evangelización 1566 can be found in the town plaza and was erected through the efforts of Rev. Msgr. Benjamin F. AdvÃÂncula. 1566 was the year the Spaniards arrived in the island of Panay and became the second Spanish settlement in the country next to Cebu.
Miguel López de Legazpi transferred the Spanish settlement from Cebu to Panay in 1569 due to the lack of food. The town was formally founded in 1572 (1581 according to Jorde), although by that time López de Legazpi had moved the capital of the Philippines, further north, to Manila. Fr. Bartolomé de Alcántara was named the prior of the town with Fr. AgustÃÂn Camacho as assistant. A prosperous town due to trade, Panay was capital of the province of Capiz for two centuries until it changed to the town of Capiz (present-day Roxas). The town name was eventually given to whole island. After 1607, Fr. Alonso de Méntrida, noted for his linguistic studies and Visayan dictionary became prior. In the 18th century, Panay was famous for its textile industry which produced a cloth called suerte and exported to Europe. In the 19th century, Don Antonio Roxas, grandfather of Pres. Manuel Roxas, opened one of the largest rum and wine distilleries in the town. The Augustinians held the parish until 1898, when administration transferred to the seculars.
The first church was built before 1698 when it was reported to be destroyed by a typhoon. In 1774, Fr. Miguel MurguÃÂa rebuilt the church, but was again damaged by a typhoon on January 15, 1875. Fr. José Beloso restored the church in 1884. The church is best known for its 10.4 ton bell popularly called dakong lingganay (big bell). The bell was cast by Don Juan Reina who settled in Iloilo in 1868. Reina, who was the town dentist, was also noted for being a metal caster and smith. The bell was cast in Panay from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople. The bell was completed in 1878. It bears an inspiring inscription which translated reads: âÂÂI am GodâÂÂs voice which shall echo praise from one end of the town of Panay to the other, so that ChristâÂÂs faithful followers may enter this house of God to receive heavenly graces.âÂÂ
Panay is east from Roxas City.
Panay is politically subdivided into 42 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
In the 2024 census, the population of Panay, Capiz, was 50,946 people, with a density of .
The Panay Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.