KURBA

At Brgy. BOLONG in the municipality of Santa Barbara, Iloilo is a curved segment of the railroad tracks which residents call the kurba or curve.

Here’s the popular version on why the tracks were so constructed:

During the construction of the Iloilo-Capiz railroad in the 1900’s, an enchanted Salay tree happened to stand in the way where the tracks were to be constructed.  Workmen refused to cut the tree and did not even go near it.  It came to a point when the construction engineers had to decide on what to do with the obstruction.  They went to the site and as they neared the tree, a strange old man appeared and told them not to violate his “kingdom.”

The engineers could not do otherwise but offered to compensate the impending disturbance and told the man that the railroad company was willing to pay a large amount just to have the construction pushed through. In retort, the strange man told them that he was not in need of money as he had enough of it—enough even to buy the whole of America itself! 

And so the enchanted tree was spared.  The railroad tracks were constructed some distance from it.  Instead of the usual straight line, the railway company made a curved one.

With the demise of the Panay Railways, the official version of how the kurba came about may never be known.