Panay is located on plain and fertile land irrigated by the river the same name. The climate is rather humid due to the abundant nipa fields and the low sea level. It is bounded by the sea of mindoro, Pontevedra and the town of Capiz. Its location was so low that when the panay river overflowed, e flood waters used to reached the mean aaltar of the church.

The original name Bamban was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, aword which means “mouth of river” this was the place where juan de la Isla built a fortress.

Father Martin de Rada is said to have been the first preach the gospel in 1566 by the banks of the river in the town of Bamban (Pan-ay). The town of Pan-ay was founded in 1572 under the advocation of Sta. Monica although according to jorde, it was founded in 1581. Originally this town was a small settlement with 2,645 tributos or 7,935 souls: it soon developed into a flourishing town. According to another writer, “it was the biggest ministry of the island and the richest town due to its trade with the Capiz an the Sangleys”.

This town  was under the care of augustinians from th e begining until    1898 . Traditionally , the Panayanos   speak the Hilig ueyna (hiligay non)    dialect with exquisite purity and elegance. They speak in Honey voice      manner  resembling that of the andalusian s of spain , without the speech   defect of the cebuanos who skip letters in their pronounciation and distort  the simplicity  of the visayan  languages according to Fernandez.

The bell was cost by Don Juan  Reina, who had settled  in Iloilo  City  J.M. Basa  Street in 1868  and their established his  blacksmith  and cast ing shop. When the belfry was being constructed   Fr. Jose Beluso sent for him. With just few  rud imentary tools Reina set temporary    shop at the foot of the  town and hurried with the casting    of the bell . The five story  belfry is the center of curiousity  because of its unusally huge bell-  cast in 19th  century  from 70 sacks   of coin donated  by th e  town folk. It  measured se ven feet in diamete , five  feet in hight and weight 10,400 kilograms.

The  people of the town affectionately  call it Dakung Lingganay for “big bell”. Then, the priest   and caster  agreed  on the testing time. When the bell tried  during  the Angelus, the sound was so loud  that every nearby town heard the voice of the bell  of Panay.