Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 107,722 people in 21,446 households. It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod-Silay City International Airport, which will replace the Bacolod City Domestic Airport.
A local legend tells of how Silay City got its name. It is said that in the days of the datus and rajahs, there once lived a princess named Kansilay. An attack on the settlement by pirates was thwarted when the princess bravely led the people in the village's defense. The fight was furious and the princess fought like a seasoned warrior. Murals that used to grace some of the city's public buildings depict her as a fierce fighter wielding a huge talibong, a short native single-edged sword. The pirates were routed, but at the cost of the princess' life. Her paramour arrived in time to see her die. In grief, the people lovingly buried her. To their surprise, a tree grew right over her grave, the first Kansilay tree, a final gift from the brave princess.
Silay is also the name of the 1535 meter-high volcano cone near the city of Silay. On its slopes lies Patag, the site of the Japanese forces' last stand in Western Visayas during World War II.
Tagasilay, also referencing the Kansilay tree, is a barangay in the Philippine city of Zamboanga in the island of Mindanao. The apellation 'tagasilay' translates to 'from silay' or 'of silay' in Hiligaynon.