Sicogón is an island in northern

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

, which is part of the municipality of Carles, Iloilo,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is named after ''cogon'', a type of grass found in abundance on the island. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,238. Sicogon was a popular tourist destination during the 1970s, famous for its crystal clear waters and long stretch of white sand beach lined with coconut trees. However, due to the situation caused by

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

, development stalled and Sicogon's popularity faded in favor of

Boracay Boracay (; often locally shortened to Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of three barangays in Malay, Akla ...

Island.

History

Sicogon Island was declared a tourist destination zone by former President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

in 1976.

Modern development

In June 2012, a municipal ordinance that declared Sicogon Island as a tourist destination was recognized by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Iloilo Province. The declaration aims to revive the island as a tourist destination and to open it for commercial use. A P10-billion development project was launched on May 9, 2013 by the Sicogon Development Corporation (SIDECO), with the intent of reviving Sicogon as a world-class tourist destination."Sicogon Island -The Awakening"
/ref> The project included constructing a five-star hotel and resort, seaport and an airport on the existing airstrip. This plan was not without controversy, as locals clashed with the developer, causing the town of Carles to send an eight-member police force to mediate between the developer, who claimed that residents had agreed to be relocated voluntarily, and residents who said the developer was forcing them off of public lands. On 8 November 2014 a pact was signed between SIDECO and local residents to begin development, with the goal of transforming Sicogon into an ecotourism destination.

Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...

passed over Sicogon Island (along with the rest of Panay) on November 8, 2013, damaging fishing boats and nets. Canadian Air Force troops arrived on Sicogon on November 26, bringing medical supplies to the islanders, many of whom were suffering from coughs and colds.

Location and geography

Sicogon is southeast from Calagna-an Island. Other nearby islands include Canas Island in the north, Balbagon Island in the east and

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...

Island in the west. Tumaguin Island is accessible by foot from Sicogon during low tide. East of the islands is the

Visayan Sea The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south. The sea is connected to several bod ...

, which is a rich fishing ground and source of livelihood for people living in the region. Sicogon's highest point is Mt. Opao, north-east of barangay Buaya, at . The summit is accessible by trekking and on the summit the entire coastline that surrounds the island can be seen.

Barangays

Sicogon consists of the following three

barangays A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

: * Alipata * Buaya * San Fernando

Transport

Air

The Sicogon Airport is the former airstrip that has been redeveloped and opened in 2018. Charter flights to and from Sicogon to Manila and vice versa will take place in late 2018. It is located in Barangay San Fernando.

Boat

Boats can be chartered from

Estancia An estancia is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias in the southern South American grasslands, the ''pampas'', have historically been estates used to raise livestock, such as cattle or sheep. In Pu ...

for less than 2,000 pesos. A public passenger boat leaves from Estancia port normally once daily, at 1 pm. The trip from Estancia to Sicogon takes roughly 45 minutes.