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Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the
Central Visayas Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) and thr ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. Its capital is the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
also named
Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...
. To the north of Siquijor is
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
, to the west is
Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...
, northeast is
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. ...
, and to the south, across the
Bohol Sea The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is a sea located between the Visayas and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major citi ...
, is
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. During the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the Spaniards called the island (Island of Fire). Siquijor is commonly associated with mystic traditions that the island's growing tourism industry capitalizes on.


History


Creation of the island

A Siquijor legend tells of a great storm which once engulfed the region. Then there came a strong earthquake that shook the earth and sea. Amidst the lightning and thunder arose an island from the depths of the ocean's womb which came to be known as the island. Despite being a legend, modern times highland farmers have unraveled giant shell casings under farm plots, supporting the theory that Siquijor is indeed an island that rose from the sea.


Precolonial Era

Prior to colonization, the island polity was home to the Kingdom (Kedatuan) of Katugasan, from tugas, the molave trees that cover the hills, which abounded the island along with fireflies. The ''tugas'' or molave trees were used by the ancient dwellers of the island in making posts or ''haligi'' of their houses because of its strength and durability that could withstand and struggle against strong typhoons and ''habagat'' and was proven by the house of ''Totang'' built near the artesian well of Cang-igdot. Most of the patriarchs of the island made the ''tugas'' trees to a wooden plow or ''tukod'' to cultivate the rocky soil for farming using mainly ''toro'' or male cattle to pull it through the sticky and hard rocky soil. However, before the discovery of making ''tugas'' as the foundations of their house, the primitive Siquijodnons dwelt in the caves as evidenced by the pottery and old tools like stone grinder or ''liligsan'' excavated by Mitring from the three caves of Sam-ang. During this time, the people of the kingdom was already in contact with Chinese traders, as seen through archaeological evidence including Chinese ceramics and other objects. The art of traditional healing and traditional witchcraft belief systems also developed within this period. During the arrival of the Spanish, the monarch of the island was Datu Kihod, as recorded in Legazpi's chronicles.


Spanish era

The island was first sighted by the Spaniards in 1565 during
Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, ...
's expedition. The Spaniards called the island ("Island of Fire"), because the island gave off an eerie glow, from the great swarms of fireflies that lived in the numerous
molave tree ''Vitex parviflora'' is a species of plant in the family Verbenaceae, also known as smallflower chastetree or the molave tree. The name "molave" is from Spanish, derived from ''mulawin'', the Tagalog word for the tree. It is also known as ''tugas ...
s on the island. Esteban Rodríguez of the Legazpi expedition led the first Spaniards to discover the island. He was captain of a small party that left Legazpi's camp in Bohol to explore the nearby islands which are now called Pamilican, Siquijor, and Negros. The island, along with the rest of the archipelago, was subsequently annexed to the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
. Founded in 1783 under the administration of secular clergymen, Siquijor became the first municipality as well as the first parish to be established on the island. Siquijor was, from the beginning, administered by the Diocese of Cebu. As for civil administration, Siquijor was under Bohol since the province had its own governor. The first
Augustinian Recollect The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same Rule of St. Augustine. History The Order was founded in 16t ...
priest arrived in Siquijor in 1794. Several years later, a priest of the same order founded the parishes of Larena (initially called ), Lazi (formerly Tigbawan), San Juan (Makalipay), and Maria (). With the exception of Enrique Villanueva, the other five municipalities were established as parishes in 1877. From 1854 to 1892, Siquijor was administered by the politico-military province of Bohol. Later in 1892, it was transferred to Negros Oriental and became its sub-province in 1901.


American rule and World War II

At the turn of the century, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America with the Treaty of Paris that ended the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
. Siquijor island felt the presence of American rule when a unit of the American Cavalry Division came and stayed for sometime. The American Military Governor in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
appointed James Fugate, a scout with the California Volunteers of the U.S. Infantry, to oversee and to implement the organization and development programs in Siquijor Island. Governor Fugate stayed for 16 years as lieutenant governor of Siquijor. While it was not at the center of military action, Siquijor was not spared by
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Imperial Japanese detachments occupied the island between 1942 and 1943, announcing their arrival on the island with heavy shelling. At the outbreak of the war, Siquijor was a sub-province of Negros Oriental, headed by Lieutenant Governor Nicolas Parami. Refusing to pledge allegiance to the Japanese forces, Lt. Governor Parami was taken by Japanese soldiers from his residence at Poo, Lazi one evening and brought to the military headquarters in Larena. He was never heard from again. On November 10, 1942, Japanese warships started shelling Lazi from Cangabas Point. In Lazi, a garrison was established in the old Home Economics Building of the Central School. Filipino guerrillas engaged in sabotage and the interaction during this time caused havoc on the Japanese lives and properties. During this period, Siquijor was briefly governed by Shunzo Suzuki, a Japanese civilian appointed by the Japanese forces until he was assassinated in October 1942 by the guerrilla forces led by Iluminado Jumawanin, of Caipilan, Siquijor. Mamor Fukuda took control of Siquijor from June 1943 until the Japanese forces abandoned the island when the liberation forces came in 1944. In 1943, the Japanese puppet government appointed Sebastian Monera of San Juan as Governor of Siquijor. His administration, however, was cut short when he was executed, presumably by Filipino guerrillas operating in the mountains of Siquijor. On September 30, 1943, the United States submarine USS ''Bowfin'' (SS-287) delivered supplies to the people of Siquijor and evacuated people from the island. On February 21, 1945, the destroyer USS ''Renshaw'' (DD-499), part of Task Unit 78.7.6, was escorting a convoy of about 50 various landing ships with 12 other escorts. At 10:59, ''Renshaw'' was attacked by a Japanese midget submarine off the coast of Siquijor, which caused extensive damage to the ship and killed 19 of the crew. In mid-1945, local Filipino soldiers and officers under the 7th, 75th and 76th Infantry Division of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army The Philippine Army was established on December 21, 1935, as the Army of the Philippines, with a general headquarters in Manila, and units and formations based throughout the provinces of the Philippines. The Philippine Army was initially o ...
arrived, and alongside recognized guerrilla fighter groups, liberated Siquijor.


After 1945

For a time Siquijor was a subprovince of
Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...
, but it became an independent province on September 17, 1971, by virtue of ''
Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be ...
6398''. The move was supported by the people of Siquijor as they have a distinct culture from those of Negros Oriental, while Marcos used the movement as a means to secure support from the people of the island to pave martial law acceptance the following year. The capital, formerly Larena, was transferred to the municipality of Siquijor in 1972 by ''Proclamation No. 1075'', under martial law. In 2006, the
Lazi Church The San Isidro Labrador Parish Church (Spanish: ''Iglesia Parroquial de San Isidro Labrador''), commonly known as Lazi Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Lazi, Siquijor, Philippines within the jurisdiction of the Diocese o ...
was added by the government as an extension to the
Baroque Churches of the Philippines The Baroque Churches of the Philippines are a collection of four Spanish Colonial-era baroque churches in the Philippines, which were included in UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1993. The churches are also considered as national cultural tre ...
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The inscription of the church has been pending since.


Geography

Siquijor is an island province in
Central Visayas Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) and thr ...
. It lies southeast from Cebu and Negros across
Cebu Strait Cebu Strait ( Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. Geography The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan, the Olango, & the Hilutangan) connects the western part of t ...
(also called Bohol Strait) and southwest from Bohol.
Panglao Island Panglao is an island in the north Bohol Sea, located in the Central Visayas region of the Visayas island group, in the south-central Philippines. Geography The island has an area of . It is within Bohol Province, and comprises two municipalit ...
, which is part of Bohol province, has a similar composition of the soil which is found throughout the whole island of Siquijor. With a land area of and a coastline long, Siquijor is the third smallest province of the Philippines, both in terms of population as well as land area: (after
Camiguin Camiguin, officially the Province of Camiguin ( ceb, Probinsya sa Camiguin; tl, Lalawigan ng Camiguin; Kamigin: ''Probinsya ta Kamigin''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about off the northern coast of ...
and
Batanes Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes ( ivv, Provinsiya nu Batanes; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; fil, Lalawigan ng Batanes, ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It i ...
).


Topography

The island lies about east of the nearest point on southern Negros, southeast of Cebu, southwest of Bohol, and north of
Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Zamboanga''; Subanon: ''Utara Sembwangan''; tl, Hilagang Zamboanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a province in the Philippines situated within the Zamboanga Peninsula region in ...
in Mindanao. It is predominantly hilly and in many places the hills reach the sea, producing precipitous cliffs. At the center, Mount Malabahoc (locally known as Mount Bandilaan) reaches about in elevation, the highest point on the island. Three marine terraces can be roughly traced especially in the vicinity of Tagibo on the southwestern part of the island, a barrio of San Juan municipality from the seacoast up into the central part. Siquijor is a coralline island, and fossils of the giant clam '' tridacna'' are often encountered in the plowed inland fields. On the hilltops there are numerous shells of the molluscan species presently living in the seas around the island. Siquijor was probably formed quite recently, geologically speaking. The ocean depths between Siquijor and Bohol and Mindanao are in the neighborhood of .


Climate

Siquijor has two different climates, dominated by Am. All climate is within Coronas climate type IV, characterised by not very pronounced maximum rainfall with a short dry season from one to three months and a wet season of nine to ten months. The dry season starts in February and lasts through April sometimes extending to midMay. Five of the municipalities have significant rainfall most months of the year, with a short dry season that has little effect. This location is classified as Am (
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
) by Köppen–Geiger climate classification system. The average annual temperature in Siquijor is , with variation throughout the year less than 2 degrees Celsius ( deg F). The precipitation about varies between the driest month and the wettest month, with the average rainfall or less. The municipality Lazi has a significant amount of rainfall during the year. This is true even for the driest month. According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as Af (
tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southe ...
). In a year, the average rainfall is .


Administrative division

Siquijor (province) comprises 6
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
. Siquijor (municipality) is the capital and most important port. ;
18th Congress of the Philippines The 18th Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Ikalabingwalong Kongreso ng Pilipinas), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 22, 2019, until June 1, 2022, during the last three years of Rodrigo Duterte's pres ...
The Lone district of Siquijor is the representation of the province in various national legislatures. The current representative is Jake Vincent S. Villa.


Demographics

According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 95,984. The average annual growth rate between 2000 and 2015 was , lower than the national growth rate of for the same period.


Languages

The main language spoken in the island province is Cebuano, with
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...
and English often used as second languages. The former is understood and used as the national ''lingua franca'', but it is rarely used in everyday conversation among locals.


Religion

95% of the island's residents belong to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, while the remainder belong to various other Christian churches. Despite the province's Catholic affinities, almost all of the residents continue to adhere to traditional practices that were used prior the 15th century, albeit these practices have also adopted Christian belief systems as well. Due to the ingrained and indispensable traditional belief systems, majority of residents have continued to possess a high respect for the natural environment which was revered by the ancestors of the people. Siquijor is known for its unique Philippine culture of blending Catholicism with traditional religious practices – a major part of its people's cultural heritage and identity.


Education

The literacy rate of 92.5% is one of the highest in the country. The Siquijor State College located in
Larena Larena, officially the Municipality of Larena ( ceb, Lungsod sa Larena; tl, Bayan ng Larena), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Siquijor, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,454 people. It was the ...
is the only state college in the province.


Economy


Tourism

Siquijor's long-time reputation as a place of magic and sorcery both attracts and repulses visitors. Siquijor is also well known for its festivals that focus on healing rituals where incantations are sung while the old folks make potions out of herbs, roots, insects and tree barks. Among the many attractions are the beaches, caves, waterfalls, Bandilaan natural park and butterfly sanctuary. The most popular of them are the Cambugahay Falls, Paliton Beach and the centuries-old
Balete tree The balete tree (also known as balite or baliti) are several species of the trees in the Philippines from the genus ''Ficus'' that are broadly referred to as ''balete'' in the local language. A number of these are known as '' strangler figs'' wh ...
, both located in Lazi. The coral reefs ringing the island offer some of the best diving in the Philippines for snorkelers and scuba divers. Dive courses are conducted by several dive operators on the island in version of PADI, CMAS* and NAUI. Siquijor was declared a marine visitor arrivals among the three provinces in Region VII.


Transportation

The island of Siquijor has two seaports capable of servicing cargo and passenger sea crafts. Siquijor also has an airfield located near
Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...
capable of handling smaller and mostly airplanes.


Gallery

Cang-Isok House.jpg, CangIsok house in the town of Enrique Villanueva, a century-old house built on stilts that withstood ravages brought about by time and nature Siquijor - Sandugan Beach.jpg, Sandugan Beach, Larena Cambugahay Falls at Siguijor.jpg, Cambugahay Falls, Lazi salagdoong beach.jpg, Salagdoong Beach, Maria St. Augustine of Hippo Parish Church.jpg, St. Augustine of Hippo church, San Juan St. Francis of Assisi Church (Siquijor, Siquijor).jpg, Façade of Saint Francis of Assisi church, Siquijor Allan Jay Quesada - Church Convent - DSC 2347.jpg, Facade of St. Isidore the Laborer (Lazi Church) Convent Sailing the Sun.jpg, Sunset at the coastline of Siquijor


Notable personalities

*Datu Kihod - the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Katugasan, who reigned during the 16th centuryhttp://www.luzpalma.com/Information%20gather%20from%20the%20island%20of%20Siquijor.html


See also

*
Provinces of the Philippines In the Philippines, provinces ( fil, lalawigan) are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government uni ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Siquijor island - information
{{Authority control Provinces of the Philippines Island provinces of the Philippines States and territories established in 1971 1971 establishments in the Philippines Bohol Sea Former sub-provinces of the Philippines