Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor (; ), is a Philippine island province (the third smallest in the country, in terms of population and land area) Upon the Spaniards' arrival, Kihod introduced himself by saying "si kihod", or "I am Kihod", something which, presumably, the Spanish believed to be in reference to the physical island, thus they named it "Sikihod". Over time, the name eventually morphed into Siquijor.

Another legend says that a priest who visited the island said to the people, in Bohol, "," meaning "to follow the waves"; the people misheard this, and assumed the island's name to be Siquijor.

Siquijor may have also come from the native word quidjod, meaning "the tide is going out".

Prior to colonization, Siquijor was once called Katugasan, named after the , the molave trees which abounded the island. The native dwellers of the island used these trees to build posts () for their houses because of their strength and durability that could withstand strong typhoons and monsoons. Most of the patriarchs of the island used the to make a wooden plow () to cultivate the rocky soil for farming using mainly male cattle () to pull it through the sticky and hard rocky soil. However, before the discovery of using as the foundations of their houses, the island natives dwelt in caves as shown by the pottery and old tools like stone grinder excavated from the three caves of Sam-ang.

During this time, the people were 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. 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 occupation

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. Siquijor Island felt the presence of American rule when a unit of the American Cavalry Division came and stayed for some time. The American Military Governor in Manila appointed James Fugate, a scout with the California Volunteers of the U.S. Infantry, to oversee and implement the organization and development programs in Siquijor Island. Governor Fugate stayed for 16 years as lieutenant governor of Siquijor.

Japanese occupation

While it was not at the center of military action, Siquijor was not spared by World War II. 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, 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) was escorting a convoy of about 50 landing ships with 12 other escorts, when it 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 arrived, and alongside recognized guerrilla fighter groups, liberated Siquijor.

Philippine independence

thumb|St. Isidore the Laborer Church

After the war, Siquijor spent most of the time of the Third Philippine Republic as a subprovince of Negros Oriental.

Siquijor became an independent province on September 17, 1971, under Republic Act 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.

Contemporary

In 2006, the Lazi Church was added by the government as an extension to the Baroque Churches of the Philippines UNESCO World Heritage Site. The inscription of the church has been pending since.

In 2024, Siquijor was transferred from the Central Visayas Region to the Negros Island Region following the signing of Republic Act No. 12000 by President Bongbong Marcos.

Geography

Siquijor is an island province in Negros Island Region. It is located in the Bohol Sea and lies south of Cebu across the Cebu Strait, southeast of Negros, southwest of Bohol, and north of Mindanao. Panglao Island, which is part of Bohol, has a similar soil composition found throughout Siquijor.

With a land area of and a coastline long, Siquijor is the third-smallest province of the Philippines, both in terms of population and land area, after Camiguin and Batanes. a guided ceremony and experience for (paying) visitors to experience ancient meditative and cleansing procedures purported to rid themselves of negative energies. The experience is reportedly harmless and simply involves the application of herbs, with smoke and incense being burned, while meditating and being guided by a shamanic healer. There are also a number of other options for spiritual retreats for wealthy tourists interested in experiencing alternative practices with a non-medical, non-mainstream approach.

Nonetheless, official signage is placed around the island, upon which a portrait of the governor is seen, assuring visitors that "magic" and "witchcraft" does not exist, nor has it ever existed, on Siquijor. It is reported that certain elderly or superstitious individuals, even to this day, view the island as cursed and will not set foot there or utter its name for fear of bad luck. The island's enduring reputation as a site of pre-colonial "magic" and "sorcery" has attracted its fair share of interested visitors, and also has earned it the scorn and condemnation of others, primarily very religious (Catholic and other Christian) groups, who view self-help and "natural" healing to be "blasphemous", as it may be seen as a human attempt to "become" or imitate the works of God.

Besides the mystical attractions, nature abounds on Siquijor, and the many ecological and geographical attractions include pristine beaches, waterfalls, coral reef diving, caves, plant and animal life. 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 the formats of PADI, CMAS*, and NAUI. Two of the most popular natural attractions are Cambugahay Falls and the centuries-old Balete, a species of endemic Ficus tree, both located in Lazi. Mount Bandila-an, Siquijor's highest mountain, has a natural park and butterfly sanctuary located at the center of the island in Barangay Cantabon.

Transportation

Siquijor has two public seaports: the Port of Siquijor and the Port of Larena. These seaports are capable of servicing cargo and passenger seacrafts daily. Destinations include Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, Tagbilaran in Bohol, Cebu City, and Plaridel in Misamis Occidental.

Siquijor also has an airfield, Siquijor Airport, located near Siquijor capable of handling smaller and mostly airplanes. It does not serve commercial flights.

<gallery widths="200" heights="150">

Pitogo Cliff, Siquijor.jpg|Pitogo Cliff, San Juan

Hapitanan Cafe Siquijor.jpg|Hapitanan Cafe, Lazi

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.jpg|Cambugahay Falls, Lazi

salagdoong beach.jpg|Salagdoong Beach, Maria

St. Augustine of Hippo Parish Church.jpg|St. Augustine of Hippo church, San Juan

Siquijor Church 2.jpg|Façade of Saint Francis of Assisi church, Siquijor

Simbahan ng Lazi.JPG|Lazi Church

Sailing the Sun.jpg|Sunset at the coastline of Siquijor

</gallery>

Notable personalities

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  • Ryan Jimenez, Archbishop of Agaña
  • Julito Cortes, Bishop of Dumaguete

See also

  • Provinces of the Philippines

Notes

References

Sources

  • Official website