Siquijor Visayas
Siquijor is a province in the Central Visayas Region of the Philippines.(Region VII)
Siquijor is ever popular as being an idyllic small island getaway for those who appreciate nature at its purest, for hikers and bikers, and lovers of the ocean.
Cities of Siquijor Province.
None. Siquijor is the town capital.
Municipalities of Siquijor Province.
Enrique Villanueva
Larena
Lazi
Maria
San Juan
Siquijor (town capital)
Airports in Siquijor Province.
Siquijor Airport, is a community feeder aerodrome serving the general area of Siquijor. The airport is classified as a community airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Hotels in Siquijor Province.
Check HotelsCombined for Holiday Accomodation in Siquijor, Visayas
Special Events in Siquijor Province.
TBA
Government Website for Siquijor Province.
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Recent Siquijor Posts:
History of Siquijor (from wikipedia.org)
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 3 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.[6] 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’s expedition. The Spaniards called the island Isla del Fuego (“Island of Fire”), because the island gave off an eerie glow, from the great swarms of fireflies that lived in the numerous molave trees 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. 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 priest arrived in Siquijor in 1794. Several years later, a priest of the same order founded the parishes of Larena (initially called Can‑oan), Lazi (formerly Tigbawan), San Juan (Makalipay), and Maria (Cang‑meniao). With the exception of Enrique Villanueva, the other five municipalities were established as parishes in 1877. From 1854 to 1892, Siquijor was part of the province of Negros Oriental, and became a 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. 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 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. 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 10 November 1942, Japanese warships started shelling Lazi from Cang‑abas 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 30 September 1943, the United States submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287) delivered supplies to the people of Siquijor and evacuated people from the island.
On 21 February 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 arrived, and alongside recognized guerrilla fighter groups, liberated Siquijor.
After 1945
St. Isidore the Laborer Church
For a time Siquijor was a subprovince of Negros Oriental, but it became an independent province on 17 September 1971, by virtue of 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.[12] 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 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.