SIQUIJOR

ISLAND

OVERVIEW

Area: Coastal circumference of Siquijor is

102 km, and total land mass is 343.5
square km. This makes Siquijor the third
smallest province in the country both in
terms of population and land area.

Languages: The main language spoken in

Siquijor is Cebuano. English as well as
Tagalog is also spoken by most of the
residents.

Population: According to the 2000

census, there are a total of 81,598
Siquijodnons, as the residents of Siquijor
call themselves. The same census also
states that Siquijor has 17,351 households
with an average household size of 4.70
persons. The annual population growth
rate is 2.19%, which is slightly lower than
the national growth rate of 2.36%.

Education: Literacy rate, one of the

highest in the country, is at 92.5%.

Climate: Siquijor has a dry season from

around December to May, while the other
half of the year is markedly more humid.
Annual rainfall is 1,305 millimeters, with
mean temperature of 27.8 degrees C and
humidity of 78%.

HISTORY

The Island of Siquijor is known to many as

the mystical island of the Philippines. The
name of the island has changed a few
times though history though. The island’s
native name used to be ´Katagusan´, from
tugas, the molave trees that cover the hills.
Because of the molave trees and the
fireflies in them, the island was earlier
poetically known to the spaniards as Isla
del Fuego – The Island of Fire. Siquijor –
The island’s present name, is claimed to
be after King Kihod, a legendary ruler in
power when the Spanish explorers arrived.
When the Spaniards discovered the island
they were alledgedly greeted by this King
Kihod, who presented himself with these
words ‘si Kihod’ (I am Kihod) The
spaniards mistakingly thinking that he was
talking about the island adopted the name
Sikihod which later changed to Siquijor, as
it was easier to pronounce. A more down
to earth explanation of the name, is that it
comes from the native term quidjod which
means the tide is going out.

Perhaps it is very fitting for an island with a

mystery to its name, that the island itself is
rumored to be quite the center of
mystique. Since old days people have
seen Siquijor as an island of voodoo and
witchcraft and still to this day many
superstitious Philippinos prefer not to visit
the island. Interestingly one of the first
sights to greet new arrivals is a billboard
with the picture of the governor, who in no
uncertain terms states that witchcraft on
Siquijor does not exist. One cannot help
but wonder if he’s heard of reverse
psychology.

An old legend tells how Siquijor arose from

the depth of the ocean during a great
earthquake that shook the whole Visayas.
Whilst lightning pierced the sky and the
storm raged over the seas Siquijor
emerged out of the waves. While it may in
actual fact have taken millenia of tectonic
action to shape the island, one must admit
the story holds a certain truth, even if it’s
somewhat embellished. Farmers in the
highlands of Siquijor still unravel giant
seashells in their soil.

Myth and legends aside, Siquijor was

discovered by the Spaniards Estaban
Rodriguez and Juan Aguirre during the
Legazpi expedition in 1565. Siquijor and
the rest of the Philippines was under
spanish sovereignty until 1898 when they
ceded the Philippines to the United States.

During World War II Siquijor wasn’t

spared, though it wasn’t in the center of
severe military action. The island was
occupied by Japanese detachments
between 1942 and 1943. The Japanese
established a garrison, but met resistance
from Philippine guerrillas, who engaged in
sabotage and sought to cause havoc to
the Japanese properties. Initially the
imperial Japanese forces appointed a
civilian -Shunzo Suzuki -to govern Siquijor
during this period but he was quickly
assassinated by guerrilla forces. Another
Japanese – Mamor Fukuda took control
until the allied liberation forces came in
1944 and forced the Japanese to abandon
Siquijor.

LOCAL FOLKLORE

The Island of Siquijor is known to many as

the mystical island of the Philippines. The
name of the island has changed a few
times though history though. The island’s
native name used to be ´Katagusan´, from
tugas, the molave trees that cover the hills.
Because of the molave trees and the
fireflies in them, the island was earlier
poetically known to the spaniards as Isla
del Fuego – The Island of Fire. Siquijor –
The island’s present name, is claimed to
be after King Kihod, a legendary ruler in
power when the Spanish explorers arrived.
When the Spaniards discovered the island
they were alledgedly greeted by this King
Kihod, who presented himself with these
words ‘si Kihod’ (I am Kihod) The
spaniards mistakingly thinking that he was
talking about the island adopted the name
Sikihod which later changed to Siquijor, as
it was easier to pronounce. A more down
to earth explanation of the name, is that it
comes from the native term quidjod which
means the tide is going out.

Perhaps it is very fitting for an island with a

mystery to its name, that the island itself is
rumored to be quite the center of
mystique. Since old days people have
seen Siquijor as an island of voodoo and
witchcraft and still to this day many
superstitious Philippinos prefer not to visit
the island. Interestingly one of the first
sights to greet new arrivals is a billboard
with the picture of the governor, who in no
uncertain terms states that witchcraft on
Siquijor does not exist. One cannot help
but wonder if he’s heard of reverse
psychology.

An old legend tells how Siquijor arose from

the depth of the ocean during a great
earthquake that shook the whole Visayas.
Whilst lightning pierced the sky and the
storm raged over the seas Siquijor
emerged out of the waves. While it may in
actual fact have taken millenia of tectonic
action to shape the island, one must admit
the story holds a certain truth, even if it’s
somewhat embellished. Farmers in the
highlands of Siquijor still unravel giant
seashells in their soil.

Myth and legends aside, Siquijor was

discovered by the Spaniards Estaban
Rodriguez and Juan Aguirre during the
Legazpi expedition in 1565. Siquijor and
the rest of the Philippines was under
spanish sovereignty until 1898 when they
ceded the Philippines to the United States.

For ages people of the Philippines have

attributed Siquijor Island with mystique and
eerie phenomena. Still today the folksy
spiritualism plays a large part in the image
of the island, and believers still come to
sample the witch brew, ranging from
potions intended to cure fever or stomach
cramps to love potions or concoctions for
those vengeful of heart. Bolo-bolo One of
the many healing rituals performed on
Siquijor is that of bolo-bolo. It is performed
with the use of a drinking glass, water,
stone and straw. The sessions usually
begins with the healer taking the pulse of
the patient. By doing so, the healer can
supposedly tell if the affliction is caused by
natural or unnatural means. Some refuse
to heal patients if the nature of the
sickness is profane, refering instead the
patients to the doctor. Other healers claim
they can cure both natural and unnatural
ailments. Regardless, the practise is the
same.

The healer drops a black stone into a

glass, the stone allegedly having been
acquired through some sort of magic.
Then the healer half fills the glass with
water. Using a wooden straw the healer
then blows bubbles into the water, whilst
holding the glass against the patient in the
area affected by the disease. Gradually
the water will become brown, murky or
even blackish. Sometimes small stones,
shrubs, bones or other material will appear
in the water as the healer keps blowing
bubbles. This procedure is repeated a
until the water no longer become tainted
when the healer blows, by which time the
patient is supposedly cured. Sceptics may
of course speculate the healer slowly
regurgitate or spit material through the
straw, but in a world with too many
shopping malls and not enough magic
such thoughts are perhaps just dull.
Regardless, whether you believe in bolo-
bolo or not, the mysticism of it and many
other arcane practises is one of the things
that define Siquijor.

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