MY ISLAND
Siquijor Island according to the Legend emerged from the sea with the skies filled with Lightning the ground Shuddering the seas raging theses churning waters parted and from the ocean's depth was born the Island of Siquijor. Siquijor is an island 30 km. Southeast of Negros Oriental. in the central part of the Philippines. Legends tell of a King Kihod as the source of the island's name. Old residents called the island Katugasan, after the "Tugas" (Molave Tree) which forested most of the island. Such was the density of the tugas growth that at night thousand of fireflies would cluster on the trees, their sparkling lights earning for the island the Spanish accolade, "Isla del Fuego" or island of fire.Very little is known about the inhabitants of Siquijor before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th Century. Old Chinese Antiquities have been discovered in the Caves on the island, which suggest a least some early trade with the Chinese merchants and with the numerous neighboring Islands. The first Spaniards to discover Siquijor Island were led by Esteban Rodriquez on the Legaspi Expedition in 1565. The Spanish Friars came to the island to stay as early as 1790. In 1794, the town of Siquijor became a municipality as well as the first parish on the island.
Siquijor Island Called "La Isla del Fuego" or fire Island, by the Spaniards who first visited this area in the 16th century. Magellan and his Spanish Sailors stumbled upon the Visayan region after the tedium of an epic Pacific crossing in 1512. The first Spaniards to discover Siquijor Island were led by Esteban Rodriquez on the Legaspi Expedition in 1565. Siquijor Island is situated on the crystal clear waters in the central area of the Philippines. Just try to imagine Islands hanging like a necklace of odd-shaped beads strung together by various geographic chains of seas, straits, channels, and gulfs, this is the Visayan Region. Its six major landmasses and fringe grouping of islets and small islands invoke a series of idyllic images - White-sand beaches, calm blue waters, shimmering coves, rocky coasts, and palm fringed beaches. Siquijor offers all this and an unpolluted atmosphere with an uncrowded ambience making for a unique off the beaten path place to place to spend some time. As one enthusiastic visitor recently said "Came for 3 days stayed for 10!, that says it all" Don and Jean Hastings England.
