Siquijor

How to get there:
Take a Delta fast ferry from Dumaguete (or Tagbilaran). The fare is only P160. From the Siquijor port, you can take a multicab or tricycle to your resort. We were charged P150 for our tricycle ride to the Coral Cay Resort in San Juan.

Where to stay:

Villa Marmarine
Cheapest Cottage Price: P1,200
- no aircon, with cable tv, one double bed, loft with two single beds, gas range, cooking utensils

Candanay Sur, Siquijor, Siquijor Island, Philippines
Tel. No. 63.035.480.9167
Mobile: 0919.465.9370
Email: dagman38@yahoo.co.jp
Website: www.marmarine.jp

Islanders Paradise Beach & Restaurant
Sandugan, Larena, Siquijor, 6226 Philippines
0063 918 3320 906
0063 919 5907 516
parabeech@aol.com

Coral Cay Resort
Cheapest cottage price: P750-800
-garden room with one matrimonial bed, fan
Solangon, San Juan, Siquijor, Philippines 6227
0919 269 1269
scoralcayresort@yahoo.com
www.coralcayresort.com

Kiwi Dive Resort
Cheapest cottage price: 450-800
Beside Islanders Paradise Beach and Restaurant in Sandugan



What to do:

Take a tour of the island (can be done in a day). The best beaches are in Sandugan and Salagdoong in the town of Maria. Siquijor has a few falls and caves to visit as well. If you want to tour the island contact, Fulgen Jamito Mobile number: 09208154747

Help the students of Siquijor

When Toshito "Dagman" Harada, a retired Japanese teacher, first arrived in Siquijor, he discovered that at least half of the exisiting public schools in the province have no toilets or water supply. There was even a school in Pisong that only had 13 students from Grades 1 to 3, all sharing one classroom and one teacher. Most of these students stop studying after Grade 3 since their parents could not afford sending them to other schools to further their studies.

Dagman has since dedicated his life to help out these kids. He has sought the support of the Rotary Club in Japan to work with the Rotary Club of Siquijor Island to initiate projects for school children in the depressed areas of the province. This has resulted to the construction of restrooms and water systems in various schools.

With his "help-the-children-of-Siquijor-Island" campaign, Dagman has also been extending his appeal for help to common Japanese citizens by publishing his petitions on Japanese newspapers, inviting Japanese broadcast journalists to visit Siquijor, and even by standing at Japanese local train stations to ask for donation as he holds a box saying "Help Siquijor".

Dagman is now based in the province, where he has a resort called Villa Marmarine. Part of the income he gets from this business goes to the funding of the scholarship grants that he is extending to selected students of Siquijor. Three of his scholars are now taking up college in Larena while another one’s taking up nursing in Cebu. He hopes to send 10 more grade school graduates next year to college, and even more in the future.

You can also help Dagman help the children of Siquijor. You may get in touch with him at:

Villa Marmarine
Candanay Sur, Siquijor, Siquijor Island, Philippines
Tel. No. 63.035.480.9167
Mobile: 0919.465.9370
Email: dagman38@yahoo.co.jp

Spellbound

We braved a visit to Siquijor with a certain degree of caution. We made a mental note not to take food or drinks randomly offered to us by strangers and to try our very best not to argue with anyone. Though most Siquijodnons are already caught in the reel of modernity, those we met still could not deny that witch doctors still live in the province, ever able to concoct potions that could either heal or kill. A staff in one of the resorts we stayed in honestly admitted that even they still get scared sometimes.



The thing that Ron and I soon realized is that despite all the talks about witchcraft and magic spells in the province of Siquijor, hardly anyone ever mentions that which has truly lured many tourists to dare a visit and eventually stay in the island: the magic brew of Siquijor’s saltwater scent, white-sand beaches, cool and clear ocean, and welcoming smiles. Take them all in and the result would be enchantment beyond belief. This was the potion that has kept Ron and I spellbound even up to the time of this writing, and probably years and years after our first visit. No exaggerations here really. We were truly dumbfounded by the beauty of the place.



I remember feeling so happy one morning as I was lying down on a native hammock, which was tied on to a couple of coconut trees atop the cliff from which Villa Marmarin sits overlooking the ocean. With my eyes closed I listened to the sound of the wind as it kissed the shade of leaves above me—a hushed cluttering that seemed like rainwater trickling down the rooftop during a minor drizzle. But it was a clear day, and as that lovely Streisand song goes, I felt truly part of every mountain, sea, and shore, hearing words I’ve never ever heard before.



That day, I woke up with the sunlight just coming in our bedside window. As I looked out, I saw Manong Fulgene, our hired driver cum guide in Siquijor, waiting for us to wake up. We met him at the Siquijor ferry pier, along with a swarm of multicab and tricycle drivers offering us their services. He won over the throng with his 150-peso price offer for a tricycle ride to San Juan and a promise to drive us through various resorts until we find one we like. He was also the one who took us to Villa Marmarin in the capital town of Siquijor during our second day on the island.



That particular morning, he was supposed to take us to the pier where we should be catching a trip back to Dumaguete for our onward trip to Dipolog. But Ron and I just couldn’t muster enough strength just yet to leave our beautiful resort, our large cottage, the beach, and the chance to listen to the story of Dagman (pronounced Damang)—a retired Japanese teacher who owns Villa Marmarin and has dedicated his years in retirement to help out the students in Siquijor. I told Manong Fulgene to just come back the next day because we had decided to stay another night.



The day before this, Manong Fulgene gave us a tour of the island. We didn’t get to see much because his tricycle had a flat tire and fixing it took up the entire morning. We were stranded at Enrique Villanueva for almost two hours and we just sat there as an old man fixed the tire. We didn’t feel even a bit irritated despite the long wait, which I found really surprising. If travelling makes me more patient, understanding and sensitive to other people’s plights, then let’s comb the world!



We were only able to stop by two places during our afternoon tour, but they were all that we wanted to see. He first took us to Siquijor’s public beach, Salagdoong Beach Resort in the town of Maria—a five-star beach for a measly 10-peso entrance fee. The water was so clear and the view was just awesome. The food from the canteen was also very cheap, and you can even while away time practicing your karaoke skills for just five pesos per song.





After shoving Ron’s confidence to the side with his rendition of Raymond Lauchengco’s “So It’s You,” Manong Fulgene then took us to the string of resorts fronting the long white-sand stretch of the Sandugan Beach. These resorts offer cheaper accommodations that’s why more tourists frequent the area. We would’ve stayed in one of the resorts if we knew about it earlier. But then at Villa Marmarin, we don’t only get to stay at a beautiful large cottage with a good view at a discounted price, we also get to help out the children of Siquijor since the resort helps fund the projects that Dagman puts up for them.



We passed by the market before heading back to our cottage so Ron could cook dinner. Just more than a week into our journey and we were already missing home-cooked meals, that’s why we got really excited when we found out that our cottage was equipped with its own gas range. We feasted on a grand meal of calamares, sweet and sour lapu-lapu, and the jumbo shrimps we ordered from the resort’s restaurant.



Our entire stay in the resort has been restful, happy, and insightful. The staff were really friendly and the owner was truly inspiring. The night before we left, we even got invited to a small party that Dagman threw for one of the workers who was celebrating his birthday. It was a simple feast of pancit, adobo and tuba but grand in thought and generosity. The workers’ families were also invited, and a young student that Dagman invited from Japan was there to keep them entertained with origami and balloon shaping.





Manong Fulgene was sitting right at the same spot when I looked out the window the morning we finally had to leave Siquijor. Honestly, I woke up hoping he would be late and we would not be able to catch our trip, but Ron’s friend was already waiting for us in Dipolog where promises of new discoveries lie in wait. So while it truly broke our heart to leave the white sandy shores of Siquijor and its beautiful people, we had no other choice but to move on.




This time, I made a mental note to come back soon and share the beauty of Siquijor to anyone who'd brave a visit. The province, as I came to realize, is its best potion and we all should come and enjoy the brew!


--The Other Sputnik

Mystical Siquijor

The island of Siquijor gained its popularity from the many myths about sorcery and folk healing. It was believed to be the mecca of such practices. The island is overshadowed by these beliefs and only little is known about the innate beauty of the island. Having known all these, I’ve prepared myself for a mission to unravel the myth behind it and find out if there is a faint truth to it. And most importantly, to discover what the mystical island could offer to a sun worshiper like me.

On a Friday morning, Tina and I left Dumaguete and took the ferry ride headed to Siquijor. The ride was for an hour but seemed quicker as there were a lot of thoughts running incessantly in my head. I thought of the stories, well mostly the hair-raising ones that my friends, who have never been to Siquijor, have told me about the mystical island. I wasn’t scared or anything but I was more of amazed for such stories to have existed. I told myself, there should be something special about this place to deserve such attention and popularity.

I came with an open mind. I was willing to absorb whatever I could learn about the place or its practices. I didn’t even have a tinge of cynicism in me. I was that prepared for it. I wanted an adventure, an exploration, so I said,” Bring it on!”

So, I went out of the ferry.

I was astounded by what I have witnessed. When I laid eyes on the clear blue water below me and the pristine white sand on the distant shore. My heart skipped faster than usual. I was ecstatic.





It was the complete opposite of what I had imagined in my mind. I have pictured a gloomy island that looked eerie--a dark and mysterious piece of land enveloped by tall trees, with branches so intertwined that no ray of sunlight can pass through.

The island that greeted me had an abundance of sunlight. It was covered with lush greeneries, coconut trees that slanted towards the ocean floor and molave trees that stood tall against the strong wind. The long stretch of white sand was almost blinding as it reflected sunlight. The crystal clear water glistened as the water touched the shore.











The people were as warm as the sun. Bright smiles are painted on their faces and never seem to fade away.









In the island, the sun sets slowly, taking its own time as if refusing to retire after a long day. The sun waved goodbye and painted the sky in all shades of aqua, magenta, yellow and orange.







Deep inside me, I knew I have completed my mission albeit the short span of time I’ve spent in the island. From the short conversations I’ve had with the locals, I came to a conclusion that such myths about Siquijor had no absolute truth to it. They were all hearsay.

The only truth about the island is that it’s a paradise waiting to be discovered. An island so beautiful should be kept mystical for the well-deserved brave souls. No wonder myths have been created to protect a paradise like this.





til then,

The lost sputnik