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FOR
centuries, the island-province of Siquijor has been
reeling from its tag as a mystical island and center of
black magic. Instead of throwing out this reputation,
its leaders and its people have now embraced this title
as they try to lure in the tourists of the world.
According to Siquijor Gov. Orlando Fua Jr., the province
is now stepping up its tourism efforts and riding on
high-flying neighbors Negros Oriental, Bohol and
Cebu—all established tourism magnets.
“We want
to show the world that we are a happy and warm people
and the way to do that is to bring in more tourists for
them to see for themselves our island,” Fua said.
“Our
biggest problem at present is access, as we still rely
on tourists from Cebu and Dumaguete to hopefully set
aside some days for us.”
Foreign
tourists who usually land at the Mactan-Cebu
International Airport had to endure a five- to six-hour
fast ferry trip, which travels once a day, to Siquijor’s
port town of Larena, after stops in Tagbilaran City and
Dumaguete City. The island’s air strip has also long
since been abandoned by airlines.
A more
frequent line, however, links Larena to Dumaguete five
times a day through the small but very nimble Delta fast
ferries, which can run the distance in an hour or so.
“We are
talking with bigger shipping companies in Cebu and
Mindanao to put up regular trips to our island,” Fua
added.
“But we
know we have to create a market for tourists and trade,
and that is where we are working at.”
In terms
of wonders and amenities, Siquijor can very well rival
any place in the country. Its white-sand beach strip in
San Juan town can stand toe-to-toe with Boracay, Mactan
or Panglao—minus the congestion, and adding some lush
vegetation, rich fauna and an unspoiled environment.
It also
has natural wonders in Cambuhagay Falls, the mystical
Mount Bandilaan in the middle of the island, and some
spelunking wonders in Cantabon Cave nearby.
A sight
to see on the island is a public freshwater lake in
front of San Juan town, in front of the municipal hall,
where residents frolic on weekends.
The
island’s culture is also a must as the island boasts of
very old churches, convents and buildings (some still in
use) from as early as 1783.
Most of
the more affluent residents in the island have satellite
dishes, while water-refilling stations make brisk
business.
The
island and its six towns can be circumnavigated in two
to three hours by motorbikes that can be rented for as
low as P25 per hour, as most of the island’s road
network is either already asphalted or cemented.
Stopping
for direction in the middle of the road is no problem as
residents are more than willing to help, as long as you
set aside your prejudices, and reach out to chat.
Siquijor
town mayor Richard Quezon said instead of complaining
about their centuries-old traditions, they have chosen
to embrace them and make them their winning formula.
Work is
already under way for the establishment of a complex in
Mount Bandilaan for the island’s faith healers, so they
could be easily visited by tourists.
“These
faith healers have their own specialties so we want to
cetagorize them; we will promote them and invite people
to visit them,” Quezon said.
Jesiel
Palubon, assistant manager of the island’s biggest
resort Coco Grove, said the island’s mystical history
has also been a point of interest among foreign
visitors.
“Many
tourists find it even interesting and they want to come
here more,” she said.
Siquijor
is already making strides in its thrust for tourism. In
the first quarter of 2008, the island received more than
5,000 visitors, still a tiny share of the region’s
535,000 arrivals that quarter, but the biggest single
growth by any province when compared to 2007 data.
According to Palubon, most of the resort guests are
Europeans who stay no less than two weeks. Asians, even
Filipino guests, are seldom seen on Coco Grove.
“We do
not have any marketing campaign abroad so we only rely
on word of mouth,” she said.
Coco
Grove, for example, stands as testament to the island’s
potential. Of its 39 rooms, only two are standard
accommodations—with the rest ranging from executive
villas to full luxury family bungalows.
The
island all-in-all only has around 271 rooms, Fua said—a
number that they want to increase significantly to
complement their marketing efforts.
“We are
making an effort to rationalize our tourism industry by
improving public infrastructure and in protecting our
environment,” Fua said. “We want to preserve our natural
resources so many more tourists would enjoy our island.”
The
local government also fully supports the Siquijor State
College in beefing up its tourism courses to fill up the
island’s needs later on.
But
until more promotion and better access to the island is
established, Siquijor and its 80,000 people will still
remain the “far” neighbor of Central Visayas’s big
brothers Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental.
The
weather is also one of Siquijor’s problems. Most often,
small fast-ferry services to the island are canceled in
some days because of an unsettled sea.
As the
island prepared for what could have been a huge
high-level Regional Development Council meeting on June
20, Typhoon Frank ravaged the island, forcing governors,
Cabinet officials, government line agency directors—all
300-plus guests—to cancel.
“This
would have been a great opportunity for us to show what
we got. Governor Garcia [Cebu] promised to bring to our
island 30 media people,” Quezon said.
Besides
tourism, Fua said mining firms have also taken interest
in the island’s manganese deposits which he said could
lead to more employment and a better life for his
constituents.
He said
the challenge for future leaders is how to balance the
two growing sectors on the island to make sure the
mining industry would not have detrimental effects on
tourism.
Quezon
said it is only a matter of time before Filipinos see
Siquijor for its beauty, just like the thousands of
Europeans who have come to appreciate the Island of
Fire.
“We have
bigger and better beaches than any other island; we hope
more Filipinos and tourists could come and experience it
for themselves,” he said. |
