Siquijor Island Travel Guide

Something magical about Siquijor entices visitors to come and stay. Smacked in the middle of the Visayas isles and Mindano, this small island teems with palm-fringed coasts with long spans of sugar-white sand and turquoise waters. The Spanish conquistadors called Siquijor Isla del Fuego ("land of fire") because of the countless fireflies that dance around trees at sunset. But what drives people to heed the island's call is its notoriety for housing witch-doctors (albularyos) and sorcerers (mangkukulam) who supposedly use "black magic." The locals' belief in superstitions and the existence of the fearful aswangs (man-eating flying monster) is in a sharp contrast against the dominance of the Catholic faith (which strongly detests these "demonic" ideas) in the island. In the towns of San Antonio and San Juan, numerous natives say they have mystical...

Siquijor Island Index: