Other teams fought their way to becoming the Fastest Team in the “Sensational Siquijor, Adventure Challenge”. Our Vibrant Visayas team knew we did not stand a chance. Knowing our own
capacity in terms of speed in performing and finishing the tasks, we decided to
make this challenge more memorable and enjoyable at our own pace. We specially did this for our members who are new to the island of Siquijor.
Sandugan Beach Boulevard
We just had a sumptuous grilled meal while enjoying the breath-taking view at the Triad. Our team then proceeded to our next challenge: to bake our own bread (pan bisaya). As we
drove along Sandugan Beach Boulevard in Larena, an almost kilometer-long stretch of
coastal road, we can’t help but to stop for a while. We took pictures and enjoyed the scenery. It's just what we needed to prepare ourselves for the next challenge that
awaits us.
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| Sandugan Beach Boulevard |
Cang-isok House
After
eating our freshly baked pan bisaya with Mayor Gerold Pal-ing for our Pan
Bisaya baking challenge, our group proceeded to see the Oldest Surviving house
in Siquijor: the Cang-Isok house. It is located in Brgy. Libo in the town of Enrique
Villanueva. The house in stilts was built along the coastline of the said
barangay. It is made of hard wood (tugas or molave), nipa sheets and bamboo. The house is
believed to be more than a century old. Nobody knows where Cang-Isok house got
its name. Maybe it was a name or a family name of the people residing there? Is it an old
name of the place where it stands? One thing’s for sure, it was there standing
as witness of the changing times.
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| Cang-isok House in Enrique Villanueva |
Salagdoong
I have to admit, I don’t have a
green thumb. But I proudly planted rattan saplings at Salagdoong Molave Forest. We then proceeded to have a very
quick visit to the famous Salagdoong Beach Resort in the town of Maria. It was per
recommendation of our teammate, ex-Mayor Irving Roy Vios. Salagdoong Beach Resort takes pride of it pristine white sand beach. And if you’re up for an
adrenaline rush, 30 feet high cliff jump or a water slide is a must.
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| Salagdoong Beach |
Monastery and Churches
Another religious place we visited is the Monastery of Poor
Claire of Our Lady of Divine Providence, still in the town of Maria.
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| Poor Clare Monastery |
Our next
stop was to see what Siquijor is famous for: it’s centuries old churches. These
churches are part of Siquijor’s rich culture and history. They are a must visit if
you’re around the island of Siquijor. But because of time constraints, we only got to see
two of them: the San Isidro Labrador Church in Lazi and its convent, and The Our Lady of Divine Providence in Maria.
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| Our Lady of Divine Providence Church |
San
Isidro Labrador convent is often
called “bahay na bato” due to the stones that composed the lower portion of the
convent, while the upper portion is made of hard wooden panels. Reputed as Asia’s
largest and oldest convent, it started construction in 1887 and was completed
in 1894. It was declared a historical landmark by the Philippine Historical
Commission. The convent is believed to be the vacation house for the Diocese’s priests
at that time. The church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the
National Museum by the virtue of the powers vested by Republic Act 4846, as
amended by Presidential Decree 374 and Republic Act 8492, done in the city of
Manila 31st of July 2001. It was built by the Friars back in 1887.
Both church and convent are of baroque architecture.
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| San Isidro Labrador Church |
Our Lady of Divine Providence in Maria is another century-old church made of tabique. Unlike the rest of the old
churches in the island, it holds a humble facade. But its unique features are
found inside: the intricate designs of the altars and the old carved replica of
saints enclosed in a glass in its altar. None more prominent than that of St. Rita de Cascia, the
patron saint of the impossible, abused wives, and
widows.
After the quick
visits in these beautiful places, I can’t help but think that this adventure challenge is not about being the fastest. Rather, it’s about the experiences our
group had while discovering beautiful places and getting more information about this beautiful mystic island called Isla del Fuego. I'm sure that despite finishing last, our group had the most enjoyable experience. We definitely had fun exploring Sensational Siquijor.
This post is written by April Joy "Bebsy" Lamis. She is the tourism operations assistant of the Provincial Tourism Unit of Negros Oriental. This piece is based on her experiences during the RADIO 7 22nd annual convention #InfoAdventureTourismRace at Sensational Siquijor, 28-30 October 2015.
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