History of Siquijor
Postwar Economy
Economic Development
After the war, only 10 municipalities across Negros Oriental had wharves, three of which were in Siquijor. Not all were in good condition. In 1948, the Municipal Council of Lazi applied for a ₱20,000 federal loan to rebuild the town’s wharf. Around the same time, ₱30,000 was appropriated to construct another wharf in Siquijor to accommodate coastwise vessels sailing between Cebu and Mindanao. The Municipal Council of Siquijor also named their wharf the “Hermenigildo Villanueva Wharf.” These efforts to better adapt the island’s nodes of commerce to modern scales of trade were quite timely, too, given the population boom that it experienced in the postwar period (see Society and Culture).
Siquijodnons also began to appreciate the economic value of their environment, a theme that is best illustrated by the story of Agripino L. Lomongo, a civil servant and the founder of Salagdoong Beach. In 1948, many squatters occupied the forest near Salagdoong, which is situated between Maria and Enrique Villanueva. Lomongo drove them away with a reforestation project conducted under the Bureau of Forestry, based at Cabandilaan, a barangay of Siquijor. Over the next five years, Lomongo revitalized the area and built trails going down to the beach, which would later become the current road.
The story of Siquijor’s economy is as much one of continuities as it is one of change, however. Over three-quarters of all working-age Siquijdnons (defined as 10 years old and over) were employed in agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing in 1970. While this percentage had fallen to 60.2% by 1990, agrarian sectors remained dominant in Siquijor and still are to this day.
In 1990, only 12.9% of working-age Siquijodnons lived in urban areas, the majority of whom were either not gainfully employed (i.e. were housekeepers, pensioners, or students) or employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing–the very same sectors that dominated the countryside.
Public Services and Modernization
Siquijor’s water supply greatly improved during this period. 28.9% of the island’s households received their water by pipe and 50.7% from wells in 1960. 30 years later, those numbers had risen and fallen respectively to 54.8% and 31.1%.
Energy supplies were also modernized. In 1960, only 3.4% of Siquijodnon households had access to electricity, compared to 23.6% in 1990. Kerosene remained the dominant source of power for lighting, however: over 95% in 1960 and over 72% of households in 1990.
Pumpboats in the port of Larena, c. 1980s.
In 1990, 64% of homes had access to radio, but only 6.3% had televisions and a similar percentage had motor vehicles–the prevalence of both has skyrocketed in the decades since. Only 0.2% had telephones.
Perhaps the most visible consequence of Siquijor’s economic modernization was how Siquijodnons built their structures. Whereas they had typically been built of reeds, wood, and the like during the Spanish and American periods, new buildings–particularly commercial and governmental ones–were often built with concrete, steel, glass, and other modern materials.
In 1990, 64% of homes had access to radio, but only 6.3% had televisions and a similar percentage had motor vehicles–the prevalence of both has skyrocketed in the decades since. Only 0.2% had telephones.
Perhaps the most visible consequence of Siquijor’s economic modernization was how Siquijodnons built their structures. Whereas they had typically been built of reeds, wood, and the like during the Spanish and American periods, new buildings–particularly commercial and governmental ones–were often built with concrete, steel, glass, and other modern materials.
Aldecoa-Rodriguez, Caridad. (1989). Negros Oriental From American Rule to the Present: A History (Volume II) - Part III: The Republic Period. Provincial Government of Negros Oriental.
Banguis-Bantawig, Renalyn and Anoos-Aljas, Concepcion. Siquijor’s Mystical Wonders. Central Book Supply, Inc.
Bureau of the Census and Statistics (1962). Census of the Philippines: 1960 Population and Housing, Negros Oriental.
National Statistics Office. (1992). 1990 Census of Population and Housing - Report No. 3-75G: Socio-Economic and Demographic Characteristics, Siquijor. www.psa.gov.ph/system/files/main-publication/1990%2520CPH%2520Rpt.%2520no.3-Siquijor.pdf.