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History of Siquijor

Spanish-Era Economy

Early Industries

Prior to the 1860s, Siquijor was almost entirely undeveloped. No schools or roads existed, and the only economic activity on the island was subsistence agriculture. Siquijor was nonetheless noted by a French geographical survey in 1846 for its rice, corn, and cocoa cultivation, as well as for raising livestock, collecting wax, and fishing for turtles. The priests of the Augustinian Recollects began developing the local economy by introducing coconuts and helping them acclimatize to the local environment. As hard as it might be to believe, the crop is not native to Siquijor. In 1864, the priests then oversaw the beginnings of abaca production, and in 1880, they helped the farmers start cultivating coffee. In some cases, they even built irrigation channels for the fields.

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Siquijodnons also produced sinamay, a coarse hemp cloth used by the peasantry for clothes. Most of it was sent to Cebu for further distribution. Indian corn was another common crop, and the people relied on it for their sustenance. However, as American colonialist Dean C. Worcester described it on an expedition to the island, “[it] was both ripe and dry, required a great deal of grinding, and did not prove very ‘filling.’”

 

By the late 19th century, Siquijor had become regionally renowned for its cocoa and tobacco crops. Unfortunately for people from the neighboring islands, most of the tobacco went to Chinese traders in exchange for cotton cloth.

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Marketplace and cockpit in Siquijor, c. 1887-1890

Siquijodnons did export other products, namely cloth, carabaos, and corn, to their neighbors in Cebu and Bohol. Unfortunately, they sold too much of the latter product, which occasionally caused minor famines. Exports passed through Canoan, which controlled Siquijor's only port. Very little beyond these three commodities left the island, however, and the majority of Siquijodnons had nowhere to sell their surplus meat and produce.

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One of the foremost challenges facing Siquijodnon farmers was their island’s poor soils, a consequence of its geological composition: coral and limestone. That meant that the soil layer was not only thin but also lacking in nutrients. They simply overcame this through hard work, though, and were so industrious that even foreigners such as Worcester took notice. Nearby islands saw this as well, causing Siquijodnons to be in demand there as laborers.

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What hard work could not overcome, however, was the Spanish civil authorities. They had a habit of charging high taxes, and the impoverished people were almost never able to make enough money to pay them. In 1890, for example, they demanded $5,000 from San Antonio, long the center of Siquijor’s witchcraft and a barangay of the town of Siquijor, for the year’s taxes. Its residents had recently been devastated by cholera and crop failure. Their cabezas de barangay (barangay heads) were unable to collect all the taxes–by this point, the deficit had grown to $7,000–so a commission traveled from Bohol to do it themselves. However, they, too, were unable to. They decided that the best course of action would be to arrest all the cabezas, confiscate their lands, homes, and cattle, and deport them.


44 men in total were exiled and their families were left to fend for themselves, all for the crime of being unable to pay their constituents’ debts. The cabezas “[had] the privilege” (at least according to the Spanish authorities) of compensating the government by performing labor for a meager six cents a day, from which expenses for food and clothing would be further deducted.

Marketplace and entrance to the cockpit of the town of Siquijor, c. 1887-1890.

Infrastructure

Between 1872 and 1874, the priests oversaw the construction of Siquijor’s first roads. The initial routes connected Siquijor to Canoan and San Juan, then connected San Juan to Lazi. These were built with great difficulty, as they almost always crossed rivers, creeks, rocky terrain, and hills. Bridges had to be built, and builders were very frequently forced to use gunpowder to clear the way. By the end of the century, the priests had also restored the overgrown road between Canoan and Talingting. Though primitive, these roads provided the foundation for the modern network that the Americans built during their time on the island. That would eventually become the Siquijor Circumferential Road.

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The other major infrastructural improvements were to Siquijor’s water supply. All of the towns except San Juan had deep wells that provided potable water. In the town of Siquijor, the water quality was unfortunately quite dismal, and the civil authorities were rather apathetic to the problem. The local priest took matters into his own hands and oversaw the construction of a system that channeled spring water from the highlands into the town. Similar projects were undertaken in Canoan and Lazi.

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Map of the port of Canoan, 1863

Map of the port of Canoan, 1863.

Canoan had the only port in Siquijor during this time. Spanish records described it as a puertecito (“little port;” see upper-left corner of image at left), yet it was evidently enough to keep Siquijor connected with the other islands, even if it could not handle the large amounts of trade that passed through Cebu, Manila, or even Dumaguete.

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Lastly, Siquijor's relative isolation posed difficulties in communicating with nearby islands. Rough seas often prevented voyages to and from Negros, and mail was carried only biweekly between Siquijor and Baclayon, Bohol. Trips between the latter two took eight hours--today's ferries can cross in under an hour--but in the worst times, Siquijor could go two months without communicating with Bohol.

Canoan had the only port in Siquijor during this time. Spanish records described it as a puertecito (literally “little port;” see upper-left corner of image at left), yet it was evidently enough to keep Siquijor connected with the other islands, even if it could not handle the large amounts of trade that passed through Cebu, Manila, or even Dumaguete.

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Lastly, Siquijor's relative isolation posed difficulties in communicating with nearby islands. Rough seas often prevented voyages to and from Negros, and mail was carried only biweekly between Siquijor and Baclayon, Bohol. Trips between the latter two took eight hours--today's ferries can cross in under an hour--but in the worst times, Siquijor could go two months without communicating with Bohol.

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