HISTORY

Siquijor is one of the Philippines’ smallest provinces, located in the Visayas and now part of the Negros Island Region. Its name is rooted in local legend, believed to have been derived from “King Kihod,” while early inhabitants called the island Katugasan after the molave (tugas) trees that once densely covered its hills. Another version also tells of a priest who came to the island by sailing and when he went back to Bohol he was asked by the people at the beach where he had been, and he answered “Sequor” which means to follow the waves, and was misheard by them as Siquijor.

The island entered written history in 1565 when it was sighted by Esteban Rodriguez and Juan Aguirre during the Legazpi Expedition. Spanish conquistadors later named it Isla de Fuego, or “Island of Fire,” inspired by the striking sight of fireflies illuminating the molave trees at night. This name reflected both the natural beauty and mystique that would come to define Siquijor in colonial records.

During the Spanish colonial period, Siquijor underwent several administrative changes. From 1854 to 1892, it was governed under the politico-military province of Bohol. In 1892, it was annexed to Negros Oriental and later designated as a sub-province in 1901. These shifts reflected broader colonial efforts to reorganize governance across the central Philippines.

Siquijor achieved full provincial status on September 17, 1971, through Republic Act No. 6396, with Larena initially named as its capital. The capital was later transferred to the municipality of Siquijor in 1972 by Proclamation No. 1075. Most recently, the province became part of the Negros Island Region following the signing of Republic Act No. 12000 on June 13, 2024, formally uniting Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor into a single administrative region.