Early history According to legend, Siquijor was formed from the sea by a storm and an earthquake in
the Visayan region. In modern times, highland farmers have found giant seashells underneath their farm plots to support this legend. Prior to colonization, Siquijor was once called
Katugasan, named after the , the
molave trees which abounded the island. The native dwellers of the island used these trees to build posts () for their houses because of their strength and durability that could withstand strong typhoons and
monsoons. Most of the patriarchs of the island used the to make a wooden plow () to cultivate the rocky soil for farming using mainly male cattle () to pull it through the sticky and hard rocky soil. However, before the discovery of using as the foundations of their houses, the island natives dwelt in caves as shown by the pottery and old tools like stone grinder excavated from the three caves of Sam-ang. During this time, the people were already in contact with Chinese traders, as seen through archaeological evidence including Chinese ceramics and other objects. The art of traditional healing and traditional witchcraft belief systems also developed within this period. Several years later, a priest of the same order founded the parishes of Larena (initially called ), Lazi (formerly Tigbawan), San Juan (Makalipay), and Maria (). With the exception of Enrique Villanueva, the other five municipalities were established as parishes in 1877. From 1854 to 1892, Siquijor was administered by the politico-military province of
Bohol. Later in 1892, it was transferred to
Negros Oriental and became its sub-province in 1901.
American occupation At the turn of the century, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America with the
Treaty of Paris that ended the
Spanish–American War. Siquijor Island felt the presence of American rule when a unit of the American Cavalry Division came and stayed for some time. The American Military Governor in
Manila appointed James Fugate, a scout with the California Volunteers of the U.S. Infantry, to oversee and implement the organization and development programs in Siquijor Island. Governor Fugate stayed for 16 years as lieutenant governor of Siquijor.
Japanese occupation While it was not at the center of military action, Siquijor was not spared by
World War II.
Imperial Japanese detachments occupied the island between 1942 and 1943, announcing their arrival on the island with heavy shelling. At the outbreak of the war, Siquijor was a sub-province of Negros Oriental, headed by Lieutenant Governor Nicolas Parami. Refusing to pledge allegiance to the Japanese forces, Parami was taken by Japanese soldiers from his residence at Poo, Lazi one evening and brought to the military headquarters in Larena. He was never heard from again. On November 10, 1942, Japanese warships started shelling Lazi from Cangabas Point. In Lazi, a garrison was established in the old Home Economics Building of the Central School. Filipino guerrillas engaged in sabotage and the interaction during this time caused havoc on the Japanese lives and properties. During this period, Siquijor was briefly governed by Shunzo Suzuki, a Japanese civilian appointed by the Japanese forces until he was assassinated in October 1942 by the guerrilla forces led by Iluminado Jumawanin, of Caipilan, Siquijor. Mamor Fukuda took control of Siquijor from June 1943 until the Japanese forces abandoned the island when the liberation forces came in 1944. In 1943, the Japanese puppet government appointed Sebastian Monera of San Juan as Governor of Siquijor. His administration, however, was cut short when he was executed, presumably by Filipino guerrillas operating in the mountains of Siquijor. On September 30, 1943, the United States submarine
USS Bowfin (SS-287) delivered supplies to the people of Siquijor and evacuated people from the island. On February 21, 1945, the destroyer
USS Renshaw (DD-499) was escorting a convoy of about 50 landing ships with 12 other escorts, when it was attacked by a Japanese midget submarine off the coast of Siquijor, which caused extensive damage to the ship and killed 19 of the crew. In mid-1945, local Filipino soldiers and officers under the 7th, 75th, and 76th Infantry Division of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army arrived, and alongside recognized guerrilla fighter groups, liberated Siquijor.
Philippine independence After the war, Siquijor spent most of the time of the
Third Philippine Republic as a subprovince of
Negros Oriental. Siquijor became an independent province on September 17, 1971, under
Republic Act 6398. The move was supported by the people of Siquijor as they have a distinct culture from those of Negros Oriental, while Marcos used the movement as a means to secure support from the people of the island to pave martial law acceptance the following year. The capital, formerly Larena, was transferred to the municipality of Siquijor in 1972 by
Proclamation No. 1075, under martial law.
Contemporary In 2006, the
Lazi Church was added by the government as an extension to the
Baroque Churches of the Philippines UNESCO World Heritage Site. The inscription of the church has been pending since. In 2024, Siquijor was transferred from the
Central Visayas Region to the
Negros Island Region following the signing of Republic Act No. 12000 by President
Bongbong Marcos. ==Geography==