LEGEND OF SIQUIJOR ISLAND

Long, long time ago, Siquijor was not among the islands in the Philippine Archipelago. One evening a strong earthquake and a thunderstorm occurred. Flashes of blinding lightning laced the sky in white fire. Deafening thunder roared. The earth shuddered. The sea raged. From the churning waters of the ocean's womb was birthed an island. Until today farmers up in the mountains still find empty giant shells beneath the surface of their farms. Does this suggest some truth to the theory that Siquijor rose out of the sea?

Soon the place was covered with varieties of trees, the greater number of which were tugas (molave) trees. Because of the preponderance of tugas in the area, old people called the place "katugasan."

At night fireflies covered these trees. Spanish soldiers and missionaries aboard galleons plying the Visayan area at night noticed the sparkling nocturnal scene. They called the island "Isla de Fuegos" or Island of Fire, referring to the eerie glow the island gave at night as Spanish galleons passed by.

Wishing to know more about the mysterious island, the Spaniards visited the place. Upon their arrival, they met a native who was fishing. They asked him in Spanish what the name of the place was. The native thought he was asked his name and responded "Si Kihod," limping around to demonstrate how he got his name. Because Spaniards found it difficult to pronounce the "d" eventually "Si Kihod" was changed to Siquijor.

Others maintained that King Kihod was the island's legendary ruler. Still others claimed that "Kihod" is the beginning of low tide when the seawater is drawn from the shore to the open sea. The Spaniards arrived at the place when the sea was ebbing.

Very little is known about Siquijor and its inhabitants before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. The original inhabitants came as farmers and fishermen from Cebu, Bohol and the adjacent islands.

URBAN SQUATTERS

Urban squatters have been a permanent problem. Large numbers of people living in makeshift housing, often without water or sewage, indicated that cities had grown in population faster than in the facilities required. In fact, the growth in population even exceeded the demand for labour so that many squatters found their living by salvaging material from garbage dumps, peddling, and performing irregular day work.

Most squatters were long-time residents, who found in the absence of rent a way of coping with economic problems. The efforts of the government in the late 1980s to beautify and modernize the Manila area led inevitably to conflict with the squatters who had settled most of the land that might be utilized in such projects. The forced eviction of squatters and the destruction of their shacks were frequent occurrences.
Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook

FEELING BLUE

There are times in our lives when we are swept over by raging emotions. Times when we are overwhelmed by sadness and overcome by misery. Times when we feel that we are loved only for the worth others could get from us and not for who we really are. It is but natural to feel this way. Sometimes, we all need to be alone, to feel blue, to feel lonely, to listen to a song and cry...

Then we ask ourselves, why does this song have to end? Why do we have to cry when love is taken away from us? Why does it have to hurt when we let go of someone we love?
In a relationship we treasure, the hardest thing to do is saying goodbye and setting someone free. In every last embrace, a part of us dies. Every teardrop that falls washes away our hopes. Then, we are left with nothing but pain and bitter memories because we have lost but never knew how and will probably never knew why.

We try to get away but every move we make somehow has its way of reminding us of the past all over again. Every turn of our head and every blink of an eye remind us of something lost in eternity. It makes us wonder how one person can make us feel so empty, so alone, and so desolate.

Every song, no matter how beautiful it is will have to end on its own time. It is inevitability that we cannot restrain, something that we cannot control, and just a fact that we have to accept and live up with.

Let us remember that our lives do not have to end where our heartaches begin. Somewhere, someone will come along and sing us songs of love. Someday, someone will fill our lives with joy and laughter. Somehow, we will find love again. It will wipe our tears and bring us the promise of a new life, a new hope, and a beautiful beginning.