For tour guide Felipe Vallera and cashier Shirly Anding of Enrique Villanueva town, the growing number of tourists visiting Siquijor has changed their lives for the better.
“Because of the increase in tourist arrivals nowadays, those who were previously unemployed now have jobs. In our association, we created a group that trains and assigns guides. Every day, they now have a way to earn income,” Anding said.
Vallera also said tourism has brought stability to their livelihoods. “Tourism has truly given us security as guides. Thankfully, we now earn enough each day to meet our needs. We’re happy that Siquijor has become a third-class province and that tourism here continues to grow.
Their experiences mirror the province’s economic progress, which has been strongly driven by tourism and local entrepreneurship.
Anding and Vallera are both members of the Tulapos Marine Protected Area Association (TUMPAAS), a people’s organization that manages the Tulapos Marine Protected Areas (TMPA).
Siquijor Lone District Rep. Zaldy Villa highlighted this development during the Agri-Tourism and Trade Fair held recently as part of the 54th Adlaw sa Lalawigan sa Siquijor, on the theme “Siquijodnon, Kalambuan, Ipadayon”.
“We are proud of our province because we have the lowest poverty incidence in the whole Philippines,” Villa said, crediting the province’s financial growth to sustained tourism efforts and community-driven initiatives.
“We are truly grateful for the continuous progress of our province and the resilience of every Siquijodnon,” he said. “From being in the fifth class, nahiambak ta dretso sa pagka third class. Ug sa pagkakaron puro-puro na naay trabaho because of our tourism (From being a fifth-class province, we leaped to third-class. Today, job opportunities abound because of our thriving tourism sector.)”
Per the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) data turned over by the Philippine Statistics Authority to Siquijor’s six local government units last month, out of 107,642 households, 88 percent reported high employment rates across all six municipalities.
With employment rates continuing to rise, Siquijor is becoming a model of how a small island province can thrive through unity, sustainable tourism, and data-driven governance.
“Mapasalamaton ko sa padayon nga paglambo sa atong probinsya ug mga Siquijodnon (I am grateful for the continuous progress of our province and our fellow Siquijodnons),” Villa said. | PIA
