海角乱伦

Very interesting. We have our other home in Siquijor and spend at least 1 week per month there. This is something we never heard of. The article kept referring to "MRFs" in the barangays, something which we are not aware of. Perhaps it is more in the tourist areas around San Juan. We don't use plastic straws as far as I can see or much other OTP. But it is Siquijor, not very commercialized, with one Jollibee and no other fast food restaurants. The article does not explain what an MRF is or does and it should. Maybe a recycling facility to separate plastics. I am happy to see that Siquijor has a handle on this problem.

Dan writes, "Very interesting. We have our other home in Siquijor .. The article kept referring to "MRFs" in the barangays, something which we are not aware of .. The article does not explain what an MRF is or does and it should. Maybe a recycling facility to separate plastics. I am happy to see that Siquijor has a handle on this problem."- @danfinn

Yes, according to this article your island Siquijor seems to be doing very well in terms of island-waste management. For one thing that should make your island even more attractive for future visitors, especially medium and long-term one would guess? A search for MRF with that newspaper comes up with, "Material Recovery Facility (MRF)" so the emphasis is more than sorting rubbish, but also apparently on recovering materials, which sounds even better. It seems care for Philippine island environments is often neglected, though I'd say, Palawan also does it well.

Your island sounds a perfectly splendid island place to own another home Dan.

Cheers matey!

`

Dan writes, "Very interesting. We have our other home in Siquijor .. The article kept referring to "MRFs" in the barangays, something which we are not aware of .. The article does not explain what an MRF is or does and it should. Maybe a recycling facility to separate plastics. I am happy to see that Siquijor has a handle on this problem."- @danfinn
Yes, according to this article your island Siquijor seems to be doing very well in terms of island-waste management. For one thing that should make your island even more attractive for future visitors, especially medium and long-term one would guess? A search for MRF with that newspaper comes up with, "Material Recovery Facility (MRF)" so the emphasis is more than sorting rubbish, but also apparently on recovering materials, which sounds even better. It seems care for Philippine island environments is often neglected, though I'd say, Palawan also does it well.
Your island sounds a perfectly splendid island place to own another home Dan.

Cheers matey!

` - @PalawOne

Now that PBBM made a special visit to Siquijor yesterday, the major crisis of 12-22 hour brownouts is quickly being resolved long term and with the delivery of more generators in the short term. The gensets were delivered so fast that 1 day later, there is a huge difference in powrr availability. This was closing schools and sending tourists home. He also did something to fix the water issues. I am impressed by the president and glad he understands that these small islands are off the grids and is making superior efforts to resolve the issues.

@PalawOne

For one thing that should make your island even more attractive for future visitors, especially medium and long-term one would guess?

Mmmmm. Is this a good thing or a trade off? I don't speak for Dan but maybe he chose a 2nd home there to avoid the聽 'Tik Tok' crowd. The power of social media can be the downfall of many exotic hitherto unknown islands.

@PalawOneFor one thing that should make your island even more attractive for future visitors, especially medium and long-term one would guess?Mmmmm. Is this a good thing or a trade off? I don't speak for Dan but maybe he chose a 2nd home there to avoid the 'Tik Tok' crowd. The power of social media can be the downfall of many exotic hitherto unknown islands. - @Lotus Eater

My wife inherited the land after we married in 1987 and we built a nice house there while living in the USA and continue to maintain it while retired here, and we continue to make it bigger. However, we spend more time in Dumaguete/Valencia. In the past, Siquijor was not the tourist location it is today. At some point, it became popular with environmentalist type people and even the US Peace Corp, who spoke perfect Bisaya, was there planting mangrove swamps to protect the fisheries. There are now a number of foreigners permanently living there, mostly European, with what I would call a US "liberal" bent. The waste management thing does not surprise me; they have no plastic straws and even cooking oil is sold in sari-sari stores in thin plastic bags rather than plastic containers. They avoid plastic containers when possible. This is far from the Siquijor I knew in the 80's and 90's where they had an "anything goes" attitude and the island was mainly known for mananambal witchcraft, quack doctors, healing plants that sometimes really work and the witch doctor "convention" in San Antonio every Holy Thursday. Almost no foreigners were living there. Tuba was the drug of choice until this American arrived every 2 years from the US bringing fresh supplies of San Miguel (before there was Red Horse)聽 and cheap cigarettes, both of which disappeared before my eyes during gatherings. Today Siquijor is a nice touristy place, rather calm and content. Our children will inherit it and probably have a good airbnb investment, something we will never do. I still sort of miss the "anything goes" attitude of the past though.

`

Appreciating the point Lotus makes, in particularly erudite and literate fashion, when he notes, "The power of social media can be the downfall of many exotic hitherto unknown islands." me-thinks the mysterious mananambal witchcraft etc reputation of the island might suit your exotica-seeking greenie expat and tourist classes very well?

If so, they do tend to be serious about caring for island environments and cultures perhaps.

I do know that 15 years ago we were investigating establishing an FM radio station on Siquijor island, and had even picked out an ideal property which happened to be for sale, complete with near-ideal buildings for radio station studios, and on a hill and overlooking the town.

However, when I mentioned Siquijor to my binibiini aka future-wife, she being a somewhat superstitious gal, flatly rejected any relay radio station plans for Siquijor.聽

So, just for inquiring minds, we finally settled on Cuyo island, which only had a single AM radio station at that time. But then, of course, along came Covid and so after several years, we finally dropped our radio station business-plans completely. We now plan to just enjoy retirement :-)

But Dan, you've got me wondering, what's the current state-of-play re Siquijor radio stations?

`

@PalawOne

鈥淚 do know that 15 years ago we were investigating establishing an FM radio station on Siquijor island, and had even picked out an ideal property which happened to be for sale, complete with near-ideal buildings for radio station studios, and on a hill and overlooking the town.鈥�

Well you could have counted me in as an investor Palaw One! What a great idea and doable. Having worked in the advertising industry in a previous life I could have set up the sales operation for you. I 鈥榮couted鈥� the island three years ago on a hire bike and crossed over the mountainous area that disects the island which would have been an ideal location for an FM transmitter using an ERP of say half a KW. Enough to cover the island but also reach the Dumaguete market.Of course FM signals travel well across water.聽 Let me see now a team of Filipina beauties let loose to sell the advertising slots wearing t-shirts with 鈥榃itch FM鈥� blazoned on the front with a sexy Filipina below wearing a bikini. ? Target market: retaurants, bars, hotels, car/bike hire etc with a tilt towards the expat market.

Coincidentally when I first arrived in the Philippines in January 2001 (Estrada was in power yeah remember him) the driver that was sent to collect me ( I was on a business visit for a client) was playing a radio station named Crossover 105.8 . Great vibes. I remember the charming driver saying 鈥淪ir Manila traffic stresses me out, this station relaxes me, is my saviour.鈥�

This was my go to station for the next few years in Manila. I actually dated a Filipina who worked as an account director for a local ad agency. Whenever we got into a taxi she asked 鈥渙rdered lol鈥� the guy to 鈥榮witch that dial鈥�. He always got a good tip.

One day we actually visited the station headquaters on Tirad Pass in Quezon City. The security guy phoned up to the management who could not believe that a foreigner would drop by their station. They greeted us with open arms. We were treated like royalty! I got to know the Programme Director Ronnie De Asis (an American/Filipino who is still broadcasting this day online.) The station is owned by the Mareco Corporation backed by a powerful Filipino family. Aimed at the AB diplomatic market. They now licence the frequency to a rap station as the jazz market was too narrow to be sustained but is now available online:

Anyway as a regular visitor to Dumaguete in the noughties I tried to persuade the station management to set up shop there. They already had sister stations in Bacolod, Baguio, & Davao. Alas to no avail. I guess the market was not big enough.