Camiguin... The Island of Your Imagination...

Camiguin Island… my birthplace! There is no place like home.

I left Camiguin and moved to America on October of 1997. Leaving the place where I grew up was really hard. My family and friends are so dear to me and moving on to another chapter of my life was a happy and yet scary, like any thing new... afraid of the unknown... but in the end… so glad I did!

Years later, coming back to Camiguin Island… this was the first time that my husband and our daughter ever visited the place. I’ve been back to the Philippines a few times in between. We vacationed to other places like Bohol, Cebu and Palawan as well. 

Camiguin Highland... beautiful serene place located in the mountainous area in Mambajao;

this was our temp home for about a month while our cottage is being built...

My daughter's cousins school activities

Our second home in Camiguin.

 cute little cottage

views of the surroundings

the blessing of magting cottage

backyard of the cottage

Lanzones

Camiguin's Pride!

everybody agrees that only in Camiguin you could taste the sweetest lanzones in the Philippines.

every 3rd week of October... Camiguin celebrates Lanzones Festival that attracts people all over the country... with a weekend of street dancing, parade and beauty pageant.

Paras Beach Resort

is just a short ride from the capital of Mambajao and located right across from the famous White Island

aras Beac

Old Spanish church

the devastating volcanic eruption in 1871 wiped out the Spanish settlement of Catarman that was established in 1697. the remains of an Old Spanish church, ruins of adobe walls, belfry and convent are mute witnesses to the wrath of nature. it is also a glimpse into the culture of the Spanish-era...

Stations of the Cross or Walkway

a popular destination visited during the Holy Week in Camiguin’s Station of the Cross. it is situated uphill Mt. Vulcan in Barangay Bonbon, Catarman.the Holy Week is an important national holiday in the Philippines being a dominantly Catholic Christian country.

Sunken Cemetery

lies some 20-feet underwater in Bonbon, Catarman. the huge cross that is erected in the area on 1982 is a tribute to all those who perished during the eruption and what was left of a tragic volcanic eruption that happened on 1871. tombstones that are found underwater are already covered by different corals and seaweeds over the years.

KATIBAWASAN FALLS

(Location: 5 kms southeast of Mambajao):

a gorgeous, clear stream of water cascading 70 meters into a rock pool surrounded by ground orchids, wild ferns, tress and boulders. its cold water provides a refreshing summer splash to bathers and picnickers. this beautiful attraction is much more accessible from the paved road that goes so close to it.

TUASAN FALLS

(Location: 6 kms northeast of Catarman)

a long good trek to this place is worth it... the pool below the waterfall is deep and clear. the surrounding scenery is unspoiled and perfect for a peaceful picnic, the only sounds around you is that of the tumbling falls and running water.

BURA SODA WATER SWIMMING POOL

(Location: Bura, Catarman)

the one and only in the country where you can swim to a poll of soda water. it has great scenery over the fields and the seas as its cold water provide a refreshing splash to bathers and picnickers. picnic huts and tables are available beside the pool.

ESPERANZA ARDENT HOT SPRING

(Location: 6 kms Southwest of Mambajao)

in the heart of the island bubbles this mineral pool with water around 40 degress celsius. mist rises from the heated waters that run down the vents of the dormant Hibok-Hibok volcano. the springs are ideal to bathe in at night surrounded by cool mountain air. it has therapeutic effects. picnic huts and tables are available in the beautifully landscaped gardens and there is a restaurant on site.

STO. NIÑO COLD SPRING

(Location: 4 kms north of central Catarman)

it has a delightful large pool of cold spring water sprouting from sandy bottom. the area has native picnic huts and tube rentals.

MACAO COLD SPRING

(Location: Tupsan Pequeño, Mahinog):

the crystal blue water will amaze you. huge trees surround this man-made pool; this natural cold spring is a hot spot during summertime.

TANGUINES LAGOON

(location: Benoni, Mahinog)

a man-made lagoon covered by clear waters, surrounded by large cliffs. a few restaurants around the lagoon offer a good variety of live fish clams and other seafood; cook to order.

enjoying the beautiful scenery with my family

OLD VULCAN

(location: about 13 kms west of Mambajao, the capital town):

the old volcano drops into the sea and makes a natural road high above the ocean. the place has a sheer drop-off of 80 meters; ledge shallow water and rocks to sit on and sunbathe. rich corals abound in the ocean below.

MANTIGUE ISLAND

(takes about a 20-minute or more outrigger boat ride from San Roque, Mahinog... located 3 kms offshore across from the closest town of Mahinog)

the island is 4 hectares of green forest, rimmed with white fragments sand beaches. used to be a fishing village, but now a sanctuary. one side of the island is a white sand beach with coral offshore, and the other opposite side provides a deep drop-off for snorkeling and diving.

(photographer unknown)

WHITE ISLAND

(about a 15-minute outrigger boat ride from the main island… located 2 kms across the sea from Agoho and Yumbing):

an uninhabited white treeless sandbar with the picture perfect Mt. Hibok-Hibok and Old Volcano as its backdrop. The scenic island is ideal for swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling and viewing the sunrise and sunset over Camiguin.

(photographer unkown)

my family visits White Island...

  

(don't know who took the couple of photos above)

leaving Camiguin Island...

Camiguin will always have a special place in my heart…

For those of you who doesn’t know much or not at all about Camiguin Island… I found some interesting information on Wikipedia…

Happy reading!

Camiguin is a small island province of the Philippines off the northern coast of Mindanao. It has five towns with Mambajao as its capital town. Estimated 75,000 population. It is the second-smallest province both in population and land area. The island of Camiguin is in the Bohol Sea about ten kilometers north of Misamis Oriental.

Camiguin is accessible by air and sea from Cebu City. There are about three or less flights per week. What’s common is people fly in to Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, the gateway to Northern Mindanao. One would then take either an hour fast cat boat ride from Cagayan de Oro and vice-versa or about an hour and a half bus or hired van to the port of Balingoan. Ferries leave Balingoan to Camiguin Island and vice-versa every hour or more from 6:00 am until 5:00 pm.

The people of Camiguin are called “Camiguingnon.” The main occupation of the people is fishing and farming. From a distance, the island looks like a volcano and uninhabited. The reason is, it is made of several old and still active volcanoes. The island is also covered with coconut trees and other fruit trees. Camiguin is known for its sweet Lanzones. Every third week of October, Lanzones Festival is celebrated. Visayan and Cebuano languages are widely spoken. A lot of people speak English fairly well.

History

Spanish colonial era

Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers, Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel López de Legazpi landed in Camiguin in 1521 and 1565, respectively. The first Spanish settlement in what was later to be known as Guinsiliban was established in 1598. An Old Spanish watchtower where the Camiguinon kept watch for Moro pirates still stands in Guinsiliban. The first major Spanish settlement established in 1679 was called Katagman or Katadman (known as Catarman). The settlement grew and prospered to what is now Barangay Bonbon.

On May 1, 1871, Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted and destroyed Catarman. A portion of the town sank beneath the sea. After the eruption, the settlement moved to where the town center is presently located. Today, all that remains of old Catarman are the ruins of the ancient Spanish church, a convent and a bell tower.

American colonial era

In 1901, in the middle of the Philippine-American War (1898-1904), American soldiers landed in Camiguin to assume political control over the island. A group of Camiguinon, armed with bolos and spears, led by Valero Camaro fought for the island’s independence from foreign invasion during a short battle in Catarman. A bullet on the forehead killed Valero Camaro. He became one of the unsung Camiguin patriots of the early independence movement.

In 1903, the first public school in Camiguin was built in Mambajao and in 1904 the first public water system was installed.

World War II

On June 18, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Camiguin and set up a government in Mambajao. The Japanese Army gutted down central Mambajao in reprisal to guerrilla activities that helped the Philippine Commonwealth forces there. The remains of some of these buildings still exist today.

In 1945, Filipino forces of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army landed in Camiguin and liberated the Island during the Battle of Camiguin against the Japanese Imperial forces at the end of World War II .

Independence

On July 4, 1946, the country gained independence from the US and became the Republic of the Philippines.