Negros Island: Sugar heritage and marine wonders of the Philippines

euronews (in English)

In this episode of Explore, we visit Negros Island, where sugar heritage meets unparalleled marine biodiversity, and explore the heritage, conservation efforts and cultural cuisine that define the heart of the Philippines.

Transcript

00:00The fourth largest island in the Philippines, Negros is made up of two fascinating provinces.

00:11Negros Oriental is home to the country's most diverse marine life, while Negros Occidental,

00:18famous for sugar farming, has been dubbed the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.

00:23My journey begins here in Sea Life City in Negros Occidental at the Hawaiian Philippine

00:29Company which is the oldest continuously operating sugar mill in the country.

00:38Established in 1918, in the country's golden age of sugar production, the mill has secured

00:44its place in history and its commitment to eco-friendly practices aims to sustain its

00:50future.

00:51Bagasse, the fibrous by-product remaining after sugar cane is crushed, is used as a

00:56renewable energy source to generate the mill's electricity and power its steam train, a century

01:02old alternative to its diesel trains still used to transport cane.

01:08The grandest relics of this sugar-rich era are the heritage houses still standing today.

01:14These mansions invite visitors to step back in time and explore the opulence of the sugar

01:19barons.

01:21Built in 1883, Balay Ni Tana Dikang in Silay was the home of Don Efigenio Lozares and his

01:27wife Doña Enrica Alunan, affectionately known as Tana as in Capitana Dikang.

01:34The matriarch raised their 17 children here and ran the family's sugar plantation alone

01:40after her husband's passing.

01:42Her resilience is echoed in the abiding Spanish-Filipino style stone and wood townhouse, now a museum

01:49with formal living quarters, bedrooms and personal artifacts on display.

01:54This one is a post-war silk dress and the top is usually, well, this attaches to the

02:05body but the shoulders rest on these butterfly sleeves.

02:08That identifies the Filipino terno, the whole ensemble is called terno, it rests on the

02:13shoulder.

02:14It's gorgeous.

02:15Yes.

02:16So beautiful.

02:17Just a short drive from Silay lies Talisay City, home to the Laxon ruins, dubbed the

02:22Taj Mahal of Negros.

02:24Like the Indian landmark, this Italian-inspired mansion is a symbol of loss and love.

02:31Built in the early 1900s by Don Mariano Laxon in memory of his wife, Maria Braga, who tragically

02:39died while pregnant with their 11th child.

02:42The house was later burned down during World War II to prevent it from being used by Japanese

02:48forces.

02:49But even in ruins, its beauty endures and today it's one of the most photographed sites

02:55in all of the Philippines.

02:58Today it's not only one of the most famous icons here on the island of Negros, it is

03:05also the top weddings destination here.

03:09Negros Island's sugar-coated legacy can also be tasted in its delicacies, from Dumaguete's

03:15sweet savannas to chicken inasal, one of the Philippines' most famous dishes, which originated

03:21in Bacolod and includes sugar in its sweet smoky marinade.

03:26Traveling south from Negros Occidental to Negros Oriental, I arrive at a coastline cited

03:32as having the highest marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle, the area spanning the

03:38tropical waters around the Philippines and neighboring Southeast Asian countries, said

03:43to contain the richest concentration of coral and marine species on Earth.

03:48To help grow local coral reefs, I'm joining local conservationists to build sea domes

03:54that we're going to place on the seabed.

03:56Cement is more porous, so coral polyps can have better chances of attaching on the structure

04:02because corals need a stable substrate in which they can attach and also start their

04:09life under the sea.

04:11We're taking our domes out to sea, and when we get to an area where the coral is more

04:16likely to attach, that's where we literally just push the domes off the side of the boat

04:20and hope for the best.

04:22A 30-minute boat ride from Negros lies Apo Island, a magnet for snorkelers and divers

04:28thanks to its dramatic underwater scenery.

04:31Beneath the surface, hundreds of coral varieties and marine species await, including friendly

04:37sea turtles, starfish and clownfish.

04:41From its natural wonders to its sweet heritage, Negros Island is a destination that connects

04:47the past and the present across land and sea, inviting visitors to discover its stories

04:54and leave with plenty of their own.

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