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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