There is a natural attraction in the island province of Siquijor that is famous for its breath-taking greenery and enchanting allure. It is called Enrique Villanueva's Mystical and Timeless Trees and it is located along the Siquijor Circumferential Road in Barangay Bino-ongan of the municipality of Enrique Villanueva. Even the Google maps feature it.
The day after the Isla del Fuego Marathon , the Mangrove Loving Penguin (MLP) and Marcel drove from the town of Siquijor, which is located in the western part of province to the northern part in the town of Larena and in the eastern part of the island where the mystical and timeless trees are located.
These trees are actually twisted, gnarled mangrove trees rooted directly in the shallow torquise blue sea water along the shoreline. These trees are Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba) and Bakawan Babae (Rhizophora mucronata) mangroves.
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| Just along the Siquijor Circumferental Road, the Mystical and Timeless Trees are very visible and truly a sight for sore eyes. |
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| Enrique Villanueva's Mystical and Timeless Trees is marked in Google Maps |
The trees are called TIMELESS because they are massive old-growth trees that appear untouched by the passing eras. Most certainly the pair of Pagatpat mangroves are older than the town itself. Enrique Villanueva was founded as a municipality in April 1924, originally under the name Talingting before being renamed after former Negros Oriental Governor Enrique Villanueva in November 1931. Most probably, these pair of Pagatpats were around already when the first steamships dropped anchor in Siquijor in the 1870s. And if I were to guess, this Pagatpat mangrove duo were standing already when Moro raiders attacked the Spanish colonial community in Siquijor in the 1750s.
These mangrove trees are ancient and enduring, having stood along the coastal landscape of Talingting for generations, representing the deep-rooted, long lasting natural history of the island province. These weathered, resilient mangroves standing in the shallow coastal waters have survived harsh sea conditions and storms over decades, even centuries. Locals and travelers, like me, view these Pagatpats as symbols of endurance, noting how their twisted trunks and exposed roots carry the many "scars" of time.
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| Visually stunning, this pair of Pagatpat mangroves appears to float timelessly in the torquise waters. |
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| The town is named after Negros Governor Enrique Villanueva who was born in 1888. Originally known as Talingting, the town was renamed its present name back in 1931. The two Pagatpat trees are older than these 2 dates. |
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| Taking photo of the timeless legend. |
The trees are called MYSTICAL because the landscape is steeped in local folklore, mythology and the deep-rooted spiritual identity of Siquijor. Like many old and ancient trees across Siquijor, the old Pagatpats in Enrique Villanueva are regarded with quiet reverence. Visitors are traditionally adviced to show respect - avoid pointing directly at the trunks or disturbing the surroundings - as the old trees and the dense coastal shrubs are believed to be home to nature spirits (diwatas) or unseen guardians of the land and sea.
The municipality of Enrique Villanueva is known for its traditional healers and manghihilots who harvest local herbs, roots and barks from the surrounding natural environment to concoct sacred oils and remedies. Traditionally, crushed or pounded leaves of the Pagatpat mangrove are applied topically as a folkloric poultice to treat open cuts, wounds and skin infections (scientifically, the leaves of the Pagatpat have significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic potential). The vitality of the local fauna is deeply tied in community belief to the spiritual energy of the town's trees and mangroves.
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| Not only visually stunning, the pair of Pagatpat mangroves is steeped in local folklore, adding a sense of mystique for visitors. |
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| The space between the trees looks like a portal to another dimension. |
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| To add a touch of mystery, there is a noose hanging from one of the Mystical and Timeless Trees. |
Amazing and intriguing are the mangroves of Enrique Villanueva in particular and Siquijor in general that prior to landing in the province, the MLP has reached out to my former mangrove instructors in ZSL - Philippines to inquire if there is an alumni of the Training of Trainers on Mangrove and Beach Forest Rehabilitation and Conservation (ToT) who is based in the island province. Good thing there is one ToT alumni from Siquijor and he is Ryd Banguis who is employed with the DENR's Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO). He would definitely be a good source of info and knowledge. It is said that ToT alumni form a growing nationwide network of mangrove champions. Thanks to the scientific mettle of resource persons from ZSL-Philippines like Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, participants of the ToT gain science-base knowledge, technical skills and community-organizing tools to initiate and lead mangrove-related coastal restoration projects.
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| The office building of DENR PENRO-Siquijor |
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| The org chart of PENRO-Siquijor. |
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| The MLP visiting Ryd Banguis, the head of the Conservation and Development Section of PENRO-Siquijor. |
The MLP visited Ryd in PENRO-Siquijor office in the town of Larena which is between the municipalities of Siquijor and Enrique Villanueva. Coincidence or not, Ryd turns out is very much involved with the Mystical and Timeless Mangroves of Enrique Villanueva. Being the Head of the Conservation and Development Section of PENRO-Siquijor, Ryd is well-positioned to effect some positive development on the mangrove front. He briefed the MLP that PENRO-Siquijor and other government agencies collaborating with the local government in Enrique Villanueva have adopted Green-Gray Engineering (GGE) to address high wave energy, combat coastal erosion, and protect vulnerable mangrove ecosystems.
What exactly is the GGE? It is a hybrid approach. It combines comvetional engineering structures ("gray") with natural ecosystem restoration ("green"). One of the components of the GGE initiative in Enrique Villanueva is the introduction of a 25-meter long, 1-meter high green-gray barrier constructed from local, indigenous materials. This barrier functions as a temporary wave break to shelter mangrove seedlings planted behind it. The Gray part of the GGE will be a temporary stone breakwater built from locally-sourced big stones and it will attenuate severe wave forces and accumulate landwark sediment to form a stable substrate. The Green part of the GGE will be the strategic planting of native, sturdy mangrove species like Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba) and Bungalon (Avicennia marina) into the built up sendiment beds. The objective of the green infra is to re-establish a dense "green wall" capable of expanding naturally over time.
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| Ryd explaining his design of the Green Gray Engineering temporary stone breakwater to be constructed in Brgy Bina-ongan, Enrique Villanueva. |
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| Closer look at the design which was inspired by the temporary stone breakwater in Brgy. Pedada, Ajuy in the province of Iloilo. |
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| The MLP visited the temporary stone breakwater in Brgy Pedada last Feb 2025 during ToT Batch 16. |
No doubt, ToT fellow alumni Ryd is very much involved in crafting this GGE initiative thanks to the science-knowledge he got from the ToT of ZSL Philippines. Part of the 1-week ToT program of which Ryd and MLP undertook is field work visiting an actual GGE initiative in Barangay Pedada, town of Ajuy in the province of Iloilo. In the said barangay, a people's organization called Barangay Pedada Fisherfolk Association (BPFA) successfully combined temporary stone breakwaters with mangrove reforestation. This science-based infrastructure, measuring 0.9 meter high by 1-2 meter wide by 70 meter and 110 meter long with a break to allow for boat traffic, trapped sendiment and restored a highly eroded coastline. The Pedada, Ajuy GGE is the inspiration for the one in Bino-ongan, Enrique Villanueva.
One of the key lessons in the Pedada GGE experience is that multi-sectoral collaboration between grassroot commnities, local governments, NGOs and government agencies is the foundation for sucess. Ryd has taken this to heart and he tells me that for the Bino-ongan GGE there are a number of organizations and govt agencies working together. The DPWH is in charge for the collection and transport of the stones. The Philippine Coast Guard ( Coast Guard Station Siquijor) and the Brgy Bino-ongan LGU in charge of layout and filling of stone. The DENR and an NGO called Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are providing project supervision. There is project support coming from the municipal LGU. A people's organization in the neigboring barangay of Lomangcapan will raise mangrove seedlings for the source of planting materials for the Bino-ongan GGE.
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| Local community members working together with volunteers from govt agencies like the DPWH and Philippine Coast Guard during the Green-Gray Engineering layouting last July 2026. Photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Siquijor |
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| Facebook post of Coast Guard Station Siquijor |
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| MLP and Marcel visiting the Lomangcapan Wetland which is a protected area managed by the DENR PENRO-Siquijor, the Municipality LGU of Enrique Villanueva, and the Barangay LGU of Lomangcapan. |
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| MLP with rows of mangroves inside the Lomangcapan Wetland which is located north of Brgy Bina-ongan. |
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| A Pagatpat mangrove tree inside the Lomangcapan Wetland. The wetland will be the source of Pagatpat mangrove seedlings to be planted in the vicinity of the Mystical and Timeless Trees of Brgy Bino-ongan. |
When the MLP and Marcel visited the Mystical and Timeless Mangroves in Enrique Villanueva last Sept 7, we looked for signs of the GGE initiative. And yes, viewed from a drone above and by close inspection on foot, there is the start of the foundation of the planned stone breakwater.
This is progress. The GGE initiative in Siquijor is yet another positive step in a tangible shift toward blending ecological restoration with civil infrastructure to combat coastal degradation.
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| A pile of big stones mark the start of the temporary breakwater. These stones were placed there during the GGE layouting last July 2026. |
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| A view of the GGE layouting. |
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| Another drone view. |
Mystical and Timeless. Green and Gray. The color green can represent the mystical. The color gray is widely considered timeless. In the clear coastal waters of Enrique Villaneuva, we can see the confluence of timeless gray and mystical green. Literally and figuratively.
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