Tim Tayag discovers the wonders of Siquijor

We all know that Timothy "Tim" Nepomuceno Tayag is a naughty hunk and stand-up comedian at a Makati comedy club and in Men’s Room on Studio 23 (until he left the said show). He gives us an American-style, witty and observational stand-up comedy in English, featuring situations and opinions that the audience can relate to and laugh about. Tim gives a slick and riotous performance, right?

Before he came back to the Philippines years ago, he was a superstar in San Francisco’s Punch Line, an establishment whose pedigreed alumni include Robin Williams, giving comedy full-time. But not many people know that Tim is a "traveltologist" in his own right.

He created his own travel show and called it On-Foot, aired on Living Asia Channel. It is a sort of streetwise "cookbook" for traveling. When you travel on foot and interact with locals, you penetrate the veneer of the guidebooks and maps and mine the grit of real life. It is not also the usual travel show since Tim provides a comic element while the show highlights concise information and coverage of the destination via humorous graphics and animation. It’s a great help to people who want to feel the lighter side and offbeat experiences of traveling in the Philippines and other Asian countries.

"The good thing is I love the Philippines," Tim says.

His recent travel is to Siquijor province, a tiny island in the Central Visayas. To many Filipinos (including Tim who visited the place for the first time), Siquijor conjures up images of voodoo and bizarre rituals and other supernatural things. Witchcraft exists in various forms in the island, but when Tim explored the place on foot, his "fear" vanished as he saw the island’s untouched and undisturbed sand beaches.

His visit was made possible by Mayor Richard Cortes Quezon of Siquijor, Siquijor and the Department of Trade and Industry-Siquijor’s boss Nimfa Virtucio.

Catch Tim join the State College Dance Troupe in dancing the Solili, a traditional wedding ritual in Siquijor.

Tim visited Siquijor’s interesting places, such as the St. Francis de Assisi Church and its old bell tower; Cambuhagay falls; the unique St. Isidore Church and the Lazi convent which is said to be the biggest and the oldest in whole Asia; the Mt. Bandilaan National Park, the highest peak in Siquijor which is a preserved rain forest and home to numerous and diverse endemic fauna and flora and several caves and natural springs; and Capilay Spring, a "must-see" for its natural spring converted into a swimming pool situated in the town of San Juan.

A visit to Siquijor is not complete without discovering the "mystical side" of the province. Barangay San Antonio is popular for alternative medicine and famous throughout the country as a center of mysticism. Traditional healers and occult practitioners believe that the island is rich in supernatural herbs. Tim gathered some herbs with the help of Nonoy, the youngest mangangalap (searcher) of herbs usually done during Holy Week’s tang-alap. After he got the approval of Juan Ponce, Siquijor’s oldest and powerful healer, Tim finished the task of making an herbal medicine and got his diploma!

Love potion made from flowers intrigued Tim. For P100 to P500, one can buy it in a sari-sari store. Tim mixed the potion into a cologne and girls went gaga over him.

To this day, many people still "fear" Siquijor because of the tales of kulam, paktol and gayuma and other mystical elements. But for Tim, traveling and living in Siquijor gave him time to discover the hidden beauty and wonders of the place. The magic is in the hospitality of the Siquijornons.

"I didn’t see aswang but I would say the place is supernatural. I see supernatural places and meet supernatural people," Tim said.