Cantomanyog Zone of Peace
Candoni, Negros Occidental · about 109 km from 3ACs Apartment, Talisay City
A small upland village that became the very first Zone of Peace in the Philippines.
About
In Sitio Cantomanyog, Barangay Haba, in the hills of Candoni, ordinary farmers did something extraordinary at the height of the insurgency: they declared their village a zone of peace, where no one may enter carrying a gun. It was the first such zone in the whole country, and it became a model for others. Visit respectfully, talk with the residents, and take in the cool, green Tabla Valley — Candoni is the third-highest town in Negros Occidental.
History
The residents passed their peace-zone resolution on December 4, 1989, and the village was formally declared a zone of peace on February 16, 1990. In 1993 the national government recognised Cantomanyog and six other peace zones as Special Development Areas. Candoni itself began as the Tabla Valley Settlement in 1935.
Why visit
A moving piece of recent Negros history, in quiet highland farm country.
How to get there
Candoni is reached by jeepney or bus from Kabankalan City; ask in town for transport to Sitio Cantomanyog, Barangay Haba.
- Bus Bacolod–Kabankalan
- Jeepney Kabankalan–Candoni
- Habal-habal
Prices (estimates)
- VisitFree — coordinate with the barangay
Hours / best time: Daytime
Nearby places
- Sit-an Cave & Hinarap Falls, Candoni — A 150-metre cave with a church-like chamber and a cool natural pool, plus a falls in Barangay Agboy.
- Punta Bulata White Beach Resort — Quiet white-beach resort and the jump-off for Danjugan Island.
- Danjugan Island Marine Reserve — Award-winning eco-island with lagoons, bats and coral reefs.
- Sugar Beach, Sipalay — Golden-sand coves, sunsets and diving in Negros's beach capital.
- Campomanes Bay & Maasin Island — Deep, clear bay for snorkelling and diving, with a walk-through island cave.