BAROBO SERIES: The Hill Full of Headless Sto. Niños

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Enchanted River and Hinatuan may be the poster boys of Surigao del Sur but there’s a gem in the province that many people don’t know much about: Barobo.

barobo surigao del sur philippines
View of the beach down the hill where locals often visit.

I joined a one-day tour in this third class municipality, a five-hour road trip via private vehicle from Davao City. Our first stop was this secluded beach, the name I wasn’t able to ask our guide, but I reckon it could be Turtle Island or the rear of Cabgan Island.

This island was a forty-five minute banca ride from Barobo Port. There’s a small house atop the entrance where a local family resides.

a cute kid sitting
A shy local looking at the visiting tourists.

What made this place memorable was the climb to the top of a hill where you pass by several statues of Sto. Niño, most of them headless. I expected to see a small church but on top was a lighthouse where you can have a beautiful view of Barobo.

headless santo niño statue barobo surigao del sur philippines
One of the many headless statues on the hill.
the lighthouse overlooking barobo surigao del sur philippines
The lighthouse sitting atop the hill overlooking Barobo.

I wanted to know the story behind these headless statues because as I climbed up the hill, they look creepy and amusing at the same time but I didn’t have anyone to ask. At eight in the morning, it was a low tide so we didn’t have the chance to plunge in the water. We did that at our next stop anyway, the Vanishing Island, which I will write about in different entry.

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