MARIA Lalaine Tokong, 27, says Siargao, an island paradise in the province of Surigao del Norte in Mindanao, southern Philippines, “used to feel like a quiet little secret something only we locals understood deeply.”
Siargao, with a land area of about 437 square kilometers and known as the “Surfing Capital of the Philippines,” recorded 529,822 tourist arrivals in 2023 alone, including about 54,000 international visitors and more than 476,000 domestic guests.
The island comprises nine towns with approximately 150,000 inhabitants.
Recently, however, locals have expressed alarm over the growing presence of Israeli nationals on “holiday,” many reportedly members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) returning from the war in Gaza.
Residents said this has threatened their “sense of security,” particularly with plans to build a “Chabad House” religious center for Israelis.
“The presence of individuals connected to Israel’s military under the guise of religion is something that has created unease in our community, and it remains an ongoing concern for many of us here in Siargao,” Tokong, a Siargao-based musician and community organizer, told Sunstar Philippines.
“As ordinary citizens, our efforts are centered on peaceful and lawful ways of addressing the issue — by raising awareness, initiating dialogues and spreading details especially to our locals or lumads, and appealing to our local leaders to protect the welfare and peace of the community,” she added.
While Tokong said some leaders have acknowledged these sentiments, they also “continue to hope for stronger and more visible actions that prioritize the safety, dignity, and cultural integrity of the people.”
“Right now they see this being amplified even to the Nationals but we need also assurance, it will not just end here. We, especially the women of the island, are doing our best to stand firm and amplify our voices for the generations that will come after us,” she said.
On May 16, Tokong wrote a public message that went viral, saying it broke her heart “to see people coming to Siargao not to connect, but to escape with loud parties, casual hookups, and careless words spoken in public, without thinking about the little ears that are listening.”
“This may be a getaway for some, but for us, it’s home. They’re watching, they’re listening, and they’re learning from everything around them. We’re trying to raise them with values with respect, dignity, and kindness. But how can we protect that, when what they see doesn’t reflect the heart of our culture?” she said.
Not anti-tourism
Tokong maintained that she is not against tourism.
“In fact, I am grateful for every visitor who comes here, who falls in love with our island, and who brings new stories and friendships… But I ask and now beg when you visit our island, please carry more than your luggage. Carry respect. Carry kindness and carry a gentle awareness that you are not just in a beautiful place, you are in someone’s home,” she wrote.
To dramatize their resistance to what they called “settler colonization” of Siargao, some locals and allied groups held a peaceful one-kilometer solidarity walk at Sunset Bridge in General Luna town on September 14, 2025.
This was followed by the filing of a petition against the Chabad House construction plan, citing “zoning, absence of community approval, and the risk of cultural erosion and safety and security: rampant misconduct by Israeli tourists,” among others.
“Living in Siargao, we feel the impact of every change and development on the island,” the Siargao Movement said in a report from the alternative online news site Bulatlat on September 20.
“Plans for a Chabad House have added to our unease, as it could serve as a refuge for soldiers involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict,” the group added.
Amid the conflict between Israel and Palestine, with more than 67,000 Palestinians reportedly killed in Gaza by Israel-led military attacks for the past two years, Filipino lawyer and activist Aaron Pedrosa said “there is no other logical recourse but for the Philippine government to cut ties with the Israel government for the genocide in Palestine.”
“As Israel doubles down, and pursue a full-scale military occupation of Gaza, and expand illegal settlements in the West Bank, issuing statements of indignation and concern no longer suffices,” Pedrosa, secretary-general of the progressive coalition Sanlakas, told Sunstar Philippines on Wednesday, October 8.
“The Philippine government should most especially call out the U.S.’s continuing support for Israel which has only emboldened the latter to act with impunity,” he added.
According to Pedrosa, the Philippine government “should push for sanctions against Israel as a strong rebuke to the modern-day Holocaust it is inflicting on Palestinians, the attack it has launched against its neighbors, and the undeterred plan to realize a Greater Israel by expanding its occupation in the region.”
Solidarity messages
“Living in Siargao means feeling the weight of every change on the island — whether the creeping takeover of land or the free passage of Israeli soldiers on ‘holiday,’ some of whom may have direct ties to war crimes in Gaza. The construction of a so-called Chabad House threatens to normalize the presence of those complicit in genocide, turning Siargao into a safe haven for war criminals while locals face displacement and rising insecurity,” the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association earlier said.
In a report from Catholic new site UCA News, the clergy from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) serving in Siargao said they recognize and respect the freedom of religion.
“Yet, any religious or cultural institution established in our land must come through genuine dialogue and with respect for the host community. The manner in which the Chabad House is being introduced has disregarded proper consultation and has stirred division, anxiety, and resentment among our people,” they said in a statement.
“We cannot remain silent when foreign interests are prioritized over the welfare of our communities,” they added.
Meanwhile, Tokong said she and her group had met with the local council for a consultative meeting on October 6, where they aired their concerns about the Chabad House construction.
Shortly after World War II, the Catholic-majority Philippines became the only Asian nation to support United Nations Resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1947.
Aside from being the country’s 34th largest trading partner, Israel is also the Philippines’ third-largest military supplier. (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)
