Have you heard about the infamous Siquijor ghost ship?

The residents of Lazi, Siquijor are all familiar with a hometown myth: There is a ghost ship called the tayog-tayog that appears on the ocean some time at dawn and just as suddenly, it vanishes into thin air.

The myth, which has been passed around for 70 years, has it that a man was fishing in Lazi, Siquijor sometime in the ‘70s, who suddenly, he hears a loud sound.

Surprised to see a ship approaching, he paddled hurriedly and frightened, seeing that the ship had 'engkantos' for passengers.

The Spaniards used to call Siquijor "Isla del Fuego" or the "Island of Fire," because of the splendor of fireflies at night.

Now, a part of the ocean by Lazi lights up every night with a mystery ship that makes such loud sounds it shakes up the ground. As such, it was called the tayog-tayog, coined from the Bisaya term "tayog,” which means the shaking of the ground.

Residents say that the tayog-tayog appears at 12 midnight until 2 am. Sometimes, the loud roar would wake residents up from their sleep.

But what gives the residents the creeps? The tayog-tayog would suddenly vanish just a few moments after it appears. It has since then been tagged as the ghost ship.

Richard, a resident of Siquijor, says he has been hearing stories about the tayog-tayog ever since he was a child. He lives two kilometers from the seaside, and he attests to it, having woken up from the sound the tayog-tayog makes.

One night, he decided to follow the noise and saw the mysterious ship. In fact, Richard said he saw it a couple more times after that.

According to Richard, he saw one ship sailing near the lighthouse and another ship on the other side of the ocean. The two met each other halfway until they both vanished.

He said ghost ship hunting has become an attraction to tourists, with him serving as guide and telling the tourists stories. Richard swears it’s not just a tourism gimmick. Visitors really do see the tayog-tayog, he says.

There are non-believes like Lanie, who has changed her mind after seeing it with her own eyes. Lanie said at first the tayog-tayog looked like an ordinary ship, but what startled her is when it suddenly disappeared.