My Sad Republic by Eric Gamalinda (1996). A novel set in the Philippines at a moment of political upheaval, following characters caught between colonial history and an uncertain future. Gamalinda is one of the Philippines' most distinguished literary writers, and this book captures the texture of Filipino urban and provincial life with precision and melancholy. Reading it gives a sense of what the country's history feels like from the inside.
Diving the Philippines by Tim Rock. The practical guide for anyone coming to Negros Oriental for the water. It covers dive sites across the archipelago, with thorough attention to the Visayas — including Apo Island and the muck sites at Dauin. Rock knows the reefs well and the site descriptions are reliable enough to use for actual dive planning.
A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos by Luis H. Francia (2010). The most readable single-volume history of the Philippines available in English — opinionated, clear-eyed, and willing to address the Spanish colonial period, the American occupation, and the Marcos years without evasion. It does not focus on Negros Oriental specifically, but understanding the larger history makes travelling in the Philippines far more rewarding. Francia is a Filipino-American writer who knows the subject from the inside.