Marinduque is a heart-shaped island and the smallest province of Region IV, located between the Bondoc Peninsula and Mindoro Islands. It is bounded by Quezon Province on the north, Bondoc Peninsula on the East, Romblon on the south and Mindoro Oriental of the west. Legend says that the original name of the island was 'Malandik'. The Spanish found it hard to pronounce so they called the island Marinduc. Later Marinduc became Marinduque.
The main economic activity of the province is agriculture. Coconut is their primary crop followed by palay. Corn, banana, vegetables, root crops, coffee, cacao and legumes like mango and peanut are also planted in their remaining lands. Fishing is the next major industry. Being an island, Marinduque is surrounded by excellent fishing areas that produce a huge catch for export. The town of Sta. Cruz catches the biggest share followed by the towns of Gasan, Torrijos, Boac, Mogpog and Buenavista.
The island of Marinduque has a lot more to offer. There are endless stretches of beaches covered with sands ranging from white to gray. The isolated coves and uninhabited islets are some sites ideal for a wide range of watersports. Explore underwater caves, catch the year-round winds in sailboard or you can snorkel their fringing reefs or dive walls of soft and hard corals. And to soothe muscles and nerves after, the choice is there for a relaxing dip in natural-sulfur or freshwater hot springs.
Marinduque is popular for the Moriones Festival. A unique and lively Lenten custom featuring masked men, called "morions", dressed in colorful costumes in resemblance of Roman soldiers. The festivity is about the story of Longinus reenacted in pantomime and held during the entire Holy Week. Another gem of the province is the Kalutang. It is composed of a band of local practitioners that has perfected the art of producing crisp melodies that blends with the synched, catchy rhythm boosted by the booming bass. Each musicians holds in each hand the end of special chosen branch of the kwatingan tree found on the island, carefully cut to the musician’s specifications.
The island is a volcanic mass with mostly plains on the western part and mountains on the eastern side, rising in the south to Mt. Malindig at 1,157 m. It has 17 outlying islets, mostly in the north, but the more familiar ones are in the southwest: the Tres Reyes, named after the biblical Three Kings and the Elephant Island resort. The province has two pronounces seasons: dry from December to May and wet the rest of the year. It is occasionally on the path of typhoons.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Legend has it that the heart-shaped island was formed as a consequence of a tragic love affair between Marina and Garduke. Because Marina's father disapproved of the romance, her ordered the beheading of his lover. Before this could be done, however, the pair sailed out to sea and drowned themselves. The island that rose from the waters became Marinduque. Another version says that the original name of the island was "Malandik" which was derived from its highest peak, Mt. Malindig. Because the Spaniards found this hard to pronounce, they called the island Marinduc which eventually became Marinduque.
At various times in its history, Marinduque was a part of three other provinces. During the 16th century, it was under the administration of Balayan (now Batangas). Early in the 17th century, it became a part of Mindoro. In 1901, the Americans created the province of Marinduque. A year later, the US-Philippine Commission annexed the islands of Mindoro and Lubang to the new province. Four months later, Marinduque was made a part of Tayabas (now Quezon). Finally, on February 21, 1920, Act No. 2280 reestablished the former province of Marinduque.
Marinduque is agricultural, with rice and coconut as the major crops. It also has vast fishing grounds. Mining is the principal industry; Marcopper in the town of Sta. Cruz is one of the largest mines in the country
The simplest way to get to Marinduque is by air via a direct flight to Marinduque Airport. Another way to reach the province is by a combination of land (from Manila to Dalahican Port in Lucena) and sea travel (from Dalahican Port to Marinduque). Several bus companies ply the Manila-Lucena route but the best bets are those that bring passengers all the way to Dalahican Port located about 15 minutes away from Lucena City proper. Ferries leaving Dalahican Port bound for Marinduque either docks at Balanacan Pier (Mogpog town) or at Buyabod Pier (Sta. Cruz town). It is also possible to conveniently transport vehicles to the island from Manila by loading them up the ferryboats. |
