is an
Island Province of the
Philippines located in the
MIMARO Region in
Luzon . Its capital is
Boac . Marinduque lies between
Tayabas Bay to the north and
Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is located south and west of
Quezon , east of
Mindoro , and north of
Romblon .
is a heart-shaped island situated about eleven miles from the main island of
Luzon . It is 370 square miles making it the thirteenth largest island in the Philippine archipelago.
1 2
Marinduque is famous for the annual
Moriones Festival .
Marinduqueños are of Tagalog origin and speak
Tagalog . However, because of the island's proximity to the
Visayas region, the Marinduqueño variant of Tagalog has many words that are
Visayan origin and are not comprehensible to other Tagalog speakers. Traces of
Bicolano can also be found in this variant.
Filipino and
English are also well understood.
Marinduqueños are very hospitable in nature and are very welcoming. One such custom reflecting this is ''putong'', which is a custom of welcoming and honoring friends and visitors. The honoree (or honorees) are seated and crowned with flowers while local women dance and sing for them. Other well-wishers throw coins and flower petals for long life.
The
Moriones Festival also plays a prominent role in Marinduque's culture.
During the month of April, parades and celebrations can be seen on the streets. In
Gasan ,
Boac , and
Mogpog , a parade of people dressed as Moriones can be seen on the main road connecting the towns of the island.
Boac and
Sta. Cruz,the Biggest Town In The Province shows a reenactment in the evening of the actual event when
Longinus , a blind soldier, punctures Jesus with his spear and blood droplets from the wound restores Longinus' sight.
Marinduque is an agricultural province, primarily growing rice and coconuts. Fishing is also an important part of the economy. Mining was once an important player in the economy until a mining accident (the
Marcopper Mining Incident ) occurred, bringing the industry to a standstill on the island. The provincial government has just recently sued Marcopper's parent company,
Placer Dome , for $100 million in damages.
Placer Dome was purchased in 2006 by
Barrick , who has now been joined in the lawsuit.
Tourism does not play a major role in the economy, but it is growing.
Marinduque is subdivided into 6
Municipalities .
Marinduque is a heart-shaped island between
Tayabas Bay in the north and
Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is separated from the
Bondoc Peninsula in
Quezon by the
Mompog Pass . Some of the smaller islands to the northeast are Maniuayan Island, Santa Cruz Island, and Mompog Island. The highest peak in Marinduque is Mt. Malindig (formerly, Mt. Marlanga), a potentially active volcano with an elevation of 1157 meters.
The island has two major seasons--the dry season (November through February) and the rainy season (June through October), with a transitional period in between.
Legend has it that the island of Marinduque was formed as a consequence of a tragic love affair between two people: Marina and Garduke. Marina's father, a local chieftain, did not approve of this affair and ordered the beheading of Garduke. Before this could be done, the couple sailed out to sea and drowned themselves, forming the island now called Marinduque. Other versions of the legend also claim that the island was named "Malindik", named after Marinduque's highest mountain, Mt. Malindig. When Spanish
Conquistadors arrived in the Philippines, they found the name hard to pronounce, which led to the renaming of the island as "Marinduc" and later the current "Marinduque".
During the Spanish and early American occupations, Marinduque was part of the province of Balayan (now
Batangas ) in the 16th century,
Mindoro in the 17th century, and had a brief period as an independent province in 1901, when the Americans arrived.
During the
Philippine-American War , Marinduque was the first island to have American
Concentration Camps .Birtle, p. 272 Marinduque is the site of the
Battle Of Pulang Lupa , where Filipino soldiers under Colonel Maximo Abad, defeated a larger better trained force of Americans.
In 1902, the US-Philippine Commission annexed the islands of
Mindoro (now two separate provinces) and
Lubang (now part of
Occidental Mindoro ) to the province.
Four months later, the province became part of the province of Tayabas (now
Quezon ).
On February 21, 1920,
Act 2280 was passed by the Philippine Congress, reestablishing Marinduque as a separate province.
