( of the
Philippines located in the
MIMAROPA Region in
Luzon . Its capital is
Calapan City and occupies the eastern half of the island of
Mindoro ;
Occidental Mindoro is at the western half. On the east of the province lies the
Sibuyan Sea and
Romblon . To the north is
Batangas across the
Verde Island Passage. The
Semirara Islands of
Antique are to the south.
Oriental Mindoro is famous among tourists for
Puerto Galera . This
Municipality , only a few hours from
Manila , boasts of splendid white beach resorts and diving spots. For the adventurous,
Mt. Halcon , on the western border of the province provides one of the most challenging
Mountain Climbing experiences in the Philippines.
Oriental Mindoro is the home province of current Philippine vice-president and former
ABS-CBN news anchor
Noli De Castro . He is from the town of
Pola .
Oriental Mindoro relies on tourism, and harvest of fruits for an income.
Oriental Mindoro is subdivided into 14
Municipalities and 1
Component City .
Spaniards first arrived on Mindoro in the
16th Century and initially administered it as part of
Batangas . The island gained full provincehood in
1921 . In
1950 , the island was divided into the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and
Occidental Mindoro .
