Marinduque (; ), officially the Province of Marinduque (), is an island province in the Philippines located in Southwestern Tagalog Region or Mimaropa, formerly designated as Region IV-B. Its capital is the municipality of Boac, the most populous in the province. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is west of the Bondoc Peninsula of Quezon province in mainland Luzon; east of Mindoro Island; and north of the island province of Romblon. Some parts of the Verde Island Passage, the center of the center of world's marine biodiversity and a protected marine area, are also within Marinduque's provincial waters.
The province of Marinduque was ranked number 1 by the Philippine National Police and Philippine Security Forces as the 2013 Most Peaceful Province of the country due to its low crime rate statistics alternately ranking with the province of Batanes yearly. Furthermore, for almost 200 years, the province has been home to one of the oldest religious festivals in the country, the Moriones celebrated annually every Holy Week.
Etymology The most accepted theory of the etymology of the province's name is a Hispanized corruption of either malindig or malindug, which means "stand tall" or "elegant", in reference to a potentially active volcano in the southern section of the island, the Mount Malindig.
In 1676, Domingo Navarette wrote in Tratados historicos..., "The island which the people from there call Minolo is named Mindoro by the Spaniards, and that of Malindic we call Marinduque." (trans. by E.H. Blaire and J.A. Robertson)
History
Middle ages The island was called Malindig in Tagalog and Malindog in Visayan languages. It was likely a constituent of the Kingdom of Luzon, due to the immediate Spanish claims to the island after the fall of Manila in May 1570.
It is possible that there were nobility who ruled Malindig since there were principalia or princely figures in Marinduque during Spanish rule.
Spanish rule From the Visayan name Malindog, Marinduque became the name of the island in Castilian.
In 1571, Governor-General Miguel López de Legaspi had entrusted (encomienda) Marinduque to Fr. Pedro de Herrera, the first Augustinian priest who introduced Christianity to Marinduqueños.
Marinduque was part of the province of Balayan (now Batangas) in the 16th century, and of Mindoro from the 17th to 19th century.
Antoine-Alfred Marche, a French naturalist, carried out an archaeological investigation in Marinduque from April to July 1881. An abundant yield of urns, vases, gold ornaments, skulls, and other ornaments were found. He brought these to France in 40 crates. Part of it is said to be housed at the Musée de l'Homme ("museum of man") in France. The finds also included an image of wooden polytheistic religious statues (anito) which at the time were already called pastores by Marinduqueños.
One of the artifacts found by Marche also found its way to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (Catalogue No. A127996-0, Department of Anthropology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution). Fragile jarlets that were found were said to have travelled from China to Marinduque. Buried in a cave for centuries and excavated in the late 19th century, these were brought to Paris and one was then brought to the Smithsonian Institution museum.
First Philippine Republic Marinduque, governed through the province of Mindoro, was a constituent of the First Philippine Republic from January 1899 to April 1901 under President Emilio Aguinaldo.
During the Philippine–American War, Marinduque was the first province where American invaders established concentration camps.Birtle, p. 272 In the Battle of Pulang Lupa, under the direction of Colonel Maximo Abad, 250 Filipino soldiers defeated 54 American infantrymen.
American rule
Col. Abad after capturing the Americans later surrendered on 15 April 1901, upon orders from President Aguinaldo and due to the capture of Governor Martin Lardizabal and two other officials who were held hostage by the Americans at Fort Santiago.Foreman, J., 1906, The Philippine Islands, A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
On 23 June 1902, by virtue of Act No. 423, 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, on the 10th of November, Marinduque was annexed to the province of Tayabas (now Quezon) by virtue of Act No. 499.
On 21 February 1920, Act No. 2280 was passed by the Philippine Congress, reestablishing Marinduque as a separate province.
According to Henry Otley Beyer, an American anthropologist, while many other accidental discoveries and finds have been recorded from time to time and European and Filipino scientists had casually explored a few burial caves and sites, no systematic work had been done anywhere else prior to these explorations. After Marche, the next important archaeological work was undertaken by Dr. Carl Gunthe in the Visayas Island Group in 1922.
Commonwealth of the Philippines
In November 1935, Marinduque became a province of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under Pres. Manuel Quezon. The Philippine Commonwealth Army was stationed in the province; the general headquarters was active from 1935 to 1942.
Japanese occupation In 1942, during the Second World War, Japanese Imperial forces landed on Marinduque. The province was re-annexed to Tayabas, but re-established as an independent province in 1945."Pursuant to the authority conferred upon me as Head of the Central Administrative Organization by Order No. 1 in connection with Order No. 3 of the Commander in Chief of the Imperial Japanese Forces in the Philippines and upon the recommendation of the Executive Commission it is hereby ordered that— The Province of Batanes is abolished and the comprising the same as well as the territory thereof shall be annexed to the Province Cagayan. The municipalities of Baler and Casiguran, Province of Tayabas, and the territories thereof are segregated from said province and shall be annexed to the Province of Nueva Ecija. The municipality of Infanta, Province of Tayabas, and the territory thereof are segregated from province and shall be annexed to the Province of Laguna. The Province of Marinduque is abolished and municipalities comprising the same as well as territory thereof shall be annexed to the Province of Tayabas. The Province of Romblon is abolished and the municipalities comprising the same as well the territory thereof shall be annexed to the of Capiz."Provisions of this order only apply for the duration of the Japanese occupation; revoked after the restoration of the Commonwealth in 1945.
Second Philippine Republic In October 1943, Marinduque became a province of the Second Philippine Republic under President Jose P. Laurel. The sovereign, however, was the Japanese emperor.
In 1945, combined American and Filipino troops liberated the province from Japanese forces, returning the province to the Commonwealth of the Philippines under President Sergio Osmeña. In addition to the return of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the Philippine Constabulary was also stationed in the province. These were active from 1945 to 1946.
Third Philippine Republic to present
Archaeological findings that help inform Marinduque's history are exhibited at the Marinduque Museum in Poblacion at Boac and in foreign museums. The artifacts are to be analysed to aid the historiography of the island and the province.
Geography
Marinduque is considered as the geographical center of the Philippine archipelago by the Luzon Datum of 1911, the mother of all Philippine geodetic surveys. The province is a "heart-shaped" island with a total land area of , situated between Tayabas Bay in the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is separated from the Bondoc Peninsula in Quezon by the Mongpong Pass. West of Marinduque is Tablas Strait, which separates it from Mindoro Island.
Some of the smaller islands to the northeast are Polo Island, Maniwaya Island, and Mongpong Island. Southwest portion includes the Tres Reyes Islands and Elephant Island.
The highest peak in Marinduque is Mount Malindig (formerly called Mt. Marlanga), a potentially active stratovolcano with an elevation of above sea level, located at the southern tip of the island.
Cave Systems
Various cave systems occupy the province, including: Bathala Cave located near Barangay Ipil in Sta. Cruz town; Tarug Caves is located at Barangay Tarug, in the town of Mogpog, a three-chambered caves of limestone formation. It rises steeply to 270 feet above the ground and is located 331 ft above sea level. The pinnacle is barely 3 square meters. Bagumbungan Cave, a cave system in San Isidro and Punong with complex subterranean river Talao Caves, a 12 series of caves overlooking the western part of the island.
Climate Marinduque has a Type III climate, having rainfall more or less evenly distributed throughout the year with no clear boundary between dry and wet seasons. The annual mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures were calculated at , and respectively. The humidity average is 78% year-round with an average annual rainfall totaling .https://www.namria.gov.ph
Administrative divisions Marinduque comprises 6 municipalities, further subdivided into 218 barangays. A double legislative districts encompasses all towns.
Municipality Population Area Density km2 /km2 Boac † 54,730 61 Buenavista 23,988 15 Gasan 34,828 25 Mogpog 34,043 37 Santa Cruz 56,408 55 Torrijos 30,524 25 Total 239,207 234,521 952.58 218 Provincial capital Municipality
Boac The capital of the province. The most populous town in the province Boac remains the center of industry, culture, economy, and education. Most government and private offices are in the municipality of Boac. It also borders all five municipalities. Mogpog to the North, Santa Cruz to the Northeast, Torrijos to the East, Buenavista to the South, and Gasan to the Southwest. Boac is named after the Tagalog word, , which means divided, due to the Boac River dividing the town in the geographic north and south.
Gasan The Cultural Nerve Center of the province. Dubbed as one of the cleanest and greenest municipalities in the Philippines, Gasan's land area covers a forest reserve in the eastern part. It is also the gateway to the island of Mindoro. Handicrafts and the famous Kalutang boasts from the town of Gasan. It was named after , a local term for corals found in the municipality.
Buenavista The smallest of the six municipalities. It was once part of the municipality of Gasan known as Sabang. It was named such because of the "good view" of the Tablas Strait and offshore islands.
Torrijos Named after three purported origins; 1) from Gen. Torrijos, 2) from torrillos, referring to the cows which pastured in its vast plains, and 3) from torre y hijos, referring to the watchtower men guarding the parish. Torrijos is deemed to be the summer capital of the Province and is known for its locally-grown strawberries.
Santa Cruz The largest of all the six municipalities in terms of land area and the second most populous town after Boac. It is considered a secondary municipality after Boac (since it is the capital). Together with Boac, it is also a first-class municipality with established industries and commercial routines.
Mogpog The Primary Gateway of the Province through the Balanacan Port. It is the original home of the Moriones Lenten Rites and Kangga Festival. Mogpog was named after the Tagalog word, or kiln makers abundant in the municipality.
Demographics
The population of Marinduque in the 2024 census was 239,207 people, with a density of , hence, it is the most densely populated province in the Mimaropa Region.
Religion