Marinduque (Tagalog pronunciation: [maɾinˈduke]) 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. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the
south. It is west of the Bondoc Peninsula of Quezon province; 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 is home to one of the oldest religious festivals of the country, the Morionescelebrated
annually every Holy Week.

History[edit]
According to a legend, the island of Marinduque was formed as a consequence of a tragic love affair
between two people: Mariin and Gatduke. Mariin's father, a local chieftain, did not approve of this
affair and ordered the beheading of Gatduke. Before this could be done, the couple sailed out to sea
and drowned themselves, forming the island now called Marinduque.
However, 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.[3]
During the Spanish and early American occupations, Marinduque was part of Balayan
Province (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.[4] Marinduque is the site of the Battle of Pulang Lupa, where 250
Filipino soldiers under Colonel Maximo Abad, defeated a smaller force of 54 American Infantrymen.
It is one of the few battles during the pacification of the Philippines where the tenacity and bravery of
the Filipinos prevailed over the well-armed Americans. Col. Abad after capturing the Americans later
surrendered on April 15, 1901 upon orders from Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and due to the capture of
Gov. Martin Lardizabal and two other officials of the revolutionary who were held hostage by the
Americans in Fort Santiago.[5]:535
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.
In 1942 during the Second World War, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Marinduque.[further
explanation needed]

In 1945, combined American and Filipino troops liberated the province from the Japanese forces.
Two government agencies were stationed in the province during the American period, the Philippine
Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary. The general headquarters of the PCA was
active from 1935 to 1942 and again from 1945 to 1946 while the PC was active from 1945 to 1946.

Archaeological finds[edit]
Archaeology in the Philippines began in Marinduque.[citation needed] Prior to 1900, only one important
archaeological investigation had been carried out in the country: the Antoine-Alfred Marche’s
exploration of Marinduque from April to July 1881. According to anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer,
while many other accidental discoveries and finds have been recorded from time to time and a few
burial caves and sites had been casually explored by European and local scientists, 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.
An abundant yield of Chinese urns, vases, gold ornaments, skulls and other ornaments of pre-
colonial origin was what Marche finds represented. He brought back to France the Marinduque
artifacts he uncovered in 40 crates. Part of it now is said to be housed at the Musée de l'Homme in
France. The finds also included a wooden image of the Marinduque anito called "Pastores" by the
natives.
One of these artifacts also found its way into the National Museum of Natural History of
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (Catalogue No. A127996-0, Department of
Anthropology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution). These fragile jarlets traveled from China to the pre-
colonial Philippines. Buried in a cave in Marinduque for centuries, excavated in the late 19th century,
brought to Paris and eventually one ended up at the Smithsonian Institution museum.
Part of Marinduque's history lies at the Marinduque Museum in Poblacion at Boac and in museums
abroad. It will take some time to analyze these artifacts to piece together its pre-colonial past.
Marinduque is considered as the geographical center of the Philippine archipelago by the Luzon
Datum of 1911, the mother of all Philippine geodetic surveys.[citation needed] The province is a "heart-
shaped" island with a total land area of 952.58 square kilometres (367.79 sq mi)[6], situated
between Tayabas Bay in the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is separated from the Bondoc
Peninsula in Quezon by the Mompong 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 Mompong 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 1,157 metres (3,796 ft) above sea level, located at the
southern tip of the island. Various cave systems occupy the province, which include the grand
Bathala Cave; the newly discovered San Isidro Cave with its complex subterranean river; and Talao
Caves with its 12 series of caves overlooking the western part of the island.

Climate[edit]
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 27.0 °C (80.6 °F), 32.9 °C (91.2 °F) and 22.3 °C (72.1 °F)
respectively. Humidity average is 78% year-round with an average annual rainfall totaling
2,034.6 mm (80.1 inches).[7]

Administrative divisions[edit]
Marinduque comprises 6 municipalities, further subdivided into 218 barangays. A double legislative
districts encompasses all towns.[6]
 Political map of Marinduque

Boac
The capital of the province. Although the second most populous after Santa Cruz, Boac
remains the center of industry, culture, economy and education. Most of government and
private offices are in the municipality of Boac. It also borders all the 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, biak, 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 gasang-gasang, 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
known for locally-grown strawberries.
Santa Cruz
The largest of all the six municipalities both in land area and population. It is considered as 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 Festiva. Mogpog was named after the Tagalog
word, mag-aapog or kiln makers abundant in the municipality.
The population of Marinduque in the 2015 census was 234,521
people,[2] with a density of 250 inhabitants per square kilometre or 650
inhabitants per square mile, hence, it is the most densely populated
province in the MIMAROPA Region.

Religion[edit]
Marinduque is resided by various religious groups, with Catholics belonging
to the Latin Rite predominantly making up the greatest number with
70%.[citation needed] The Iglesia Filipina Independiente has 25% of the
population[citation needed] and the rest belongs to the different denominations
such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Iglesia ni Cristo,
and various Mainline Protestant denominations which include Assemblies of
God, Baptists, JIL, Methodists, Presbyterian, Seventh-day Adventist
Church (SDA), and the non-denominational Evangelical churches also
known as Born-Again Christians. Muslims, Anitists, animists, and atheists
are also present in the province.

Language[edit]
The version of Tagalog spoken in Marinduque, known as the Marinduque
Tagalog, has been described as "the root from which modern national forms
of speech have sprung," where remnants of archaic Tagalog could be
found, spoken in a lilting manner by its inhabitants. If this linguistic theory is
accurate, Marinduque's Tagalog has contributed significantly to the
development of the official Philippine national language.[11][improper synthesis?]
To this day, Marinduqueños speak an old variation of the Tagalog language
that is very close to the way Tagalog was spoken before the Spanish
colonization. According to language experts[who?], the Tagalog dialects of
Marinduque are the most divergent, especially the Eastern Marinduque
dialect, perhaps due to the relative isolation from the Tagalogs of Luzon
and also perhaps due to the influence of the Visayan and Bikol
migrants.[12][better source needed]
Linguist Rosa Soberano's 1980 The Dialects of Marinduque Tagalog goes
into great depth concerning the dialects spoken there. The following is a
verb chart which outlines the conjugation of the Eastern Marinduque dialect
of Tagalog:
Linguist Christopher Sundita observed that some of the affixes in
Marinduque Tagalog, particularly "a-" and "ina-," are affixes used in Asi
(Bantoanon), a Visaya language spoken in Romblon, just south of
Marinduque. Marinduque Tagalog, like the Tagalog spoken over two
centuries ago, had an additional verb category, the imperative, which was
used for commands and requests (e.g., Matulog ka na - Go to sleep). Even
then, the imperative and the infinitive were used side by side in expressing
commands; but in standard Tagalog, apparently the infinitive became used
exclusively. And in the Eastern Marinduque dialect, the imperative affixes
are very much alive.[13]

Economy[edit]
Marinduque is an agricultural province, primarily growing rice and coconuts.
Handicrafts from Marinduque are also exported to dıfferent parts of the
world, and fishing is another important part of the economy. Mining was
once an important player in the economy until a mining accident
(the Marcopper Mining Disaster) occurred, bringing the industry to a
standstill on the island and causing enormous damage to the inhabitants.
The provincial government has just recently[when?] sued Marcopper's parent
company, Placer Dome, for $100 million in damages. Placer Dome was
purchased in 2006 by Barrick Gold, who has now been joined in the lawsuit.
A significant role in Marinduque's economy is also played by tourism,
especially during the Lenten season. While this is not one of the larger parts
of the island's economy, it has shown great growth. Recently,[when?] some
residents are now engaged in butterfly farming. Butterflies are raised for
export to countries in both Europe and the Americas. Locally, live butterflies
are released in celebration on different occasions, such as birthdays,
weddings, and some corporate events.

Culture[edit]
Festivals[edit]
The Moriones Festival is an annual festival, locally known as "Moryonan",
celebrated in Marinduque from March to April. In Santa Cruz, Gasan, Boac,
and Mogpog, a parade of people dressed as "Moryons" can be seen on the
main road connecting the towns of the island. Boac and Santa Cruz, the
biggest towns 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.[citation needed]

Music[edit]
Marinduque is home to the kalutang, a musical instrument made of two
pieces of wood that produce different note ranges depending on its size. A
band of 10 to 12 can create music with this instrument.[14] In 2011,
the kalutang instrument was cited by the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts as one of the intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines
under the traditional craftsmanship category that the government may
nominate in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[15]

Government[edit]

Former seal of the province

Marinduque has had its own Governor since becoming a sub-province of

Tayabas (now Quezon) in 1902 and after gaining its independence from
Tayabas in 1920.

Governors of Marinduqueshow

Transport[edit]
Currently, Marinduque is served by direct Cebu Pacific flights to-and-
from Manila and Marinduque Airport which is located in Masiga, roughly
between Gasan and Boac. The province is also served by a seaport in
Balanacan transporting cargo and passengers to and
from Lucena in Quezon province. There is also a daily boat trip from
General Luna in Quezon province to Santa Cruz and vice versa which stops
at Maniwaya Island to drop off cargo and passengers.

Media[edit]
There are four radio stations in the province, three of which are operated by
the Radyo Natin Network and the other, FM Nutriskwela Community Radio
Station Radyo Kamalindig 94.1 DZNS, by the National Nutrition Council.
Radyo Natin Network operates the call sign DZVH at 105.7 MHz on FM
radio from Boac, as well as the call sign DWMD 104.5 MHz on FM radio
from Santa Cruz and 100.1 FM from Torrijos. As for print media, there is no
existing newspapers circulating in the province, aside from broadsheet and
tabloid newspapers from Manila. Marinduque News Network, meanwhile,
provides provincial and national news and information via the
web and social media. In 2018, Marinduque News Network ventured with
Lucky Seven Cable Services Corporation, a cable provider in Marinduque
to showcase their programs through local cable television. The online news
website which was founded by Romeo Mataac, Jr. in 2016 is located in
Boac, Marinduque.[16]
There are also existing cable providers and local cable stations operating in
several municipalities in the province, namely Lucky Seven Cable Services
Corporation (Boac), Marinduque Cable Television, Inc. (Boac), and G.R.
CATV Services (Santa Cruz & Torrijos). Aside from these cable stations,
there are also distributors of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV such
as Cignal Digital TV, Dream Satellite TV, G Sat, and Sky Direct who provide
television services for its subscribers.