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 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.
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