Description
DISCOVER OCCIDENTAL MINDORO
Occidental Mindoro, officially the Province of Occidental Mindoro, is a province in
the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The province occupies the western half of the island
of Mindoro. Its capital is Mamburao, but the largest municipality is Sablayan occupying almost half of the
entire province. As of 2020, Occidental Mindoro has 525,354 inhabitants.
The province is bordered on the east by the province of Oriental Mindoro, and on the south by the Mindoro
Strait. The South China Sea is to the west of the province and Palawan is located to the southwest, across
the Mindoro Strait. Batangas is to the north, separated by the Verde Island Passage, a protected marine
area and the center of the world’s marine biodiversity.
Occidental Mindoro comprises 11 municipalities.
1. Abra De Ilog was formerly a small settlement founded by Spanish religious missionaries sometime
in the early part of the 17th century. According to folk history, its former name was Abre de Ilog.
The name was derived from the Spanish verb abrir (to open) and the Tagalog noun ilog (river).
Later on, the name evolved into its present name: Abra de Ilog, a Chabacano-like terminology
which can be loosely translated as bucana ng ilog, or “opening of the river.” This can be attributed
to the numerous rivers and creeks that traverses strategic areas of the municipality.
2. Calintaan, officially the Municipality of Calintaan (Tagalog: Bayan ng Calintaan), is a 3rd
class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020
census, it has a population of 30,190 people. Tagalog is the main language spoken in Calintaan,
being spoken by approximately 62% of the household population, followed by Ilocano which is
spoken by about 22%.
3. Looc, officially the Municipality of Looc (Tagalog: Bayan ng Looc), is a 5th class municipality in
the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population
of 7,802 people.The municipality encompasses the eastern half of Lubang Island, as well as Ambil,
Golo and some other minor islands. The municipality of Looc is part of the Lubang island group,
which constitutes 7 islands which are geographically distinct from any landmasses, making the
island group biologically unique – and endangered at the same time. The islands are under
consideration to be set as a UNESCO tentative site due to its geographic importance, biological
diversity, and intact rainforests.
4. Lubang, officially the Municipality of Lubang, is a 4th class municipality in
the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population
of 17,437 people. The municipality encompasses the north-western half of Lubang Island, as well
as Cabra Island. The municipality of Lubang is part of the Lubang Island Group, which constitutes
seven islands that are geographically distinct from any landmasses, making the island group
biologically unique – and endangered at the same time. The islands are under consideration to be
set as a UNESCO tentative site due to its geographic importance, biological diversity, and intact
rainforests.
5. Magsaysay, one of the eleven municipalities in the Occidental Mindoro, lies on the southernmost
part of Mindoro Island, and is adjacent to the municipality of San Jose on the north; on the east
separated by chain of valleys and mountains in the municipality of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro; on
the south, by Garza Island; and on the west by Iling Island. It is facing the China Sea, with vast
plains and valleys. It is characterized by rugged terrain with plain areas. Slope ranges from level to
very steep sloping areas. The highest point of elevation is 543 feet above sea level.
6. Mamburao was originally settled by the Moro people and was one of their strongholds in the island
of Mindoro. The settlement was the first one in Mindoro to be plundered by the Spaniards. Hearing
that it was a rich town, the Spanish and their Pintado allies attacked and captured the population.
The wealthy among their captives were then allowed to ransom themselves free. With their superior
weapons and knowledge of war strategies used in their just concluded Reconquista, they utilised
this method all around the islands, and by this the Spanish earned their gold.
7. Paluan is located at the north-western tip of Mindoro Island. It lies along the north-east shore of
Paluan Bay, approximately 7 miles southeast of Cape Calavite, a major sea-lane for inter-island
and ocean-going vessels. The town is surrounded by rolling and steep mountain ranges, of
which Mount Calavite with an altitude of 1,491 metres (4,892 ft)
[5] is the highest peak. At Mount
Calavite point, the best panoramic view of Occidental Mindoro and nearby islands could be seen.
Paluan is a predominantly rural municipality, characterized by natural vegetation and an economy
based mostly on agriculture. Its dominant land use is forest cover. Forestland occupies 31,826
hectares (78,640 acres) or 56% of total land area, planted with patches of fruit bearing trees and
upland field crops. A large portion of forestland is restricted as a preservation area for wildlife and
watershed, the 181.5 square kilometres (70.1 sq mi) Mount Calavite Wildlife Sanctuary. This area,
which also includes Mount Calavite, is a habitat of various flora and fauna, such as the rare
Mindoro tamaraw and the critically endangered Mindoro bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba
platenae).
[6] Paluan has a 18,016.19 hectares (44,519.0 acres) of land classified as National
Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) area.
8. Rizal – Before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines, the area which comprises the
municipality of Rizal at present, was covered with forests. Later on, a few families of tribal Filipinos,
known as Ratagnons, settled near the mouth of a river which was called Bogsanga. According to
the Hanunoos, another group of tribal Filipinos, living on the hills, about ten kilometers west of
Bogsanga, the original name of the river was Bisanga, a word from their dialect which means “It
branched out.” They gave the river that name for the said body of water came from two sources.
Political leaders of San Jose and Occidental Mindoro felt that the barrios between Busuanga and
Lumintao River should be created as another municipality. In anticipation of the creation of a new
town, residents of Barrio Limlim decided to change the name of their community to Rizal. They
expressed their desire that their barrio would be made as the center of the town. When Pedro
Medalla Sr. was elected in 1965 as representative of Occidental Mindoro, one of the bills he filed
in Congress was the creation of the municipality of Rizal. Through his effort, Republic Act No. 5460
was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos. Rizal became a
municipality on April 3, 1969. Ten barrios composed the new town. They were Adela, Rumbang,
Salvacion, Magui, Magsikap, San Pedro, Santo Nino, Pitogo, Aguas and Rizal (Limlim).
9. Sablayan, officially the Municipality of Sablayan, is a 1st class municipality in
the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population
of 92,598 people. It has a total land area of 2,188.80 square kilometers, making it the largest
municipality in the Philippines. The Apo Reef, North and South Pandan Islands, and a portion
of Mounts Iglit–Baco National Park are part of its jurisdiction. Sablayan Penal Colony, the
Philippines’ largest penal facility with sprawling lot of 16,190 hectares (40,000 acres) is also located
in this municipality. The town used to be called Dongon, a coastal village located currently at
Barangay San Nicolas. The first accounts of the baptism of the locals under the Recollects were
recorded in 1670. By 1749, Dongon became the biggest pueblo in the whole island of Mindoro in
terms of population. In 1754, the Moro pirates started attacking the town, and almost every year
thereafter, until in 1791 when the Moros effectively wiped out the whole population from more than
600 inhabitants to less than 98 people. In 1814, the inhabitants of Dongon gradually transferred to
the village of Sablayan, until Dongon ceased to become a village in 1829. In 1832, the missionary
friar Simeon Mendoza de la V. de Ibernalo requested the Spanish government for the exemption
of the town’s inhabitants from paying taxes so that they could buil d a stone church, convent and
fort at a hilly part of the village. The church that stands today at the town may have been built from
1832 to 1835, and its advocacy was placed under San Sebastian.
10. San Jose, officially the Municipality of San Jose , is a 1st class municipality in
the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population
of 153,267, representing a third of the provincial population, and is the largest among cities
(excluding Puerto Princesa City) and municipalities in the Mimaropa region. San Jose has the
province’s largest commercial port and airport, the most banking, business, dining and commercial
establishments in Occidental Mindoro, and has become a center of trade in the Mimaropa
region. Its major local and international exports include rice, salt and processed milkfish. It was
ranked 13th in “overall competitiveness” among Philippine local government units in the 2017 Cities
and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI). In pre-colonial times, it was named Pandurucan
by the indigenous Mangyans after the local river, before later renamed for its patron saint, St.
Joseph, the husband of Mary.
11. Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz, is a 1st class municipality in
the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population
of 42,417 people. Santa Cruz was formerly known as Talabasi during the precolonial era. It is 25
kilometres (16 mi) from Mamburao