History, Culture and Tradition

Marinduque is a heart-shaped island which lies between the Bondoc

Peninsula at the south- eastern part of Luzon and the island of
Mindoro. It is bounded by four bodies of water, on the north by
Tayabas Bay, northeast by Mongpong Pass, South-east by Tayabas
Strait, and Sibuyan at the south.

The first inhabitants of Marinduque were Malay natives. They

established trade relation with the Chinese as early as the Sung
Dynasty as evidenced by the artifacts and shards still found in caves
that abound on the island.

Marinduque is thought to have been under the administrative influence

– if not controlled-of the Bonbon (Batangas) settlement founded by
Datus Dumangsil and Balkasusa, members of the ten- datu expedition
from Borneo.

While the original name of the island was Malandik, the Spaniards
called it Mare Unduque, findingit hard to pronounce the Malay word,
meaning sea everywhere. While Malandik was thought to pertain to the
sloping terrain and as reference to Mt. Malindig and Balagbag
mountain range at the southern end and central part of the island
respectively.

In 1571, the first Spanish Governor Miguel Lopez de Legaspi assigned

the encomienda of Marinduque to a certain Fr. Pedro de Herrera, the
first Agustinian father which introduced the Christianity to the native
islanders.

On April 28, 1898, with the overthrow of the last Spanish casadores
(Tagalog soldiers) after armed conflict and hostilities with the
revolutionists during the Philippine-Spanish War, Marinduque declared
its separation from Mindoro and from Spanish rule, a move that was
ratified by the ruling class from the different towns of the island-
province. The local struggle was led by Martin Lardizabal, who was
appointed as military governor of Marinduque during the first
revolutionary provincial government.
During the American regime, the first major victory of the Filipino
soldiers in the secondphase of the Philippine revolution occurred in
Torrijos, Marinduque was written known as the Battle of Pulang Lupa
on September 13, 1900 (during the Filipino – American War), when
local forces led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad defeated the American
contingent under the command of Capt. Devereaux Shields. (The said
battle was considered one of the most dramatic reversals the
Americans suffered during the war with the Philippines). Later on May
1, 1901, the United States-Philippine Commission passed Act No. 125
which created the Province of Marinduque and established the
provincial government at the municipality of Boac, its capital.

A year later by virtue of Act No. 423, dated June 23, 1902, the US-
Philippine Commission annexed the island of Mindoro, including the
island of Lubang (then separated from the Province of Cavite), to the
Province of Marinduque, Boac remained as the capital of the
consolidated provinces. Four months after, on November 10, by virtue
of an Act No. 499 Marinduque was made a part of Tayabas (now
Quezon). Later on May 17, 1907 under Act No. 1649, the Commission
made Marinduque as sub-province of Tayabas. And finally, on February
21, 1920, Act No. 2880, sponsored by then representative Hon. Ricardo
Paras, Jr. separated the sub- province of Marinduque from Tayabas
and re-established the former province of Marinduque. That Law was
signed by American Governor Francis Burton Harrison.
https://marinduque.gov.ph/history/