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.
Governors of Marinduque
The governor serves as the chief executive of the provincial government of Marinduque. The province was once a sub-province of Tayabas (now Quezon), which had its own governor, until it gained full provincial status in 1920. Today, the governor holds office at the Marinduque Provincial Capitol in Boac.
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