Mindoro's Occidental Half
Posted on Monday, 11 August 2014
Mindoro’s
Occidental Half
By Apolinario Villalobos
First it was a “mountain of gold”, now it
is an “island of jade”. But unlike its first reference, the latest is more
realistic with the discovery of its own variety of green stone, lately. For the
early islanders, however, the island was known as “Mina de Oro”, and later
shortened to “Mindoro”.
Although, a mention of Mindoro today would
bring to mind the ferocious tamaraw charging through cogon-covered mountain
ranges, in the past, Chinese merchants had a different thing to say of the
island. Chao-Ju-Kua, a Chinese historian, particularly called the island,
“May-I” or “mountain of gold”. The reference, though, could just be metaphoric
for the Chinese who derived so much from their trading with the islanders. This
commercial intercourse with Mindoro by the Chinese merchants was recorded in
1525 by the mentioned Chinese historian.
The Spaniards, however, who visited it in
1570, had another perception. They saw a settlement of pirates who plundered
neighboring Christian settlements, especially, those along the mainland’s
coastal villages. Mamburao and Balete were the focal bases of these villages.
Plans of the Spaniards to further their exploration of the island beyond Ilin
Island, Baroc River and Lubang was abandoned because of strong resistance which
waned only during the later years of the Spanish regime.
When it was finally established as a
“corregimiento”, Mindoro was administered from Batangas, known then, as Bonbon.
In 1927, when Marinduque was constituted into a special province, Mindoro was
put under its administration. Later on, it became a regular province until 1950
, when it was divided into western and eastern portions.
Distributed over Mindoro Occidental’s area of 5,880 square kilometers are eleven
municipalities with Mamburao, as the capital town. The province is bounded by
Verde Island Passage on the north, Mindoro Strait on the west and on the east
by the other half of the island.
One thing which the province could be proud
of is its being synonymous with the rare tamaraw, the ferocity of which has
painted dread around it. The islanders cherish the fact that it is only on
their cogonal ranges where these fleet-footed and almost extinct animals roam.
But to see one of these in the wild needs patience and perseverance, as they
easily sense the presence of humans in their vicinity.
There is an allegation that the tamaraws
come out only when darkness fell. For the natives, however, who dread the
animals, the only way that they could drive them away from their path is by
setting grasslands into fire, where they are suspected to lurk. The system is
undoubtedly a major reason for the balding of the ranges. On the other hand,
ashes of burnt grass augment the dietary need of these animals and other wildlife,
because of their salt content.
One identified area where the tamaraws can
be found is Calavite, a reserved area for them. Very rare incidents, however,
happen during which these animals would brave the open and stare of the people.
One such incident was in 1970, when a male tamaraw went down to Poypoy, a small
village. As it was a mating season, the villagers tolerated its presence. But
to get rid of it, they had to let loose a female carabao in an open field – a
safe distance from the community. Other sanctuaries of this animal are Mts.
Iglit (1,310 meters above sea level), Mitchell (1,050 meters above sea level),
and Baco (2,300 meters above sea level). Almost all of the areas are denuded,
except for a thick growth of cogon.
Paluan serves as the “shipyard” of the
island, where fishing boats are built. It is about an hour and twenty minutes
from Mamburao. The road that winds up and down hills is partly rugged but the
varying sceneries are consolations enough for one to survive the trip. From the
town center, for a twenty-minute drive, one can reach a hot spring. Not far is
a Mangyan community that has caught up with time, but has preserved its own
traditional system of writing.
Not only is the province enticing to
trekkers and birdwatchers, but to sea lovers, as well. Off the southwestern
cost are white islands and coral reefs which have been declared as marine
sanctuaries. Most popular of these are Apo, Ilin and Ambulong. To reach them
one has to go to Sablayan or San Jose, where boats can be hired.
Clean sandy and peebly beaches lace the
coastal areas of the island. Practically, every town has a stretch of unspoiled
beach fringed by coconut palms. Some of these are Lagundian, Tii, Talabahan,
Puntablanca and Tayamaan. For hook and
line addicts, the province could be a discovery with its tuna and other game
fishes during mid-October to April months.
November to December is the egg-laying
season for sea turtles. But the local government has restricted the gathering
of eggs in an effort to preserve their species. Despite the strict prohibition,
however, poachers still find ways and means to somehow dig for some that they
sell to Chinese restaurants in Manila.
A seasonal delicacy is “bunggan”, a kind of
tiny fish that abounds only during the summer months. These are caught at the
mouth of the Mamburao River, with the use of fine-meshed nets. Two popular ways
to cook them is by frying into “torta” and by wrapping them with banana leaves
and cooked in ginger and vinegar.
The tranquil province is among the few
which have not yet been overrun by development. Lodging houses are available at
Mamburao, where an airport is also located.
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