ABOUT
Oriental Mindoro
Mindoreños are proud of the fact that there are four things that cannot be found anywhere else in the world except in Mindoro: the peace-loving indigenous Mangyans, the towering majestic Mt. Halcon, Tamaraw (bubalus mindorensis), a species of wild buffalo now facing extinction and the Naujan Lake. These four gems of Mindoro compose an acronym based on the first syllables of their names – MAHAL TANA. The greeting MAHAL TANA is now used to describe everything that is good in Mindoro – Welcome, Goodbye and Godspeed.
World War II wrought heavy damages, death and pain to the people of Mindoro. However, social conditions continued to exist without any definitive changes. After the war, reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure and economy took place which ended with the division of the island into two provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro on June 13, 1950. It was finally signed into law through Republic Act 505 by the President of the Philippines on November 15, 1950.
In the decades after the war, the island continued to become one of the preferred areas of new settlers coming from the overpopulated provinces in the Philippines in search of the new land. Apart from the hope to become landowners or to have better tenancy conditions, the guerrilla war (Huk rebellion) in Central Luzon was an important factor for migration. Under the settlement program of the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) which was founded on June 18, 1954, families from Central Luzon were settled in the Bongabong-Pinamalayan area. This project ended in 1956 after the settlement of 606 families (3,636 people) on 8,600 hectares of public land. Since then, new settlers have incessantly migrated to Mindoro until today.
Due to demographic changes, an administrative reorganization of the province of Oriental Mindoro was implemented. Thus, the rapidly expanding municipalities of Bongabong and Pinamalayan, as well as the large municipalities of Naujan and Pola were separated. Victoria (in 1953), Bansud (in 1959), Socorro (in 1963) and Gloria (in 1966) became independent municipalities.
Quick Facts
| 2 | CONGRESSIONAL |
| DISTRICTS |
| 1 | COMPONENT CITY |
| Calapan City |
| 14 | Total |
| MUNICIPALITIES |
| 426 | TOTAL |
| BARANGAYS |
| 1.45% | of the Philippines |
| total land area |
| 4,364.72 sq. km. |
| Total Oriental Mindoro’s Land Area |
| 27,455.98 sq. km. |
| Total Land Area of MIMAROPA Region |
| 300,000.00 sq. km. |
| Total Land Area of the Philippines |
| LOCATION |
| Oriental Mindoro is located in MIMAROPA Region. It lies 45 kilometers south of Batangas and 130 kilometers south of Manila. |
| BOUNDARY |
| It is bounded by Verde Island Passage on the North; Maestro del Campo Island and Tablas Strait on the East: Semirara Island on the South: and Occidental Mindoro on the west. |
| LAND AREA |
| Oriental Mindoro has a total land area of 4,364.72 square kilometers or 436, 472 hectares. It represents 1.45% of the total land area of the country and 15.90% of the MIMAROPA Region. |
| TOPOGRAPHY |
| Oriental Mindoro has a rugged terrain and an irregular coastline. Numerous rivers and streams traverse the province but none are navigable by large vessels. |
| CLIMATE |
| The province has two climate types: Type I and Type III. Type I is characterized by two pronounced seasons, dry and wet. Type III has no pronounced season, relatively dry from November to April; and wet during the rest of the year. |
| LOCATION |
| Oriental Mindoro is located in MIMAROPA Region. It lies 45 kilometers south of Batangas and 130 kilometers south of Manila. |
| 7 TRIBES OF MANGYAN |
| The seven recognized tribes of Mangyan in Oriental Mindoro are Alangan, Bangon, Buhid, Hanunuo, Iraya, Tadyawan, and Tau-Buhid, each with its own distinct language, traditions, and way of life, yet all united in preserving their cultural heritage and deep connection to the land and nature of Mindoro. |
| MOUNT HALCON
Highest Mountain in Mindoro |
| Mt. Halcon is home to the indigenous Alangan Mangyans. Its steep slopes have earned it the reputation of being one of the most difficult and technically most challenging mountains to climb in the Philippines.Mt. Halcon Range is situated on the northern central portion of Mindoro with an estimated elevation of 2,590 meters (Merrill 1907). Recent elevation studies of the summit of Mt. Halcon have reported it to be at 2,582 meters (Mandia 2001). |
| TAMARAW Endemic Animal of Mindoro |
| The tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo (Bubalus mindorensis) is a small buffalo belonging to the family Bovidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, and is the only endemic Philippine bovine. It is not a subspecies of the water buffalo, nor is it a subspecies of the slightly larger carabao. The discovery of fossil bubalids in other islands around the archipelago, indicates that the family was once widespread throughout the Philippines. |
| NAUJAN LAKE
Largest Freshwater Lake in Oriental Mindoro |
| Naujan Lake is the main feature of the protected area known as the Naujan Lake National Park. The lake and adjoining areas was declared a national park on March 27, 1956 through Proclamation No. 282 by President Ramon Magsaysay. The Ramsar Convention has declared it as a “Wetland of International Importance”. It is bordered by the Municipalities of Naujan, Victoria, Socorro and Pola. The lake is home to a wide variety of fish and water birds both local and migratory. |