By air
Fly from Manila to Marinduque Airport in Gasan (subject to airline schedules) — roughly a 45-minute hop. From the airport, towns are a short tricycle or van ride away.
The Province
A heart at the center of the islands
Marinduque is a single heart-shaped island in the MIMAROPA region — small enough to circle in a day, deep enough in heritage to keep you longer.
Geography
Cradled by two seas
Marinduque sits between Tayabas Bay to the north and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, just off the Bondoc Peninsula of Luzon. Its near-central position in the archipelago — and its unmistakable shape — earned it the name the “Heart of the Philippines.”
The island rises to the cone of Mount Malindig, a dormant volcano in the south, and is shared by six municipalities — Boac (the capital), Mogpog, Gasan, Buenavista, Torrijos and Santa Cruz — that ring a green, mountainous interior.
- Region
- MIMAROPA
- Capital
- Boac
- Towns
- 6 Municipalities
- Highest Point
- Mt. Malindig
History
Faith, legend & resilience
Local legend traces the island's name to the doomed lovers Marina and Garduke. Settled long before the Spanish arrived, Marinduque grew around its coral-stone churches and seafaring towns, and was finally organized as its own province in the early 20th century.
Its most famous tradition, the Moriones, is said to have begun in Mogpog in the early 1800s — a Lenten folk play that has since become the island's enduring symbol.
Culture
Living traditions
- Moriones — Masked penitents reenact the story of Longinus through Holy Week.
- Putong (Tubong) — A joyful crowning ritual of thanksgiving and blessing for guests and milestones.
- Kalutang — Music made by striking paired wooden sticks — a sound unique to the island.
- Uraro & Sweets — Delicate arrowroot (uraro) cookies and other heritage treats from the towns.
Getting Here
Two ways to the island
By land & sea
Take a bus from Manila (Cubao/Buendia) to Lucena, then a RoRo ferry from Dalahican Port across to Balanacan (Mogpog) or Cawit (Boac) — about 3 hours at sea.
Orientation