MIMAROPA: Nature’s well-known secrets

Details

Category: Destination

Published on Sunday, 22 January 2012 08:31

Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro • Marinduque • Romblon • Palawan

About the region

The MIMAROPA region consists of a chain of islands stretching southwest of the main Luzon landmass. MIMAROPA is a portmanteau of the names of its five provinces: Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. The many cities, towns and villages in this region offer a wealth of cultural attractions to visitors – historic churches, merry festivals, and delicious food - while the gorgeous beaches, dive sites and other natural wonders give travelers numerous reasons to keep coming back for more.

How to get there and go around

By air. Domestic airlines such as Zest Air, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Seair have frequent flights to various regional airports: San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Tablas in Romblon, and Gasan in Marinduque. Flights take roughly 45 minutes to one hour.

By land and sea. Getting to MIMAROPA from Metro Manila is possible via a combined land and sea route. Bus companies such as Southstar Liner, TRITRAN, De la Rosa Liner, and Lucena Lines have terminals at Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia) corner Taft Avenue in Makati, Ali Mall Compound in Cubao, and along EDSA in Quezon City; these bus lines offer rides to two ports in mainland Luzon that serve roll-on, roll-off ships going to MIMAROPA.

Getting to MIMAROPA from Metro Manila is possible via a combined land and sea route. Bus companies such as Southstar Liner, TRITRAN, De la Rosa Liner, and Lucena Lines have terminals at Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia) cor. Taft Avenue in Makati, Ali Mall Compound in Cubao, and along EDSA in Quezon City. these bus lines offer rides to two ports in mainland Luzon that serve roll-on, roll-off ships via the Batangas or Lucena ports, depending on the destination.

The Batangas Port serves ships going to Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro and Romblon. Lucena Port, on the other hand, serves ships going to Marinduque.

Alternatively, travelers may take a ferry directly from Manila to either Puerto Princesa, Palawan (a 20-hour trip) using Superferry or to Romblon (a 10-hour trip) using MBRS Lines.

Upon arrival, travelers have several public transportation options for getting around the various MIMAROPA provinces: choose from FX/AUV transport, local buses, and the ubiquitous tricycles and jeepneys plying provincial thoroughfares.

Where to stay

From affordable bed-and-breakfast inns to luxury hotels, there is a wide range of accommodations in the region to suit the budget any traveler:

To learn more, see the following links:

Places to stay in Oriental Mindoro | Places to stay in Occidental Mindoro
Places to stay in Marinduque | Places to stay in Romblon
Places to stay in Palawan

What to eat

Fresh seafood is widely available throughout the entire MIMAROPA region: mussels, oysters, shrimp, prawns, and dozens of varieties of fish, all prepared in a style unique to each province.

The dry, crunchy uraro or arrowroot cookies are a specialty of Marinduque. With a simple, clean flavor that is slightly sweet and buttery, these flower-shaped cookies are often brought by visitors to take home to their relatives.

The sarsa of Romblon is a local delicacy made of coconut and tiny river shrimp. Wrapped in coconut leaves and then boiled, this dish offers a very interesting and tasty contrast of flavors and textures.

Oriental Mindoro has the suman sa lihiya, a sweet, square-shaped dessert made of glutinous rice and wrapped in palm leaves. Also known as Mindoro tamales, these filling pastries are usually eaten topped with a generous dollop of coco jam. For the truly adventurous, Palawan offers more exotic fare, such as the mangrove-boring mollusk known as tamilok. As a dish, it is typically eaten raw with a splash of coconut vinegar or calamansi juice to taste. Aficionados frequently claim that tamilok has a texture reminiscent of oysters, but a more delicious taste.

What to buy

Each province has local handicrafts and specialties that set it apart from its neighbors. For instance, Marinduque has a tradition of producing high-quality hardwood furniture from narra, gmelina and acacia, primarily in the town of Mogpog. Romblon, on the other hand, is famed for its marble deposits; the island’s pier is a marketplace for fine decorative pieces, furniture items, vases and souvenir items.

What to see and do

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Park

This natural reserve, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has a limestone karst mountain and 8.2 kilometer navigable subterranean river as its central feature. Take a paddleboat tour down the river to see the spectacular rock formations and cathedral-sized chambers. The surrounding park holds its own attractions with its great biodiversity of 165 bird species, 19 reptile species and 30 mammal species to see.

Moriones Festival

During Holy Week, travelers flock the towns of Marinduque to watch one of the country’s most colorful and distinctive religious festivals, the Moriones. Local theater groups wearing the signature grimacing Morion masks and ornate costumes roam the town, playing pranks on fellow townspeople and staging mock swordfights. The festival’s highlight is a dramatic reenactment of the life story of the Roman centurion Longinus and Christ’s passion and death.

Puerto Galera

Located in the northwestern part of Oriental Mindoro, the Puerto Galera peninsula is famous for its many impressive diving and snorkeling sites, and has been declared a UNESCO marine reserve. But the fun doesn’t stop there: with seven beaches to visit, and activities like kayaking, sailing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and mountain biking, visitors are spoiled for choice.

Tubbataha National Marine Park

As a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 1,000 animal species and a biodiversity rivaling that of the Great Barrier Reef, Tubbataha Reef has a lot to offer divers. Over 239,000 acres of coral reef showcase sea life such as manta rays, sharks, hawksbill turtles, and hundreds of colorful fish species, with stunning coral formations as their backdrop.

Relevant Contacts and Online Resources

Oriental Mindoro Tourism Office
Provincial Capitol Compound, Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental
Tel. No.: (+6343) 286-7046 • Fax No.: (+6343) 441-0306
E-mail : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.ormindoro.gov.ph

Occidental Mindoro Tourism Office

Provincial Capitol Compound, Mamburao, Mindoro Occidental
Tel. No.: (+6343) 711-1816
E-mail : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Marinduque Tourism Office
Provincial Capitol Compound, Boac, Marinduque
Tel. No.: (+6342) 332-1177 / 332-1018; Fax No.: (+6342) 332-1520
URL: www.marinduque.gov.ph

Romblon Tourism Office

Room 201, #385 G.J. Building, Quezon Ave., Quezon City. ( Satellite Office)
Tel. No.: (+632) 373-3499; Fax No.: (+632) 373-3499
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.romblonprov.com.ph

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