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| Centennial Queen candidates at the capitol building |
BOAC, Marinduque – 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of
Marinduque as a province of the Philippines. The centennial celebration is
slated for Feb. 16-22 this year featuring a historical parade, cultural
heritage shows, film festival, street dance competition, trade fair, culinary arts contest,
off-road jeep jamboree, unveiling of Centennial monument and Bantayog Wika monument in
recognition of Tagalog-Marinduque and the Gawad Marinduque awards night. Other activities include installation of a historical marker at Boac Cathedral as Important Cultural Property and the search for Centennial Queen.
Governor Presbitero Velasco led the 100-day
centennial countdown on Nov. 14 at the provincial capitol grounds in this
capital town. On centennial week, the National Museum of the Philippines will open a new maritime archaeology collection
at its satellite museum near Boac’s municipal hall, along with the launch of
Marinduque’s centennial commemorative stamp by the Philippine Postal Corp.
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| Marinduque is the geographical center of the country |
Agriculture propels the economy of this heart-shaped island
province at the geographical center of the country. Rice, coconut, handicrafts,
and fishing are its main industries. Tourism is fast becoming an important
revenue source, especially during the Moriones Festival when the Lenten season
peaks in the summer. During the 40-day Lent, centennial organizers are set to stage weekly activities together with various cultural groups as Holy Week approaches with spirituality and renewal as the underlying theme.
Mining contributed significantly to the provincial coffers
starting from the late 1960s. But the 1996 Marcopper environmental disaster at
the minesite in Barangay Hinapulan abruptly halted a once thriving industry.
Tragedy struck when the drainage tunnels of Canadian mining firm Marcopper’s
open pit ruptured and spilled a huge amount of toxic waste that contaminated
the Boac River, flooded adjacent villages, killed marine life, and affected the
health of surrounding communities.
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| View from the historical Luzon Datum marker in the heart of the Philippines |
Almost a hundred years after its founding, Marinduque is
still a fourth-class province in terms of income according to the Philippine
Statistics Authority’s 2018 Standard Geographic Code. Among its six
municipalities, only Boac and Santa Cruz are classified as first-class, while
three others (Gasan, Mogpog, Torrijos) are considered third-class and
Buenavista is rated fourth-class. -
