Memories of Marinduque

My grandparents purchased a considerable size of agricultural land on the island of Marinduque sometime in the early 1940s before the second world war. Marinduque is known as "The heart of the Philippines" because of the island's shape, which resembles a human heart. Its location is in the center of the Philippine archipelago, as with the heart's position in the human body. 

Daddy (that's what we called my grandfather) and Mother (my grandmother) moved their family fled over from Manila for a few years during the Second World War. Coconut trees were then planted in a little over 60 hectares and a modestly-sized house was built on the land in the town of Mangyan at the outskirts of the city of Mogpog. Fun fact: the name Mogpog comes from the word 'maapog', meaning plenty of lime and the manufacture of lime.

A weekend in    Marinduque

Marinduque is an island province at the southern tip of Luzon, just off the coast of Quezon and Batangas provinces. Ironically, progress remains evasive if not slow-paced despite it's proximity to the main island of Luzon where the most 'modern' city in the country, the capital city of Metro Manila. 

One of the famous attractions of Marinduque is the Moriones Festival, a lenten festival held annually on Holy Week. The "Moriones" are men and women in costumes and masks replicating the garb of biblical Imperial Roman soldiers as interpreted by locals. This tradition depicts the events that happened before, during and after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  The locals are dressed in Roman soldiers costumes with intricately carved decorated wooden masks worn over their heads. 

This heart-shaped island province has several must-visit sites that attract tourists during the Lenten season and the summer months. 

While the province is also famous for its scenic beaches, there is one enchanting waterfall that stands out from the rest of the tourist spots, the Paadjao Falls. It is blessed with beautiful scenery and natural resources. In fact, there was a river with clear fresh water within my family's farmland where I loved bathing every afternoon. While lying in the shallow part of the river, I would just close my eyes and listen to the birds chirping and the sound of the water running downstream. 

Childhood summers spent here were mostly filled with activities involved around copra farming. Coconuts used for copra are harvested every 45 days. The harvested coconuts were then gathered and loaded into a bamboo sled called a "kangga" pulled by a water buffalo (or carabao). My brother, I and our friends enjoyed hitching rides on these sleds whenever the coconuts were to be gathered and brought to the smoking nipa sheds. All the harvested coconuts are split open and smoked by charcoal in the nipa sheds until the coconut meat pealed off the shells. 

Copra is used for coconut oil and coconut oil cake, also used for feeding livestock. The product was introduced as a source of edible fat in Europe in the 1860s after a supply shortage of dairy fats. 

Since the island's main industry is copra production abounding in coconut plantations, most of the daily implements used in many households are by-products of the coconut and the trees. 

The leaves are mostly used for nipa roofing, wall partitions, mats and baskets, among many other essential products. Lumber is another vital product from coconut trees. Called cocolumber or cocowood, it is used mainly in construction for flooring, wall paneling as plywood or veneers, likewise for furniture. The maturity of the trees determine the lumber integrity and consequently determine its possible application. Younger trees may produce lumber applicable for insulation, handicrafts or for charcoal and firewood. The coconut husks may be used to make floor polishers (locally called "bunot") and the coconut shells are also made into charcoal.

My uncle, Tito Tony (he was my father's younger brother) lived in the house since he was the resident doctor at Marinduque Mining or Marcopper. It was a Canadian corporation that began mining in the island in 1969 at the Mt. Tapian Ore Deposit. The company mined for copper and my uncle had a clinic at both the company site and in the house. Tito Tony accepted patients at the house only on weekends.