Romblon is one of the provinces that compose the MIMAROPA Region of Luzon. This province that lies in the Sibuyan Sea is composed of several islands, the three major ones however, are the Romblon Island, Sibuyan Island and the Tablas Island, with most of the province’s natural attractions remained unexplored up to this very day and the province is still relatively isolated from economic progress. Romblon is rich in mineral resources and considered to be the country’s leading producer of excellent quality marble that is comparable to that produced by Italy, also called as “The Marble Capital of The Philippines“. Other mineral deposits that have an abundant quantity in this province are gold, clay, quartz, silica, copper, zinc, silver and sulfide ores with Pandan Mining Corporation as one of the country’s biggest exporters of Calcium Carbonate to Japan. Fishing is the main source of livelihood of the people in coastal towns while farming and handicraft basket making or native weaving delicately crocheted bedspreads and laces are mostly the livelihood of people in other towns and villages.

Extensive developments are currently being undertaken to develop Romblon’s interesting places to boost the tourism industry. Since Romblon boasts a number of white sand beaches with explicit coral reefs that would delight sun worshipers and diving enthusiasts, with every coastal town having unique attractions. One of the most famous tourist destinations is the islet of Cobrador as aside from the vast stretches of pristine beaches, this is where the rare and high quality gold, black and green marbles are found. The Carabao Island in the municipality of San Jose is dubbed as the Jewel of Romblon because of its pristine sugary white beaches that is comparable to that of Boracay. The town of Calatrava is also a destination in the province that offers wonderful beaches and sceneries for a perfect travel with its Tinagong Dagat and the Guindawahan Island.

Resorts and inns are abundant in the Province of Romblon from prime accommodations to budgeted stay. In the capital of Romblon, which is also called Romblon, The Romblon Plaza Hotel is one of the best place to stay along with Bayview and Cabanbanan Resorts while Rowenas Beach Resort in Sitio Agdapdap is a favorite stay because of its native surroundings. There are more that we could not mention especially in the towns of Odiongan, Magdiwang, Santa Fe, San Fernando, San Jose, Puro Island. All of these resorts, inns and hotels are nice accommodations and surely anyone would have a hard time choosing that perfect place to stay and especially during the yearly town fiestas where street dancing, live entertainment and joyous residents celebrate and party the occasion. The most popular fiesta is the Biniray Festival, celebrated in the second week of January in commemoration of Santo Nino where thousands of local Romblomanons as well as other Pinoys and foreign travelers gathers to view this extraordinary colorful and joyous festival.

An unfortunate event though has struck the province of Romblon last June when the super ferry passenger ship MV Princess of the Stars sank off the coast of San Fernando with crews and most passengers died. The vessel owned by Sulpicio Lines was struck by a gigantic storm, waves and winds that led the ship to sink and lie on the coral beds off San Fernando. The vessel also was carrying loads of the toxic chemical Endosulfan used as a pesticide for pineapples. The local government, agencies and other departments of the country are doing their best to remove the sunken vessel off the coast and bring back order and development which has affected lives of local fishermen in the village. Both local government in cooperation with international maritime companies are finding a way to raise and remove the sunken ship with dead passengers still inside. Also, compensation and help are being given to families of those who perished in the disaster. Our sincere prayers goes to the bereaved families of those who perished in the disaster and may the Lord be with them and find comfort during these difficult times. We also wish that everything should be restored at the very soonest possible time and bring back the normal lives of the villagers, their livelihood and the environment free from any subsequent disasters.

Tags: Biniray Festival, MV Princess of the Stars, Sulpicio Lines, Tinagong Dagat