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Capital: Romblon No. of towns: 17 Land area: 100,355.9 sq. kms. Location.
Bounded on the north, east and south by Subuyan Sea and on the west by
Tablas Strait. Brief history. During the Philippine-American War, Filipino captured the province and held it until the establisment of civilian rule by the Americans. The islands remained a sub-province of Capiz until 1917 when it was created as an independent province. The earliest inhabitants of the province were believed to be Negritoes from Panay and the Mangyans from Mindoro. Today, Romblon´s population is made up of several ethnolinguistic groups. The majority are descendants of the seafaring Malays who settled on the island of Panay. Climate. The climate in Romblon falls under Type III category charecterized by seasons which are not very pronounced. From November to April it is relatively dry, and wet for rest of the year. Geography. Largely mountainous and rugged in terrain, the islands of Rombon are volcanic in origin. The highest peak is 2,057 meters above sea level. Political Subdivisions. Romblon has 17 municipalities which are further subdivided into 213 barangays. Of the 17 municipalities, five are island-municipalities, three comprise the island of Sibuyan while the rest are in the island of Tablas. Major Industries. The people of Romblon, consisting largely of Visayans, are peaceful agriculturists whose chief products are abaca and copra. Stock-raising and logging also form the chief occupations of the people. During off season, farmlands engage in cottage industries for domestic and commercial use. Among the traditional industries are weaving, basket weaving, marble carving, rope making, and the making of fishnet and buri handicrafts. The women of Romblomn are known throughout the island for their delicate crochet laces and bedspreads. More than any other product, Romblon has become synonymous with its most important mineral resources-marble. In fact the Philippines is the only country in Southeast Asia with marble deposits of commercial value, and most of these are concentrated in Romblon. It is believed that the foundation of the island of Romblon and its neighboring islets is of marble. At present, marble is being used in making gravels for the pavement of roads. Marble slabs, gravel and dust are shiped to Manila for construction and other important purposes. Ponts of Interest Historical Fort San Andres. Located at the town proper of Romblon. This is an old Spanish fort built atop the hills of San Andres. Made of coral bricks, it served as the look-out for marauding Muslim and Dutch pirates during the Spanish period. At present, Fort San Andress is being used as a weather station. Religious St. Joseph Cathedral. Located at the town proper of Romblon. Built by the Recollect Fathers in the 15th century, the church features a Byzantine altar and houses a veritable collection of antique icons and religious paintings. Natural Bonbon Beach. Located at Brgy. Suwa, or three kilometers away from the town proper. About half a kilometer in length with a width of approximately 18 meters, this shoreline is covered with fine white sands and features a gradually sloping ocean floor free of sea grass and sharp stones. Right across the beach is a small islet which is accessible by foot during lowtide. This islet has a secluded swimming area with a short stretch of fine white sand beach. Tiamban Beach. Located at Brgy. Suwa, or about three and a half kilometers from the town proper. The beach stretches to about 50 meters, its shoreline covered with fine white sands. Its features are much the same as those of Bonbon Beach except that it has a narrower beachfront. Romblon Bay. Located in Romblon town. Reputed to be the best harbor in the country, Romboln Bay boasts a deep lanlocked bay. During inclement weather, inter-islands ships take shelter here. Facing the sea is the town proper of Romblon with colorful bancas and quaint houses lining the dock. Alad. Located off the coast of Romblon town. An islet lying tranquil and undisturbed by the modern world, Alad has several stretches of beach on its southeastern portion. Generally of white sand and crushed corals, the shorefronts are wide and the waters are warm. The ocean floor slopes abruptly downwards and at about 15 meters out to the sea, at the depth of approximately eight feet, are scattered big boulders. Behind the line of trees along the shore are the houses of the local people. Since tourists rarely go this far, there are no lodging houses in Alad. Accommodations, one can try the local folks here. Pump boats ply the Alad-Romblon-Alad route on a twice weekly basis. Should one miss these bancas, there are fishermen wsho go to Romblon daily to bring their catch to the market. These bancas can accommodate passengers for a fee. Logbon. Located off the coast of Romblon town. Logbon is the nearest islet to Romblon. It lies directly along the path of ocean-going vessels calling at this port. Among the three island barangays of Romblon town, only Logbon is practically surrounded with white sandy beaches. On the western side, in Brgy. Lanas, lies a long stretch of white beach. Spanning about one and a half kilometers and 30 meters wide. It has clear waters and a sandy ocean floor that drops abruptly. Approximately 50 meters away from the shore at the depth of about 10 feet are big black boulders. Brgy. Lanas is the most populated area in Logbon. Low-roofed houses of light materials are visible just behind the line of trees along the beach front. There are no lodging or dining facilities here. However, one can get a bed and/or board from the friendly local folk. Cobrador. One of the three islets off the coast of Romblon town, Cobrador is the farthest. Cobrador is the biggest among the islets dotting the seas around Romblon island. This islet is reputed to be the site where high quality marbles are found. Among its treasures are the rare black, gold and green marbles. The best sweetsop and papaya in the region are also produced here. Among the treasures of Cobrador are its beaches, one of which is located on the eastern side of the islet. A wide expanse of shore covered with fine white sands and crushed corals, this beach stretches to about a kilometer. With a gradually sloping ocean floor, it is free of seaweeds but at aboyt 15 neters from the shore arre big boulders Cobrador folks are genial and warm by nature. Of simple lifestyle and gentle ways, they do their daily activities with unwavering enthusiasm and zest. Occupying the northern part of the island, these people conduct their day-to-day activities in the simple comforts offeres by Cobrador. Majority of them engage in fishing. A small percentage involved in quarrying. Dubduban-Bita Falls. Located at the border of Brgy. Dubduban and Bita, in the town of San Agustin. The seven-tiered falls lies amidst dense vegetations and cools surroundings. The first tier is on top of a hill with a70-foot drop to a deep pool of clear blue-green waters. The bottom tier ends in a shallow pool of water. Mablaran Falls. Located at Brgy. Linawan, San Andres, four and a half kilometers from the town proper. Mablaran Falls, lies amidst lush greenery and wild foliage. The falls empties into a pool of cool, blue-green waters with a depth of about 20 feet. Although this place is among the most frequented spots in the town there are no facilities to speak of. Picnickers should, therefore, take along with them their own picnic paraphernalia (mats, water, food, etc). San Andres Beach. Located at the town proper of San Andres. Fine gray sands line the three-kilometer stretch of the San Andres shoreline. During the months of June to December, the waters of San Andres beach are not ideal for swimming. Tinagong Dagat. Located at Brgy. Talisay, Calatrava, at the northernmost tip of Tablas Island. Traversing a most colorful shoreline - sheer cliffs dotting the otherwise smooth shores of Calatrava, interesting rock formations with cave-like structures, small caves, slumbering sitios, etc. - the route provides half the fun of going to Tinagong Dagat. Tinagong Dagat is a circular pool of salty water barely 10 meters from the sea. Measuring about 40 meters in diameter and seven fathoms at its deepest, it is home to several species of salt water fishes and seashells. Its floor is a combination of sand and mud giving a murky look to its waters. Shrubberies line the edge of the pool, though not tall enough to provide the much needed shelter to picnickers. According to the barrio folks residing nearby, when the tide is high out in the sea it is low tide in Tinagong Dagat, and vice versa. A smaller pool of the same kind lies about 20 meters away. Oregon Rock. Located off the coast of Brgy. Talisay, Calatrava, at the northernmost tip of Tablas Island. From out of the blue sea rose two black boulders which now stand guard at the entrance to Romblon Pass. Watching meancingly at passer-by, the bigger rock towers over 20 meters, its sharp edges seemingly unmindful of the angry, pounding waves. There is a small patch of white sand between the rocks where excursionists could spend the day undisturbed. Trees or any infrastructure are nonexistent. People in Calatrava who view these rocks with awe claim that Oregon Rock is "growing" by the minute. Poctoy Beach. Located at Brgy. Poctoy, Odiongan. Barangay Poctoy has a wide shoreline stretching for about three kilometers. Its white sand beach is free of sea grass but has an abrupt downward slope. Dotting the shoreline are resorts with cottages and picnic huts that offer lodging services. Mainit Falls. Located at Brgy. Pato-o, Odiongan. Earning its name from the warm waters it pours out, Mainit Falls lies amidst the lush greenery of the highlands of Odiongan. It has a three-tiered fall whose water form three deep pools where one can bathe luxuriously. There are no facilities here. Tourists are advised to bring food, drinking water and tents for shelter. Garing Falls. Located in Brgy. Progreso Weste, Odiongan. The cool waters from Garing Falls form two lakes - the second pool has a depth of three fathoms with a width-span of 15 meters, while the first pool is smaller and shallower. Aliwanyag Beach. Located at Brgy. Ginhayaan, Looc. Aliwanyag beach is a little way off the beaten track. The nearest road ends at about half a kilometer from the beach with necessitates a 10 to 15 minute trek across rice fields. The beach is in a secluded cove along Looc Bay. It has a narrow shoreline covered with white sands and crushed corals. This beach is a favorite picnic ground of local folks. Canyayo Beach. Located at Brgy. Canyayo, Sta. Fe - 10 kms. away from the poblacion. This beach is a combination of white sands and crushed corals. Its ocean floor is of pebbles and drops abruptly. Facilities like picnic huts, restaurants and others are, however, non-existent. Visitors are advised to bring along provisions like food and drinking water. Japar. Located two kilometers away from the town proper of Alcantara. Binaywe beach is partly cut-off from the public's prying eyes by big boulders. A small cove with fine white sands, its waters remain calm the whole year round. There are no facilities in this beach. Calagunsao Beach. Located at Brgy. Calagunsao, Alcantara. A beach right beside the national highway, Calagunsao has a pebble-covered shoreline. Its ocean floor, though, is sandy and dips abruptly about 6 meters from the shoreline. A cluster of boulders jutting from the shore to about 10 meters into the sea provides a perfect diving spot for swimmers. Tugdan Beach. Located at Brgy. Tugdan, Alcantara. This beach in Tugdan is pebble-covered with a wide shoreline. The waters in this part of the island are calm with a deep ocean floor. San Jose Town. Located on Carabao Island, as the island-municipality of San Jose is otherwise called, is found at the southernmost tip of Romblon, strategically located between the famous island-resort of Boracay and Tablas Island. Measuring only 28.9 square kilometers, this island does not look any different from the other islands of Romblon. From afar it looks like one flat islet with no heights to boast of. True enough, the highest peak is only 218 meters, but its beauty more than compensates for its size. The beauty of San Jose is in its coastlines - it has the most beautiful beaches of the whole of Romblon. Perfect spot are the beaches in Brgy. Lunas, Bignay and the whole length of shoreline in the town proper. Of powdery find white sands, these beaches have clear, warm waters with gradually sloping ocean floors. The beachfront in the town proper spans more than a kilometer with a shore width of 15 meters during high tide becoming as wide as 25 to 30 meters during low tide. In Brgys. Lunas and Bignay, shorefronts measure five meters widening to about 10 meters in some areas. Those big boulders so common in the ocean floors on the islet of Alad, Logbon and Cabrador are also found in San Jose. Man-made San Agustin Park. Located at the town proper of San Agustin. San Agustin Park is a sprawling hectare of green by the bay. It offers an undisturbed view of ships passing through Romblon Pass and, on clear days, a view of the islands of Romblon and Sibuyan. Special interest Mountain climbing. Mt. Guiting - guiting. This mountain straddles the towns of Magdiwang, San Fernando and Cajidiocan in the island of Sibuyan. From the ports of San Agustin or Romblon, board the ferry bound for town of Magdiwang, the jump-off point. Once in Magdiwang get in touch with the mayor and inform his office of your impending climb to Mt. Guiting-guiting. His office provides assistance to climbers. Mt. Guiting-guiting is the highest peak in Romblon. It is considered to be among the more formidable mountains in the country. Rising a little more than 6,000 ft. above sea level, its rugged terrain presents a challenge which lures mountaineers to scale its peak. How to get there. At Sta. Fe and Looc, availability of ferry to Malay depends on the number of waiting passengers at the pier. Travel from island to island is by pumpboat. Pumpboats to Sibuyan and Maglahi islands are available at Romblon. Pumpboat to Romblon is available at San Agustin. Odiongan to Batangas by ferry every Sunday and Wednesday. Travel times by boat from Manila to Romblon is 14 hours. Daily plan flights connect Manila to Tables island in 45 minutes.
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