TORRIJOS, Marinduque – Marinduque   Island is one of the newest locations that has been added to Google Street View, allowing visitors from all over the world to see the majestic center of the Philippines.


About eleven miles away from the island of Luzon is a heart shaped piece of land (370 square miles) surrounded by the clear deep blue sea - Marinduque. It is the geo-physical center of the country, hence dubbed as "The Heart of the Philippines".

Google started covering its street view mapping service in Marinduque last June 5 of this year. Thank you for the effort and industry of Michael Abellera. Michael is the one and only person who covered the streets of the entire Province of Marinduque with the instructions of Google Lead Operation for Philippines, Leandro "Mags" Capistrano.


Abellera used the Google Street View Car for this new apps of Google Maps. Google installed 15 360 degrees’ cam to widen and capture the clear view pictures of beautiful spots of Marinduque.

On July 20, Google announced that the coverage in Marinduque was already posted and it’s now available online through www.instantstreetview.com. Google Street View Application can also be downloaded for free in Android Apps on Google Play and App Store.

According to Michael Abellera “This Google Street View Apps is a very great help like they can see how beautiful a place before they go and much easier to find address because they can walk through in this application before going to the actual address or location. This project of Google showcase how beautiful our country is”.

Abellera also added “I’m so great and privileged with this project as I was able to cover the fine-looking and amazing province of Marinduque”.

Here are some of the Facebook posts of our kababayan especially those in abroad who are happy and excited seeing their homes and sometimes catch loved ones as they were captured by Google's Street View cameras.


Special Note:

Marinduquenos and Marinduque News Online sincerely appreciate and value the labor of Michael Abellera. Cheers!

Fares

Regular Fare - Php 260.00
Student Fare - Php 221.00
Senior Citizen Fare - Php 186.00
Half Fare - Php 130.00

Contact Details

Starhorse Hotline: +63948-548-0767
Starhorse Main Office: (042) 710-7403

Montenegro Shipping Lines Ferry Schedule

Regular Schedule (Daily Trip)

Fares as of February 2017

Regular Fare - Php 260.00
Student Fare - Php 221.00
Senior Citizen Fare - Php 186.00
Half Fare - Php 130.00

Contact Details:

Lucena Port Terminal Office and Marinduque Port Terminal Office

Contact Details

Nodel Noblezala, Lucena Port Manager: +63999-864-2221
Jaymark Fontamillas, Marinduque Port Manager:  +63928-302-8977

Bus Liner (Kamias Terminal, Quezon City - Dalahican Port, Lucena City and vice versa)

Fares
Regular Fare - Php 228.00 (Jac Liner) as of February 24, 2017

Contact Details

POC

Terminal Fee

Upon entering in Dalahican or Balanacan Ports, you need to pay the terminal fee. Below are the terminal prices in said ports:

Dalahican Port, Lucena City - Php 20.00 as of Feb 2017
Balanacan Port, Marinduque - Php 12.00 as of Feb 2017

Shipping schedules posted below are painstakingly gathered from different sources and updated every now and then- without being paid in return or getting any monetary commission from any of the mentioned shipping companies below. Your continued patronage (please share it to your Facebook account) and generous contribution -any kind- will be highly appreciated.

Daily schedule of trips may change without prior notice.

Lord Allan Velasco, Representative of the Lone District of Marinduque met the Department of Transportation Secretary, Arthur Tugade.

DOTr Sec. Tugade (left) and Marinduque Cong. Velasco

Congressman Velasco personally requested Secretary Tugade to look into unfinished runway of the Gasan Airport which has been long overdue and has been hurting the tourism efforts of the Marinduque province.

According to Velasco’s Facebook post “The request was given a very positive response by the secretary. In addition, I pushed for the construction of a new General Luna Port which would benefit tourism in the municipalities of Torrijos and Sta. Cruz, most especially the 3 islands, Mompong, Maniwaya and Polo. A project that needed a budget of 135 million, and I was promised that it will be included in the budget next year. Indeed, change is really coming! Our smiles says it all. Thank you Mr. Secretary and thank you Mr. President!”

Sa pagganap nina Elizabeth Oropesa, Buboy Villar, Andrea Del Rosario at Lancer Serrano.

Laki sa lola ang kambal na sina Rodalyn at Rogelyn. Pumanaw ang kanilang ina habang ipinapanganak niya noon ang kambal. Mula noon, ang lola nilang si Eulogia na ang tumayong magulang nina Rodalyn at Rogelyn.


Tahimik na namuhay sa bayan ng Torrijos, Marinduque ang maglolola. Wala silang kaaway at maayos ang pakikitungo sa ibang tao. Kaya nakapagtatakang sinapit nila ang karumal-dumal na krimen.

Bisperas ng bagong taon noong ika-31 ng Disyembre 2002, humantong ang tatlo sa malagim na katapusan. Tinadtad ng saksak ang iba’t ibang bahagi ng kanilang katawan na naging sanhi ng kanilang pagkamatay. At ang isa sa mga kambal na si Rodalyn, positibo ring ginahasa.

Buboy Villar sa kanyang pagganap sa Marinduque Massacre
Buboy Villar sa kanyang pagganap sa Marinduque Massacre
Hindi naging madali para sa mga otoridad ang pagtukoy sa responsable sa masaker. Ilang tao ang naging “persons of interest” kabilang na ang kaanak ng mga biktima. Hanggang unti-unting lumutang at napagtagni-tagni ang mga saksi at ebidensiya. Ano ang ilalantad ng mga ito kaugnay sa kaso?

‘Huwag palampasin ang tinaguriang “MARINDUQUE MASSACRE” sa Imbestigador ngayong Sabado, July 30 sa GMA.

Source and courtesy: GMA News Online

Marinduque Vice Governor Romulo "Jun" Bacorro

BOAC, Marinduque – Umabot na sa tatlong daan at siyamnapu’t siyam (399) ang naitalang bilang ng mga boluntaryong sumukong drug personalities sa buong lalawigan ng Marinduque.


Ayon sa panayam ng Marinduque News Online sa tagapagsalita ng Marinduque Provincial Police Office (MPPO) na si Police Senior Inspector Carmelo S. Alino, mula July 1 hanggang July 21, 2016 as of 4:00 am, pumalo na sa 399 katao ang boluntaryong user at pusher na sumuko sa mga otoridad sa buong Marinduque matapos ang isinagawang Oplan Tokhang ng pulisya.

Base sa datos na ibinigay ng Marinduque Provincial Police Office sa pamamagitan ni PSINSP. Alino, ang bayan ng Mogpog ang nagtala ng may pinakamaraming surrenderee sa buong probinsya na umabot sa 115, sumunod ang bayan ng Gasan (92), Buenavista (80), Boac (79), Sta. Cruz (26) at Torrijos, na siyang nagtala ng may pinakamaliit na surrenderees (7).

Narito ang kompletong listahan ng mga boluntaryong user at pusher na sumuko sa kapulisan sa pamamagitan ng Oplan Tokhang.

Samantala, dalawang katao naman ang naaresto ng Marinduque police sa bayan ng Sta. Cruz.

Ayon sa mga otoridad, inaasahan ang patuloy na pagtaas ng bilang dahil nasa gitna sila ngayon ng mas pinahigpit at pinaigting na kampanya at operasyon ng iligal na droga.

Matatandaan na nangako si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte bago mag-eleksyon noong Mayo, na susugpuin niya ang krimen sa loob ng anim na buwan.

Umabot sa kabuuang limampu't lima (55) na sangkot sa droga mula sa iba't ibang barangay sa bayan ng Buenavista ang boluntaryong sumuko kanina, Hulyo 12, 2016 mga bandang alas 9:30 ng umaga sa mga kagawad ng Buenavista Municipal Police.


Ang mga nasabing drug personalities ay nangako ng pagbabagong buhay sa harap ni Atty. Reynaldo Ariola, Public Attorney 3 ng 2nd District ng Marinduque.

Nangako naman ng tulong pangkabuhayan sa mga sumukong personalidad ang mayor ng Buenavista na si G. Russel Madrigal.

Larawang kuha ng Buenavista Municipal Police

Siyam katao na sangkot umano sa droga ang sumuko kay Mayor Roberto Madla at sa mga tauhan ng Boac Municipal Police Force kaninang umaga, Hulyo 11, 2016. Nanumpa na magbabagong buhay na ang nasabing mga drug personalities sa harap ni Mayor Madla at mga kagawad ng pulisya.


Sa flag raising kanina, nagpalabas ng direktiba si Mayor Madla na nag-uutos na sumailalim sa “drug test” ang lahat ng mga opisyales at kawani ng munisipalidad ng Boac.

Larawang kuha ni Pongkoy Manrique

Written by Abdon M. Balde Jr.

I was listening to new DENR Sec Gina Lopez on TV the other day talk about mining, and my memories were revived about our sad experience in the country's biggest mining disaster in Marcopper, Marinduque where Canada's Placer Dome and the Marcos family conspired to earn billions of dollars at the expense of the environment and the residents of Santa Cruz, Marinduque:


1. The construction company that I was working for (which was then owned by American Cement) was contracted by the Canadian mining company Placer Dome Inc., in 1970 to build the 18 kilometers access road from the edge of Tapian Mountain to the Balogo Pier off the Calancan Bay;

2. Our company also won the construction of the air strip over the Tapian mountain; it was a short runway just sufficient for the landing and take-off of small planes owned or chartered by Placer Dome.

3. Later, our company won the bid to strip the vegetation and earth overburden of the Tapian Mountain until the rocks were exposed. Another company would blast the lode deposits with dynamite and haul them to the crusher plants where the copper and other minerals were treated with chemicals such as cyanide and mercury until copper and gold and other minerals were harvested.

4. The liquid waste materials called mine tailings flowed into giant pipes and were redeposited to large catch basins and contained in the ponds for several years so that the poisonous chemicals subside and return to earth.

5. Our company again won the construction of the retaining walls and dams around the San Antonio Valley where the tailings were to be deposited. Those walls were like the walls of China and were designed to last for decades. These walls were the last structures that our company built.

6. When I visited Marcopper in 1970 it was a bustling industrial complex in Santa Cruz, Marinduque, with offices, large crusher plants, pipelines winding down the valleys, dams along the Boac River, and the Tapian mountain being stripped of vegetation, and being blasted with explosives. There was even a golf course inside the huge complex.

7. Our company moved out of the Marcopper Mines in 1972. By that time, millions of tons of mine tailings have already flowed into the San Antonio Tailings Pond and were successfully contained. No untoward accidents happened.

8. In late 1980s, over 10 years after we moved out of Marinduque, I read that the Tapian source was depleted and Marcopper had to look for other sources of lode. Soon they found out that there were large deposits in the San Antonio area, where the tailings pond was located!

9. And soon enough, it was learned that some of the tailings were finding their way into the Makulapnit-Boac River, causing pollution, poisoning marine life, and affecting vegetation. I was sure that our retaining walls could not have been breached in such a short time—unless it was intentionally opened in order to allow the mine tailings to flow out so they could mine the area for more deposits.

10. An investigation was conducted and indeed, the river was contaminated. Here was my news clipping on the subject: “In 1981, a review of the situation by the then National Pollution Control Commission (NPCC) led to an order that the mine "cease and desist" dumping into the bay. But rejoicing by Calancan Bay villagers was cut short when then President Ferdinand Marcos overruled the cease-and-desist order and allowed the mine to continue operating "without restraints." He did this in direct response to an appeal made by the mine's president, Placer Dome's Garth Jones, who dismissed reports regarding the destruction of coral and fish loss as "slanderous." Only when Marcos was deposed in 1986 did the villagers learn that Placer Dome's partner in the mine had been the Marcos family, which owned 50 percent of Marcopper shares through four front companies.”

11. Here is my other news clipping on the mining disaster that followed: “On 24 March 1996, mine tailings of the Marcopper Mining Corporation (Marcopper) began escaping from the Tapian Pit through the plugged rainwater drainage tunnel into the Makulapnit and Boac Rivers on Marinduque Island in the Philippines. While reports vary, between two and three million cubic meters of mine tailings were estimated to have been released into the 26 km Makulapnit and Boac River systems over the following 4-5 days at a discharge rate of between five and ten cubic meters per second.
a. Type of Incident: Loss of tailings from storage pit through old drainage tunnel. Release of 2-3 million m3 of mine tailings.
b. IMPACTS: Evacuation of 1200 residents. Seriously affected approximately 700 families from 5 villages by loss of most river crossings, loss of road connections. Inundation of between 6 and 10 hectares of cropland used for banana and other agricultural purposes. Deposition of tailings in the upper sections of the Makulapnit and Boac Rivers. Loss of aquatic life, productivity and beneficial use of the rivers for domestic and agricultural purposes.

12. I returned to Santa Cruz, Marinduque in year 2000 and learned that there were children affected by the 1996 inundation of toxic wastes who died of poisoning and those who survived grew up with deformities.

Truly, there is no limit to what the greed of men can do to destroy our people and our lands.

"I confirm Mr. Balde's account. I was the environment undersecretary assigned to investigate the 1996 disaster and we found it to be man-made, a result of criminal negligence. One finds this all the time for mining disasters. There's always a way to prevent it but the steps taken are always too late because of monetary considerations." -Tony La Vina, Former Environment Undersecretary

About the Writer: Abdon M. Balde Jr. is a civil engineer works for PhilRock, Inc. back then. He is now a Consultant at the Provincial Government of Albay.