Marinduque

12 Amazing Marinduque Food You Should Try!

Posted on July 2, 2023

No visit to the island province of Marinduque – best known for the Moriones Lenten rites, butterfly farming, and heritage sites – would be complete without tasting their local food, which range from sweet and light snacks to rich and savory dishes. Marinduqueño cuisine is influenced by the native food of southern Luzon, but localized with the island’s unique ingredients like arrowroot and native crustaceans like kagang (land crab) and manakla (pistol shrimp). If you love the richness of BicolanoRead More→

Marinduque: Bila-Bila Festival in the Butterfly Capital of the Philippines

Posted on June 30, 2023

Aside from the unique Moriones Lenten Rites, the island province of Marinduque stands out for being the butterfly capital of the Philippines, accounting for 85% of butterfly and pupae exports in the country. According to the National Museum, the Philippines has around 927 butterfly species, with a third of them endemic to the country. In Marinduque, there are about 600 species of butterflies, which are locally called bila-bila in the Marinduqueño dialect of Tagalog. During our three-day familiarization tour ofRead More→

Boac, Marinduque: A Heritage Walking Tour of the Provincial Capital

Posted on June 29, 2023

Marinduque, the island province just south of the Luzon mainland, is best known for its lively Lenten events and traditions like the Moriones, where townsfolk dress up as masked Roman centurions. It is also regarded as the butterfly capital of the country. It’s my favorite Holy Week destination in the Philippines, and I’ve spent the Roman Catholic holiday there twice before. As a matter of fact, Marinduque was the first province I visited when I started backpacking 15 years ago,Read More→

Marinduque: Magic & Mayhem

Posted on April 6, 2008

Like a giant hand reaching out to sea, the port of Balanacan welcomed our boat cramped with weary passengers. The verdant land summoned us to a limestone cove, under tangerine skies and the prayerful arms of the magnificent statue of the Blessed Virgin of Biglang-Awa. After twelve hours of waiting at Lucena and nearly 24 hours after leaving Makati, we reached our destination. We stepped foot on Marinduque. At last. Initially, the plan seemed fairly simple: four lomoheads, four days,Read More→