Occidental Mindoro, Philippines

Occidental Mindoro (Filipino: Kanlurang Mindoro, “Western Mindoro”; Spanish: Mindoro Occidental) is a province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Mamburao is the capital. It occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro; Oriental Mindoro is at the eastern half. The South China Sea is to the west of the province and Palawan is located to the southwest, across Mindoro Strait. Batangas is to the north, separated by the Verde Island Passage.

Political divisions

Occidental Mindoro is subdivided into 11 municipalities.

Demographics

The population of Occidental Mindoro is 380,250 as of the 2000 census, making it the country's 21st least populated province. The population density is 65 persons per km². Major languages spoken are Tagalog, Ilokano, Visaya, Kapampangan, Bikolano, Mangyan, and other mainstream languages in the country. Occidental Mindoro is a cultural melting pot, populated mostly by recent immigrants.

The indigenous people in the province are the Mangyans (Manguianes in Spanish, Mañguianes in Old Tagalog), consisting of 7 distinct tribes. They occupy the interior, specially the highlands. Mangyans have inhabited the island since pre-history. They are believed to have originally travelled from Indonesia and settled down for good in the island.

There have been recent studies that Mangyans were formerly living near the coastlines, but they were compelled to move into the interior jungles of the island when the Spanish colonizers came.

Economy

Occidental Mindoro is an agricultural area. It 's economic base is rice production. It is the leading activity in the province, participated in by almost 80 per cent of the population, including children. Wet land or lowland rice is a rainy season crop, being heavily dependent on water, and therefore produced from July (planting season) to October (harvest season). Tobacco, onions, garlic and vegetables are rather grown during the dry season (November to May)since they are not water-intensive crops, and require longer photoperiodicity.

Rice, corn, onions, garlic, salt, fishes(both wild water and cultured) are some of the relatively significant surpluses produced in the province in exportable quantities. Mangoes, cashew nuts, cooking bananas (saba) and some other fruits grown in upland orchards are among the other exports of Occidental Mindoro that have traditionally contributed to its income. Peanuts are also comfortably grown in some parts of the province, as well as cassava, sweet potatoes, ginger and other minor cultivars.

Forest resources include timber and minerals, among them gold, copper, silver, chrome, and non-metallic minerals such as lime for making cement, and greenstones for ornaments. Timber groups include many species of hardwoods, such as mahogany, and other types of trees in high demand for durability.

There are no large industry in the province. Employment is largely seasonal and agriculture-dependent, with only the government as the biggest employer. The local electric cooperative, Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO), is the biggest employer in the private sector, with nearly 150 regular employees. The rest of the population are engaged in private trades

Geography

General land surface features that characterize Occidental Mindoro are mountains, rivers, hills, valleys, wide plains and some small fresh water lakes.The taller mountains can be found in the interior that it shares with Oriental Mindoro.

Mountain ranges converge on the two central peaks, namely Mt. Halcon in the North, and Mt. Baco in the South. The northern part of the province has relatively fewer plains, while the southern parts have wider flatlands. Most of the plains are cultivated fields, with few remaining untouched forests.

There are several major drainage or river systems flowing on a generally westerly course: Mamburao river, Pagbahan, Mompong, Biga, Lumintao, Busuanga and Caguray.

Significant hilly areas can be found rolling off in Sta Cruz in the north, and in San Jose and Magsaysay in the south. These are grassed-over rather than forested.

Swamp areas are restricted to the south, specially, along the river mouths.

Climate

The province has two distinct weather patterns, rainy from June to October, and dry from November to May. Wettest period is from August to September, and driest from March to April. Temperature range is from 78 °F (26 °C) in the windy uplands to 90 F (32 °C) in the unstirring lowlands.