Marinduque is a heart-shaped island which lies between the Bondoc Peninsula at the south- eastern part of Luzon and the island of Mindoro.  It is bounded by four bodies of water, on the north by Tayabas Bay, northeast by Mongpong Pass, South-east by Tayabas Strait, and Sibuyan at the south.

The first inhabitants of Marinduque were Malay natives. They established trade relation with the Chinese as early as the Sung Dynasty as evidenced by the artifacts and shards still found in caves that abound on the island.

Marinduque is thought to have been under the administrative influence – if not controlled-of the Bonbon (Batangas) settlement founded by Datus Dumangsil and Balkasusa, members of the ten- datu expedition from Borneo.

While the original name of the island was Malandik, the Spaniards called it Mare Unduque, findingit hard to pronounce the Malay word, meaning sea everywhere. While Malandik was thought to pertain to the sloping terrain and as reference to Mt. Malindig and Balagbag mountain range at the southern end and central part of the island respectively.

In 1571, the first Spanish Governor Miguel Lopez de Legaspi assigned the encomienda of Marinduque to a certain Fr. Pedro de Herrera, the first Agustinian father which introduced the Christianity to the native islanders.

Marinduque was made into a sub-corrigimiento in 1590, under the jurisdiction of Mindoro, when the two  islands were detached from  the administrative control of Bonbon (later Balayan), Batangas. In 1671, Mariduque was made into a province, later a sub-province again.

On April 28, 1898, with the overthrow of the last Spanish casadores (Tagalog soldiers) after armed conflict and hostilities with the revolutionists during the Philippine-Spanish War, Marinduque declared its separation from Mindoro and from Spanish rule, a move that was ratified by the ruling class from the different towns of the island-province. The local struggle was led by Martin Lardizabal,  who was appointed  as military  governor of Marinduque during the first revolutionary provincial government.

During the American regime, the first major victory of the Filipino soldiers in the secondphase of the Philippine revolution occurred in Torrijos, Marinduque was written known as the Battle of Pulang Lupa on September 13, 1900 (during the Filipino – American War), when local forces led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad defeated the American contingent under the command of Capt. Devereaux Shields. (The said battle was considered one of the most dramatic reversals the Americans suffered during the war with the Philippines). Later on May 1, 1901, the United States-Philippine Commission passed Act No. 125 which created the Province of Marinduque and established the provincial government at the municipality of Boac, its capital.

A year later by virtue of Act No. 423, dated June 23, 1902, the US-Philippine Commission annexed the island of Mindoro, including the island of Lubang (then separated from the Province of Cavite), to the Province of Marinduque, Boac remained as the capital of the consolidated provinces. Four months after, on November 10, by virtue of an Act No. 499 Marinduque was made a part of Tayabas (now Quezon). Later on May 17, 1907 under Act No. 1649, the Commission made Marinduque as sub-province of Tayabas. And finally, on February 21, 1920, Act No. 2880, sponsored by then representative Hon. Ricardo Paras, Jr. separated the sub- province of Marinduque from Tayabas and re-established the former province of Marinduque. That Law was signed by American Governor Francis Burton Harrison.

SIGNIFICANT GOVERNOR’S OF MARINDUQUE

GOVERNORS OF MARINDUQUE 1898-PRESENT

OFFICIALS	TERM OF OFFICE	MODE OF PLACEMENT
Martin Lardizabal	1898-1901	Appointed (Civil Government)
Ricardo Paras	1901-1907	Appointed (Military Government
Juan Nieva	1907-1916	Appointed (Sub-Government)
Pedro Madrigal	1916-1919	Elected (Sub-Government)
Vicente Trivino	1919-1922	Elected (Sub-Government)
Miguel Villamayor	1922-1925	Elected
Damian Reyes	1925-1929	Elected
Leon Pelaez	1929-1933	Elected
Pedro Del Mundo	1933-1936	Elected
Leon Pelaez	1936-1938	Elected
Ramon Reynoso	1938-1941	Elected
Jose Lecaroz Lopez	1941-1942	Elected
Ricardo Nepomuceno	1945-1946	Elected
Cesar Nepomuceno	1946-1951	Elected
Felix Fidel Paz	1951-1955	Elected
Miguel M. Manguera	1955-1963	Elected
Celso Preclaro	1963-1967	Elected
Aristeo M. Lecaroz	1967-1988	Elected
Luisito M. Reyes	1988-1995	Elected
Jose Antonio Carrion	1995-1998	Elected
Carmencita O. Reyes	1998-2007	Elected
Jose Antonio Carrion	2007-2010	Elected
Carmencita O. Reyes	2010-January 2019	Elected
Dr. Romulo A. Bacorro, Jr.	January-June 2019	Succession
Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr.	2019–present	Elected

VICE GOVERNORS OF MARINDUQUE

OFFICIALS	TERM OF OFFICE	MODE OF PLACEMENT
Casiano D. Aloyon	1955-1963	Elected
Aristeo M. Lecaroz	1963-1967	Elected
Celso S. Zoleta Jr.	1967-1980	Elected
Luisito M. Reyes	1980-1986	Elected
Salvador Jamilla	1986-1988	Appointed (OIC)
Maximo S. Lim	1988-1992	Elected
Rosario S. Jugo	March 1995-June 1995	Appointed
Teodorito J. Rejano	1998-2004	Elected
Leandro Palma	2004-2007	Elected
Tomas N. Pizarro	2007-2010	Elected
Dr. Antonio L. Uy, Jr.	2010-2013	Elected
Dr. Romulo Bacorro, Jr.	2013–Present	Elected

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE OF MARINDUQUE

OFFICIALS	TERM OF OFFICE	MODE OF PLACEMENT
Emilliano Gala	1907-1910	Elected
Gregorio Nieva	1910-1913	Elected
Bernardo Del Mundo	1913-1916	Elected
Gregorio Nieva	1916-1919	Elected
Ricardo Paras, Sr.	1919-1922	Elected
Ricardo Nepomuceno, Sr.	1922-1930	Elected
Jose A. Uy	1930-1938	Elected
Cecilio Maneja	1938-1946	Elected
Temoteo Ricohermoso	1946-1949	Elected
Panfilo M. Manguera	1949-1953	Elected
Panfilo M. Manguera	1953-1957	Re-Elected
Francisco M.Lecaroz	1957-1961	Elected
Francisco M.Lecaroz	1961-1965	Re-Elected
Carmencita O.Reyes	1972-1976	Elected (Delegate Constitutional)
Ricardo Nepomuceno, Sr.	1972-1976	Elected
Carmencita O.Reyes	1976-1998	Elected
Edmund Reyes	1998-2007	Elected
Carmencita O.Reyes	2007-2010	Elected
Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco	2010-2013	Elected
Regina O. Reyes-Mandanas	2013-March 2016	Elected
Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco	March 2016-present	Elected

ILLUSTRIOUS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF MARINDUQUE

NAME	ACHIEVEMENTS
Hon. Ricardo Paras Jr.	Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Justice, Court of Appeals Member, Philippine Assembly (Responsible for the creation of the Province of Marinduque)
Hon. Ricardo Nepomuceno, Sr.	Secretary of Public Works and Communication Secretary of Justice Commissioner, SEC
Hon. Perfecto Laguio	Secretary of Commerce and Industry
Dean Julieta V. Sotejo	First Woman Dean, College of Nursing, UP
Hon. Rosario B. Tantoco	Head, Educational Culture, Phil. National Museum
Hon. Asuncion A. Perez	Secretary, Social Welfare and Development
Dr. Rufino De Luna	Secretary of Interior UN Delegate to Korea
Col. Arthur Sevilla	Administrator, Civil Aeronautic Administration
Gen. Protacio Sotto	Head, President Management Staff (PMS) Undersecretary, DILG
Hon. Panfilo M. Manguera	Responsible for the Creation of the Marinduque School of Arts and Trade
His Highness Ricardo Vidal	Cardinal, Archdiocese of Cebu
Gen. Alexander Aguirre	Head, President Management Staff (PMS) Undersecretary, DILG
Gen. Recaredo A. Sarmiento II	Undersecretary of Justice
Hon. Edgardo L. Paras	Associate Justice, Supreme Court
Gen. Santiago L. Aliño	Chief, Philippine National Police
Hon. Francisco Fellizar	Undersecretary, DOST
Dr. Fel Del Mundo	Director, Philippine Children’s Hospital
Dr. Araceli M. Villamin	Author Director, Reading Center, PNU
Hon. Roberto Abling	Deputy Minister, Human Settlement
Hon. Renato Garcia	Philippine Army
Ms. Aurora Sevilla	1982 Mutya ng Pilipinas- International
Ms. Rita Gomez	Actress