Oriental Mindoro History

Profile of Oriental Mindoro Province (Geography)
Location –> Eastern half of Mindoro Island in MiMaRoPa Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Province –> Occidental Mindoro
Capital –> Calapan City
Area –> 4,238.38 km2 (1,636.45 sq mi)
Population –> 908,339 (2020 Census); 844,059 (2015 census)
Terrain –> Mountainous on the western side of the province but lowland on the eastern part
Industries –> Agriculture, Trading, Tourism
Major Products –> Rice, Corn, Fish
People/Language –> Tagalog, Mangyan, English
City –> Calapan
Municipalities (Towns) –> (14) Baco, Bansud, Bongabong, Bulalacao, Gloria, Mansalay, Naujan, Pinamalayan, Pola, Puerto Galera, Roxas, San Teodoro, Socorro, Victoria

Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials of Oriental Mindoro.

Oriental Mindoro History

On 13 June 1950, the island of Mindoro was split into two provinces: Oriental and Occidental. Due to its vast agricultural lands, Oriental Mindoro was subjected to agrarian reform initiatives since the 1950s.

The first congressman of the independent Oriental Mindoro was Raul T. Leuterio. He was succeeded by Conrado M. Morente. Under the 1987 Constitution, the province has two legislative districts. The first district is composed of Calapan City and the municipalities of Baco, Naujan, Pola, Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Socorro, and Victoria. On the other hand, the towns of Bansud, Bongabong, Bulalacao, Gloria, Mansalay, Pinamalayan, and Roxas comprised the second district.

On February 28, 2023, Oil tanker, MT Princess Empress, sank off the municipality of Naujan causing a widespread oil spill in the Tablas Strait that has affected other provinces such as Antique, Batangas, and Palawan.

Go here to see all the famous people from Oriental Mindoro Province.

Go here to see the candidates and results of the 2019 election in Oriental Mindoro.

Read the history of Oriental Mindoro in Tagalog here.

Economy of Oriental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro is primarily an agricultural province. Although it is rich in natural resources and endowed with many natural attractions, poverty among the residents is still prevalent. The construction of the Roll-on, Roll-off maritime highway with the province becoming the gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao Islands has brought tremendous benefit to the local people. Tourism, especially in the town of Puerto Galera, is an important source of livelihood.

RELATED: Profile of Quezon Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region