The ‘Last Frontier’ region of the Philippines!Region 4B (sometimes written in roman numeral as REGION IV-B) is MIMAROPA and that stands for the provinces of MIndoro, MArinduque, ROmblon and PAlawan. Note that Mindoro is actually composed of two provinces – Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. In the past these 5 provinces were actually part of the big Region 4 called Southern Tagalog – which was more recently chunked into two separate regions namely Region 4A (CALABARZON) and 4B (MIMAROPA).
While the claim “The Phlippines’ Last Frontier” would usually mean the province of Palawan, my opinion is that it might as well include Mindoro, Romblon and Marinduque. I am almost certain that in the next years, Palawan will even become a bustling metropolis while the other three islands, especially Romblon and Marinduque might still retain much of their natural allure! Its just an inference and there’s nothing wrong about calculated guesses hehe!
While many of the great 'tourismic' sites in MIMAROPA actually have their counterparts in many of the rest of the 7,600++ islands and islets (esp the eastern seaboard) , I truly admire and am fascinated at the accessibility to, and “development" at these sites compared to areas like Cagayan, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines, Samar, Surigao Del Sur or Davao Oriental.
From Gazelles to Dugongs, caves, rivers, mines, cliffs, beaches, marble things, limestones and cultural traditions, MIMAROPA is indeed varied. The most luxurious (therefore most expensive) resorts are found in this region of the country. The remotest and hard-to-reach (but constantly visited) islands are also here.
This region fares well in both stone-age and recent human history and evolution. Ever heard of the Tabon Man? Ever heard of the Vietnamese refugees? Ever heard of the Islamic (and actually "slum"ic) communities at the southern tip of Palawan? Ever heard of a lady surnamed Sato (that's a Japanese surname) becoming governor even congresswoman? She's from the place! Ever heard of Europeans who opted not to return to their motherlands but instead live the rest of their lives in MIMAROPA? Check-out many (if not majority) of the resort owners in this region! Have you heard about "the second landing"? Its also in this region!
To explore this region and wallow in its beauty and uniqueness, one will have to spend a lot of time coming and going from Metro Manila to many of the islands in MIMAROPA. And if you haven’t noted yet, Palawan is actually in itself an archipelago!
So good luck roaming around MIMAROPA!
If you have questions or want to tell me more information about this region, please do not hesitate to send me an email, comment on this page, like my facebook page or through my twitter account.
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