Mangarin Ruins

One of the oldest settlement in Mindoro is Manggaring, but it permanently appeared in records as Mangarin due to Spanish orthography. It is a settlement located at the mouth of Pinamanaan River, a river which empties its water into Mangarin Bay.  It first appeared in history in 1679, when friars from the Order of Augustinian Recollects  "established" this settlement. Perhaps what it really meant was,  Mangarin is  chosen as a site of a new reduccion. Which means the settlement will be put under a church bell, then less populated settlements  nearby or barangays will be force to move there. Thus four years later in 1683, Mangarin was founded as the center of a new  parish.

Mangarin Bay and the location of its ruins, Mangarin Fort and Iglesia de Piedra or Church made of stones.

Prior to the founding of the parish of Mangarin the whole west coast of Mindoro was governed  from the parish of Calavite located in Mindoro's northwestern tip. The parish of Mangarin on its peak  have under its jurisdiction the islands of Ilin, Ambulong, Semirara, Sibay and Caluya and also the settlements of Iriron, Bulalacao, and Mansalay, the last two is located in the southeastern coast of  Mindoro Oriental . Today Mangarin is reduce to just one of the barangays of San Jose, Mindoro Occidental.

Inside view of  Mangarin Fort from the East
(Photo taken by Rosemin De Los Trinos, M.D.)

You can take a glimpse of Mangarin's glorious past through its ruins, giving the place a mystical aura to local residents and tourist alike. The ruins grew even more mysterious over the decades, creating all sort of stories that eventually evolved into stuff of legends. These legends eventually made it to the local tourism pamphlet of the municipal government of San Jose, and spilled over into the internet. One such legends revolves around Limahong, the Chinese pirate who attacked and destroyed most of Manila on September 1574. As the legend goes, the ruins in Mangarin was the remnants of a stone fort built by  Limahong and his followers. Other variations of the story are much closer to the truth , it says that the ruins was  used to be a  watchtower built  to ward off pirates and it was besieged by Limahong himself.  Or the Sangleys built the fort themselves with the help of the inhabitants of  Mangarin, when they were still trading their wares in Mangarin Bay.

 Front side view of Mangarin Fort from the Southwest 
                              (Photo taken by Joma Cordova)                                          

Thankfully, when we from the Occidental Mindoro History Team, visited the Mangarin ruins in 2008 we had Mr. Rudy Candelario for a tour guide.  Manong Rudy, as I fondly called him, patiently researched and wrote most of the literature about the history of Mindoro Occidental . And he quickly shattered any myths that was deposited in my mind about the ruins, before it grow there like a cancer cell. He told us that,  the ruins was a remnant of a fort that was built sometime in 1844, through the leadership of the newly arrived parish priest Fr. Pedro Soto de San Juan Bautista. The fort was the first line of defense for the inhabitants of Mangarin against the Moros,  who frequently attacked Mindoro's coastal settlements.

                   Front view of Mangarin Fort facing Mangarin Bay  
             (Photo taken by Rosemin De Los Trinos, M.D.)

 Manong Rudy also gave me a copy of his source when I visited him in his office in St. Joseph Seminary. His source was a document written by Antoon Postma titled "Historical Data on the Greater San Jose Parish of Occidental Mindoro".  


And the excerpt about the fort goes like this:

"The first parish priest was Fr. Pedro Soto de San Juan Bautista, who arrived on February 12, 1844, in Mangarin, aged 25 years. The first thing he did was the construction of a “kuta”, or defense-work against the Moros, consisting of a stone wall that surrounded the whole village. Inside this compound, in the very center, he built a church and convent from local materials. A sentinel or guard was on duty night and day, to announce immediately anything that might happen, especially any raids from the Moro pirates. The people were certainly glad that this stone defense was constructed, because they still remembered vividly the Moro attack on Mangarin of the previous year (Jan. 12, 1843), when 4 boats with pirates had landed at the sandplate in front of the village, and had assaulted their settlement. But the people had not been afraid, and had fought off the attack with the help of the 4 cannons that they had acquired in the meantime. After thay had killed two Moro pirates, the others had given up ad left in their boats, looking for easier targets."

       Cannon hole facing Mangarin Bay
                     (Photo taken by Rosemin De Los Trinos, M.D.)                           

The frequent Muslim raids started after the restructuring of political and economic system in Mindoro at the beginning of the Spanish colonial rule, which replaced the existing Muslim trade network in the region. Since all the ports and maritime towns of Mindoro were used to be inhabited and governed by Muslims, with trade relations as far as China and Brunei, before it was conquered by the Spaniards. (See Mindoro History 101)

Outside view of Mangarin Fort from the North West      
(Photo taken by Joma Cordova)

The ruins also stood  as a testament to the darkest period in Mindoro's history .  A period when the Muslim raiders not only attacked Mindoro frequently, but also use the island as a base for their warfare against the Spanish Colonial government. A war that doesn't spare civilians but instead targeted them and took them in as slaves for trade. Thus, Mindoro more than any other region in the Philippines, bear the brunt of the Moro-Spanish War and never recovered from it until the last years of Spanish colonial rule.

Full view of Mangarin Fort from the North   
 (Photo taken by Joma Cordova) 

References: 

1.  Antoon Postma, Historical Data on the Greater San Jose Parish of Occidental Mindoro (1983)
2. Rudy Candelario, Maikling Kasaysayan ng Occidental Mindoro (2000)
3. Rudy Candelario, Mga Makasaysayang Pook at Istruktura sa Occidental Mindoro (2008)
4. V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (1991)
5. Rudy Candelario, History of San Jose and its Barangays

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Sikad-Sikad

Mindoro's geographical location made the island a gateway to both Luzon and the Visayas, thus various ethnic groups from both regions easily migrated here, making the island a cultural hub.  When migrants from all over the archipelago migrated and converged here they also bring with them their own unique culture. I don't know if those migrants wanted to preserve their ethnic culture, and  pass them down to their children and grandchildren like their ancestors before them. But one thing is for sure, exogamy in a social setting as such cannot be avoided, and a union between two distinct ethnic groups produces  a unique culture.   Thus one's attachment to an ethnic origin was lessened, if not totally lost, due to the multiplicity of one's ethnic origin in the first place, making identification with the term "Filipino" and "Mindoreno" much easier. This is especially true to the third generation descendants of post-war migrants like me.    

I for instance, was born to an Ilocano mother and a half Kapampangan half Tagalog father. But I grew up in an Ilocano home because my parents are living with both my Ilocano grandparents.The only Kapampangan food I learned to eat during my youth was burong talangka since it was the favorite dish of my father. Sisig which originally also came from Pampanga is my all time favorite Kapampangan food, but I learned to eat it only much later when I started drinking beer, but that's another story. But I grew up in a home where more often than not Ilocano foods such as saluyot, pinakbet, palakang bukid, bulanglang, kuhol, hito, dalag, daing etc. and mostly vegetables with bagoong in them were served.

So a few days back, when my family is eating dinner together I got curious about a seashell which frequently appears in our daily menu, these last few weeks or so. Not that I am complaining, as a matter of fact this particular seashell  became one my favorites because it really taste good. But this seashell only started appearing in our meals after I came back from a year long sojourn in Manila, so I knew right away this is not an Ilocano food. So I asked my mother about it, the seashell is called sikad-sikad and she learned to cook it from a family friend who gave it to them when my aunts from the United States came home. 

 Sikad-Sikad Seashells (Tinola Style)

So I visited our family friend to investigate, I really wanted to know the ethnic origin of this food. I  found  out that she learned eating and cooking sikad-sikad when her family stayed in Romblon for a decade.So it appears from a glance that sikad-sikad is a Visayan food since Romblon is mostly populated by Visayans. And as I found out later, "sikad" is also a Visayan word meaning "kick" in English or "sipa" in Tagalog. The seashell appeared to be named as such, because it uses its claw to jump out of the sand. 

          Sikad-Sikad Meat and claw

 
A quick Google search told me that Sikad-Sikad is a favorite food in Palawan, Sorsogon and the Visayas,  as been blogged by culinary enthusiasts. And they are also in consensus that, the best  way to cook it is with gata or coconut milk. 

 

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Dimple Star Transport

 Backpackers and adventurers from Manila who are planning excursions to Mindoro on tight budgets, can now travel  conveniently to the Island aboard an air-conditioned bus, thanks to Dimple Star Transport. Before their operation in Mindoro, you need to transfer from one mode of transportation to another enable to explore the Island. The usual route in the old days when budget was tight, was to get aboard a bus bound for Batangas City pier, and from there you need to transfer to a ship either bound for Abra de Ilog pier in Mindoro Occidental or Calapan City pier in Mindoro Oriental. And from those ports you need to transfer to another vehicle to reach whatever town you are going.


This route is pretty hard for those traveling to Mindoro Occidental via Abra de Ilog, not only the roads are much rougher in the old days, but the buses were also very uncomfortable. The buses plying the Abra de Ilog pier-San  Jose route do not have air-conditioning system, and was in bad condition as the roads, the windows of the buses are not sealed enough, so you'll eat all the dust along the way. And as soon as the ship docks, you need to run as fast as you could, because the buses have limited seats. There were also racketeers, who occupied the bus seats even if they are not passengers, and you need to pay them if you want to get those seats.     


Now all that hassles are history, Dimple Star Transport's air-conditioned buses passes through most of mainland Mindoro's town except for Baco, San Teodoro, Puerto Galera, Pola and Paluan. You can now almost circumnavigate Mindoro Island by land, just by boarding their air-conditioned bus twice, using two different routes from and to Manila. No need to transfer from bus to ship then bus again.

Dimple Star Transport uses two different routes to Mindoro Island, which all ends up in San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. The most frequent route is the one bound for  Mindoro Occidental via Abra de Ilog pier which usually have six trips daily at the minimum. The first route passes through the towns of  Abra de Ilog, Mamburao, Sta. Cruz, Sablayan, Calintaan, Rizal and touches down in San Jose.

The second route is via Calapan City Pier which usually have two trips daily at the minimum.  This route passes through the towns of Mindoro Oriental which are Calapan, Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao. It also passes through the town of Magsaysay in Mindoro Occidental and also touches down in San Jose.

Dimple Star Transport have five terminals in Metro Manila, below are the location of those terminals, contact numbers, fares and bus schedules.  

1. Sampaloc, Espana corner Antipolo St., Telephone Number +63.02.985.1451, Mobile Phone number +63.908.926.9163, Mindoro Bus Schedule: 8:00 am, 5:00 pm, 8:00 pm 
2.  Ali Mall, Cubao, Telephone Number +63.02.5179677, Mobile Phone Numbers +63.928.413.4565 or +63.908.696.4803, Mindoro Bus Schedule: 5:00 am, 12:00 noon, 6:00 pm
3. Alabang, Transpart near Metropolis Mall, Telephone Numbers +63.02.664.7796 or +63.02.809.7796,  Mobile Phone Number +63.919.429.1999, Mindoro Bus Schedule: 6:00 am, 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm
4. Pasay, Telephone Number +63.02.407.4614, Mobile Phone Number +63.928.603.3691, Mindoro Bus Schedule: 9:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 9:00 pm
5. Santolan, Telephone Number +63.02.416.8956, Mindoro Bus Schedule: 6:00 am, 1:00 pm, 7:00 pm 

All Dimple Star buses bound for Mindoro are also bound for San Jose in Mindoro Occidental where they have a terminal located at Bonifacio Street. You can contact them through this Telephone number +63.02.6684151 or their Mobile Phone Numbers +63.921.568.6449 and +63.999.361.6860. Buses via Abra de Ilog leaves at 6:00 am, 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 11:00 pm. While buses via Calapan City leaves at 3:30 am and 2:00 pm. 

Fares and Destinations via Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental 

Manila to San Jose     -- 950 pesos           San Jose to Manila -- 950 pesos    

                 Bulalacao   -- 650 pesos                                  Turbina -- 800 pesos   

                 Mansalay   -- 600 pesos                                   Sto Tomas -- 775 pesos 

                 Roxas         -- 570 pesos                                   Balagtas   -- 730 pesos

                 Bongabong -- 540 pesos                                  Batangas City -- 700

                 Bansud       -- 518 pesos                                  Calapan  -- 550 pesos

                 Gloria         -- 500 pesos                                  Naujan    -- 520 pesos 

                 Pinamalayan -- 490 pesos                            Victoria -- 500 pesos 

                 Socorro         -- 476 pesos                                 Socorro --  480 pesos

                 Victoria         -- 440 pesos                               Pinamalayan -- 450 pesos

                  Naujan         -- 420 pesos                                Gloria -- 440 pesos

                  Calapan       -- 391 pesos                                Bansud -- 420 pesos

                  Batangas City -- 175 pesos                           Bongabong -- 400 pesos

                                                                                             Roxas -- 350 pesos

                                                                                             Mansalay -- 300 pesos

                                                                                             Bulalacao -- 250 pesos

 

Fares and Destinations via Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental

Manila to San Jose    -- 950 pesos           San Jose to Manila -- 950 pesos
                 Rizal           -- 900  pesos                                Turbina --850 pesos
                 Calintaan   -- 850  pesos                                Sto. Tomas -- 800 pesos 
                 Sablayan   --  800 pesos                                 Balagtas -- 650 pesos
              Sta. Cruz     -- 750 pesos                               Batangas City -- 650              
                 Mamburao  -- 700 pesos                                Abra de Ilog-- 350 pesos
                Abra de Ilog-- 650 pesos                                Mamburao -- 280 pesos
                Batangas City -- 175 pesos                           Sta. Cruz    -- 250 pesos
                                                                                           Sablayan   --  140 pesos
                                                                                           Calintaan  --   60 pesos
                                                                                           Rizal          --   35 pesos

Note: Bus Schedules and Fares updated as of  July 19, 2010, it may change without notice so  be sure to contact them first.  
 

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