MASBATE-PHILIPPINES

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) Forty people, including 11 children, were killed when a ferry capsized in a “freak accident” off Masbate province early Tuesday afternoon, the local police chief said.

The ferry, with 119 people listed on board, keeled over after being struck by a freak wind off the island of Masbate, according to Senior Superintendent Reuben Sindac, Masbate provincial police director.

"The Don Dexter Kathleen capsized due to a freak accident, it was hit by a high wind despite fair weather and calm waters," Sindac told local radio.

He said rescue services recovered 40 bodies -- 11 children and 29 adults -- while 76 survivors had been pulled from the water. Twenty-five of the adult casualties were women.

Sindac did not rule out the possibility that there may have been more people onboard the ferry.

It is a common practice for inter-island ferries to be overloaded with last-minute passengers boarding without being listed in the manifest.

Sindac said the boat’s skippers, Dexter Cathlyn, Dante Bombales, were taken in custody to determine their liability in the accident. The Philippine Coast Guard also placed boat owner Eduardo Yap under its custody.

Bombales was rescued, together with 75 others, by joint teams from the Coast Guard and police, plus other volunteers who rushed to the site.

M/B Don Dexter capsized five kilometres from shore in Dimasalang town after a squall hit it 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Police have yet to identify the victims.

Sindac said the ferry, which was bound for Bulan town in Sorsogon, was barely 20 minutes into its voyage when the incident occurred.

Coast Guard and police rescue teams were able to recover the manifest of the ferry, which showed it had 119 passengers.

There was no mention of how large a crew the ferry had.

The coastguard described the vessel as a large wooden-hulled outrigger, the main mode of transport between the 7,000 islands that make up the Southeast Asian archipelago.

Meanwhile, rescue teams have suspended rescue operations past 7 p.m. Tuesday and is expected to resume 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sindac said.

Sindac said they could not say the exact number of missing passengers because some could have boarded even if they were not included in the passenger manifest.

Sindac also said that the incident was an “accident” and such squalls were normal.

“The wind is very unusual but that’s normal here,” he said.

But police are not discounting that the ship could have been overloaded when it left shore, Sindac added.

Second Lieutenant Jeffrey Collado, the local coast guard chief, said four people were still missing despite fears that there may be more still unaccounted for.

Collado said the ferry was hit by a "freak whirlwind" that rose suddenly when the ferry left port.

Coast guard chief of staff Captain Efren Evangelista said the weather and waters were calm and that there was no reason for them to stop the vessel from setting sail.

"Of course, we will be conducting an investigation of this, but for now we will be concentrating on the search and rescue operations," he added.

The accident comes four months after the 23,000 ton inter-island ferry, Princess of the Stars, capsized during a typhoon off the central island of Sibuyan carrying 850 passengers and crew.

Only 57 passengers and crew survived the accident which was the worst maritime disaster in the Philippines for 20 years.

Mishaps involving ferries are common in this archipelago where many poor people rely on small, poorly-maintained vessels to travel between islands. With reports from Kristine Alave and Ephraim Aguilar, Philippine Daily Inquirer

At least 18 people died after a motor boat sank off the coast of Dimasalang town in Masbate province, Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, Masbate police director, said M/B Cathlyn was traveling from Bulan, Sorsogon when it was hit by big waves off the coastal village of Magcaragit in Dimalasang town around 2 p.m.

Sindac said 14 people, including two children, have been confirmed dead in the mishap.

A separate report gathered by ABS-CBN Legaspi said at least 21 people were killed in the tragedy.

The report added that 18 bodies have been recovered by police and coast guard rescuers.

Sindac said a total of 74 passenger of the speed boat have been rescued.

He said the boat had 119 passengers when it left Bulan town.

THE Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency stepped up their hunt for a Taiwanese tagged as the operator of a shabu storage facility in Masbate City Wednesday.

“Mr. Chong” uses the alias Jeffrey Villegas in conducting business. PDEA chair Dionisio R. Santiago said. To cover up his illegal activity, the suspect buys manganese in Milagros, Masbate.

The Masbate City Police Station and the PDEA raided the suspected shabu storage facility where they seized assorted shabu paraphernalia and chemicals used in manufacturing the drugs.

Masbate police director Senior Supt. Reuben Theodore C. Sindac said unit number 1 of the Kimberly Apartment in Barangay Nursery, Masbate City is being rented by “Mr. Chong.”

He said the suspect was not around during the raid led by Supt. Jeffrey Fernandez.

Sindac said they are questioning the owner of the apartment, Pablo Almoradie, a government employee.

A hostage situation that lasted more than 10 hours in Masbate City ended on a bloody note with police snipers killing the hostage-taker Friday afternoon.

Radio dzXL reported that snipers from the police regional mobile group (RMG) fired at hostage-taker Roderick "Spike" Flores at 4:30 p.m., after negotiations proved futile.

The sniper fire was so intense that Flores' right hand was separated from his arm, the radio report said.

Nora Verano, the live-in partner whom Flores took hostage, was rushed to a hospital for trauma treatment.

Initial reports indicated Flores was seen carrying a grenade and a knife during the hostage drama, and appeared to be under the influence of illegal drugs.

The dzXL report said the intervention of local officials failed to convince Flores to release his hostage. - GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-drug operatives on Wednesday are following the trail of a Taiwanese national believed to be behind an abandoned apartment housing suspected illegal substances in Masbate province.

Initial reports from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said that an undetermined quantity of “suspected assorted precursors" (main ingredients) of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) was discovered at Kimberly Apartment in Provincial Subdivision, Purok 4, Nursery village in Masbate City.

In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, PDEA information officer Derrick Carreon said that apartment owner Pablo Alcantara reported to PDEA’s field units in Masbate province that he saw chemicals believed to be ingredients of shabu.

According to Carreon, Alcantara told authorities that a certain Jimmy Villegas rents the apartment.

But PDEA Region 5 director Major Joven Parcon suspected that Villegas only serves as a front or an associate of Taiwanese national identified only as Mr. Chiong.

Follow-up investigations are being conducted, PDEA said. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

Posted: 17 Sep 2008 08:50 AM CDT

Tabloid columnist, editors found guilty of libel

Ordered to pay over P1M in fines, damages

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:44:00 09/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court has found columnist and former television anchor Erwin Tulfo guilty of libel for throwing “wild accusations” against a Customs official nine years ago.

In a 31-page decision, the high court second division also affirmed the libel conviction of Remate managing editor Susan Cambri, national editor Rey Salao, city editor Jocelyn Barlizo, and Philip Pichay.

They were ordered to pay jointly and severally lawyer Carlos “Ding” So of the Bureau of Customs-Intelligence Unit P1 million in moral damages for a series of articles that appeared in the tabloid Remate in 1999.

The high tribunal took note of Tulfo’s admission he wrote the damning stories against So without verifying the veracity of the information given him by his source.

“Journalists have a responsibility to report the truth, and in doing so must at least investigate their stories before publication, and be able to back up their stories with proof,” it said. “The rumors and gossips spread by unnamed sources are not truth.”

“Journalists are not storytellers or novelists who may spin tales out of fevered imaginings and pass them off as reality. There must be some foundation to their repots; these reports must be warranted by facts,” the high court added.

In his column “Direct Hit,” Tulfo accused So of massive corruption and extortion activities at the South Harbor where the Customs official allegedly amassed wealth.

In the articles that came out May 11, 12, 19 and June 25, 1999, Tulfo also theorized that So could be the richest government official and went on to say the lawyer was a disgrace to Iglesia ni Cristo.

So, in his libel complaint filed before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court, said his reputation has been tarnished because of Tulfo’s accusations.

On November 17, 2000, the lower court found Tulfo and his editors guilty of libel and sentenced them to a “prison correctional in its minimum and medium periods” or two years, four months and one day to four years and two months.

The Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court ruling.

But while it upheld the appellate court’s decision, the Supreme Court reduced the penalty to a fine of P6,000 for each count of libel from Tulfo and the five Remate officials, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency. The award of actual damages and exemplary damages was deleted.

The high tribunal rejected Tulfo’s argument of privileged communication and his defense that the stories he wrote spoke of “fair commentaries on matters of public interest.”

The high court said Tulfo did not exercise good faith in exercising press freedom.

“This is no case of mere error or honest mistake, but a case of a journalist abdicating his responsibility to verify his story and instead misinforming the public,” it said.

Two firms have agreed to a new joint venture that will see them explore the potential of a number of mineral claims on Masbate Island.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the island, which is 350 km south of Manila, is to be the setting for Geograce Resources Philippines and Vale Exploration Philippines' latest projects.

So far, seven mineral claims totalling 84,046 hectares of land have been identified.

Michael Defensor, GEO management services chair, said: "We are extremely pleased to become the first Philippine partner of Vale, which is not only one of the world’s biggest mining companies, but its success is strongly rooted in helping develop its home country, Brazil, into a natural resources superpower."

The newspaper notes that Vale is to provide $6 million over the course of the next three years to finance the exploratory projects.

Masbate is a V-shaped island, 30 miles south-west of the tip of Luzon.

The island's coastline meets the Sibuyan, Visayan and Samar seas.

PHILIPPINES - Concerns that fish and seafood supplies could have been contaminated by bodies recovered from vessels sunk in typhoon Frank around the Philippines have been allayed by health officials.

The Department of Health (DoH) said that fish and other seafood, including those from waters near the capsized MV Princess of the Stars, are safe to eat.

Fish sales have reportedly dropped in the Masbate province as residents fear marine products had been contaminated according to reports in the Inquirer.

The Inquirer said that Masbate Governor Elisa Kho also appealed to the public for calm as she allayed concerns that fish caught in Masbate’s water poses health risks to consumers.

"As long as they cook the fish very well, it is safe for consumption," said Kho, who is also a medical doctor.

She said the fish scare has affected the income of fishermen in Masbate.

Dr. Baby Banatin, chief of the DoH’s Emergency Management Service, dismissed fears that fish and other seafood found in the seas around of the capsized ferry, where hundred dead bodies are believed to be trapped, are contaminated.

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged the government Tuesday to stop the killings of farmers in Masbate and other parts of the country.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma issued the appeal following the killing of peasant leader Alberto Yusi last July 20.

"It is the landless, the exploited, the disadvantaged and the powerless who have the single most urgent claim on the conscience of the nation today. It is also the death of Ka Bito and the 45 others who were also killed in the name of agrarian reform, whose children, families and fellow farmers seek justice for the lost lives and the rightful claim to the lands they tilled and died for," Ledesma, executive chairman of the Second National Rural Congress, said in a
statement posted on the CBCP website.

Ledesma noted Yusi was the fourth victim in land-reform related killings in the province in less than seven months.

Yusi was president of the Ticao Farmers Federation and the Samahang Anak ng Magsasaka ng Famosa, Inc. (SAMFAI) and provincial chairman of Ugnayan ng Mga Nagsasariling Organisasyon sa Kanayunan (UNORKA) in Masbate.

His death occurred barely two weeks following the killing of peasant leaders Rene Llabres and Junrie Pagaspas, reportedly by armed men in military uniforms.

The CBCP also noted that in December 2007, New People's Army (NPA) guerillas allegedly killed peasant leader Mark Anthony Vale, a village captain.

Vangie Mendoza, national coordinator of UNORKA, said about 40 farmers have been killed nationwide since 2001.

"(The) government and (the) military are not doing enough to stop killings of farmers," she said.

Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon earlier reported that he, some priests and Catholics, have been receiving death threats allegedly from Muslim rebel groups, anti-social groups and landlords.

The CBCP demanded immediate action by government on the killers and perpetrators of violence in Masbate.

Ledesma said the Second National Rural Congress underlined an agreement that there should be wider and equitable distribution of land for the small farmers.

It also stressed that landlessness is a problem, that large landholdings should be broken up, that farmers should have secure tenure and assisted to produce more and raise household incomes, and that land-to-the tiller should continue to be the underlying principle of the country's agrarian reform, he added.

MANILA, Philippines - Suspected communist rebels on Tuesday morning fired at Army soldiers in Masbate ahead of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visit in the province, a regional military spokesman said.

About 7:45 a.m., troops headed by one Lt. Bilog were on board a civilian vehicle when fired upon by an undetermined number of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Bagacay village in Mobo town, said Army 9th Infantry Division spokesman Maj. Christopher Morales.

At the time of the incident, Morales said the troops were on their way to Cataingan town.

Incidentally, Mobo town is located about 90 kilometers away from Placer town, where President Arroyo was scheduled to convene a Cabinet meeting.

Morales said no casualties were reported on both sides, even as the troops immediately returned fire against the ambushers.

He added that pursuit operations are on going against the rebel attackers.

Earlier in the day, a landmine explosion occurred about 3 a.m. in Ban-ao village in Placer town. No one was injured in the explosion. - GMANews.TV

Manila (14 July) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to visit the fourth class municipality of Placer in Masbate province Tuesday (July 15) to personally deliver enhanced social services to the poor.

She will also preside over the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting at the Floro V. Casas Hall of the Celera Inocencio Central School for an update on the rehabilitation efforts being undertaken by government agencies in the areas hit by Typhoon Frank.

The President will also receive a briefing on the latest developments on the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy.

She will also lead the delivery of enhanced social services including healthcare, snack packs and vitamin A gels for Grade 1 pupils, school chairs, certified rice seeds and hybrid corn seeds, among others.

The municipality of Placer is one of several areas devastated by Typhoon Frank. Local officials will brief the President on the extent of damage in the province, as well as the status of ongoing efforts to bring back to normal the lives of the people.

The Masbateños' main source of livelihood, farming and fishing, was severely affected by the typhoon.

Residents claim that the small fishing industry suffered a big blow as some of the typhoon casualties were fishermen. The bodies of some of the victims were washed ashore after the calamity.

Masbate was among the provinces placed under a state of calamity in the aftermath of Typhoon Frank. Close to 8,000 families in the province, most of them living in the coastal areas, were evacuated to higher grounds at the height of the typhoon.

PLACER, Masbate – Take it from members of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Cabinet: fish caught in the waters off Masbate are safe to eat.

To show that the fish scare that had swept Masbate and nearby provinces following the MV Princess of the Stars sinking is overblown, the President’s men had sumptuous buffet of sea foods the other day (Tuesday).

The menu included crabs, shrimps and fish caught in the waters around this island province.

Heading the group was Vice President Noli de Castro and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Also present were Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Albay Gov. Joey Salceda.

Duque said that fish and other delicacies of the deep, including fish caught near the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars, are safe to eat.

The fish scare has impacted the livelihood of fisherfolk, who derive 50 percent of their income from fishing.

The Cabinet members arrived here Tuesday for the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) meeting in Placer, a 4th class municipality of Masbate.

A Low Pressue Area (LPA) has been spotted off the coast of Masbate and is expected to bring dump rains over the province and areas nearby on Thursday, the weather bureau said.

Satellites of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration plotted the LPA northeast of the province at 2 a.m. Thursday.

PAGASA said the LPA is lying along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICTZ) and may affect regions in Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The weather bureau said there is no tropical cyclone affecting the country at the moment.

It, however, said areas affected by the LPA and the ITCZ should expect party cloudy to cloudy skies, except during the afternoon or evening with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms.

Provinces in Central Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies, with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms, which will become widespread rains over the western sections of Visayas and Mindanao. PAGASA warned areas near west of Visayas and Mindanao for possible landslides and flashfloods.

Light and moderate winds will prevail from east to southwest of Luzon and will vary over the rest of the country. PAGASA said coastal waters will be slight to moderate, except during thunderstorms.

Two former military volunteers were gunned down by gunmen inside their homes in Masbate province at dawn Sunday.

Police identified the fatalities as Rene Habres and Janrey Pagaspas, residents of Barangay Royroy in Batuan town.

Investigations showed that five gunmen stormed the houses of Habres and Pagaspas around 5:30 a.m. The two were shot at close range, police said.

The gunmen escaped after the murders. Police said the motive for the killing could have been related to the victims' former jobs. Gerard Lorbes, ABS-CBN Naga

LGU-Masbate City Celebrates Family Day




family day
On its 3rd year, the City Government of Masbate celebrates the Annual Family Day on December 20-21, 2007. The employees took on a different activity as they engaged in sports events which showed their athletic skills and apt through joining in various games like marathon, relay, soccer football, limbo rock, javelin throw, etc.

LAPAY BANTIGUE DANCE FESTIVAL STANDS-OUT IN BICOL FESTIVAL


Champion




It was an easy sweep for the City Government of Masbate as the Lapay Bantigue Festival Contingent was declared as the over-all champion during the Magayon Festival: Festival of Festivals in Legazpi City last April 26, 2008. The event was sponsored by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 5 and the Provincial Government of Albay

The Lapay Bantigue Dance Festival emerged over ten other competing festivals representing the different cities and provinces of Region Five. The judges were amazed at the fast beat and movements of Lapay Bantigue Dance. A strong affirmation through a proud applause from the spectators to the judges to the LGU’s officials, DOT Officials as well as from other contingents were heard and felt.

The contingent composed of high school and college students from different schools in Masbate City showed their exemplary performance and untiring movements although the weather was very erratic that day. The heat penetrated at the beginning and along the way the rain was pouring.

Second to Lapay Bantigue Dance Festival is the Pulang Anggui Festival contingent from Polanggui, Albay and third is Naro Festival of Dimasalang, Masbate representing the Province of Masbate.

paglubog ng M/V PRINCES OF THE STARS!

Relatives of passengers of capsized ship question lack of info on their kin

Dozens of people, some in tears, crowded into the offices of Sulpicio Lines, owner of the capsized MV Princess of the Stars, in Cebu province and at the North Harbor in Manila to get information about their loved ones who were on board the ill-fated ship.

Rescuers were trying to reach the scene where the MV Princess of the Stars sank on Sibuyan Island, Romblon but churning waves from Typhoon Frank (international codename Fengshen) made the crossing hazardous.

San Fernando Mayor Nanette Tansingco confirmed that four survivors had been found but at least four others aboard are known to have died. Hundreds of passengers are still unaccounted for.

"My father was one of the passengers. Right now there is no good news," said Lani Dakay. "My father is 59, I don't even know if he can swim."

Officials said the ship had 626 passengers and 121 crew on board.

The families of the victims blamed the Sulpicio management and the Philippine Coast Guard, saying the ship should have not been allowed to set sail because of the bad weather.

They also lashed out at Sulpicio management for not personally informing them about the tragedy, saying they only heard of the incident in television and radio reports.

Maricel Solatorio, wife of one of the crewmembers, lamented that the management refused to give any detail regarding the condition of the ship and its passengers even to them.

Lawyer Manuel Espitan, legal counsel for Sulpicio Lines, maintained that the ship did not receive an advice from Coast Guard that it was not safe to sail.

Metro Manila was still under public storm warning signal No. 1 when MV Princess of the Star left the port for Cebu Friday.

The management said it will give the relatives any information as soon as it is available as it assured that search and rescue operations are on full swing.

Built in 1984, MV Princes of the Stars has a gross tonnage of 23,824.17 and total passenger capacity of 1,992 people. Trina Lagura, Reuters and ANC

The people of Masbate were formerly called "Visaya" but when the province was transferred to Bicol region during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, they were called "Bicolanos" or "Masbatenos". Many of its people are immigrants from several provinces such as Romblon and Panay Island provinces. The people of Masbate are known as best in agriculture, history, politics and geography means.

People and Culture:
Major institutions of higher learning in the province include the Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT) in Mandaon and in Masbate City, Osmeña College, Masbate Colleges, Liceo de Masbate and Southern Bicol College.

Economy

The province of Masbate is designated as a fourth class province.

Geography

Physically, Masbate lies exactly in the center of the Philippine archipelago north of the Visayas region. The main island looks like an arrowhead with its tip pointing north. Its southern portion encloses the Asid Gulf, while the Jintotolo Channel separates it from Panay Island. The Masbate Pass separates the two islands of Burias and Ticao from the main island of Masbate.

Ethnically, as well as geographically, the province is part of the Sibuyan Sea group of islands which includes Romblon, Marinduque, Sibuyan and many other small islands. There is an admixture of Visayan and Bicolano cultures in the area, and their language, Masbateño, is a Bisakol blend of Capiznon, Hiligaynon, Bikol, Waray-Waray, Cebuano, Romblomanon and Tagalog. Most of Masbate Island speaks Masbateño, but the peninsula which points towards Cebu speaks Cebuano and the peninsula which points towards Panay speaks Hiligaynon. All of Ticao Island and half of Burias Island speak Masbateño, but northern Burias speaks Central Bikol.

The islands of the Sibuyan Sea were well known to the Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century. Legazpi, from Cebu, had made exploratory trips to the islands of Masbate, Burias and Ticao. In later centuries Masbate had shipyards that built ships for the Manila-Acapulco trade. Other than this, there was not much development in the area during the Spanish regime.

Names of places scattered over Masbate's 121 islands are reminders of the missionary journeys and church foundations that were made by the Spanish soldiers and missionaries long ago: San Pascual and Claveria in Burias, San Jacinto and Monreal in Ticao, Esperanza and Aroroy in mainland. Masbate town is the most important foundation however, and is now the seat of the diocese as well as the civil capital of the province.

New settlements sprung up in Masbate just before American colonizers landed on Philippine soil at the turn of the century. The cattle industry was started with the discovery of good grazing lands. Another development was the discovery of rich good veins. Migrations began soon after this, although the mines in Aroroy town came to be developed only during the American era.

The Diocese of Masbate was created on March 23, 1968, separating it from the Diocese of Sorsogon. It comprises then, and now, the civil province of Masbate with its 121 islands including the two larger ones – Burias and Ticao. It is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Caceres. Its titular patron is St. Anthony of Padua.

Masbate's land area of 7000 square kilometers holds a population of 598,813 of which 85 percent are Catholics. Devotional practices such as the rosary, novenas to saints, and other religious manifestations as processions, the misa de gallo and Holy Week traditional activities are still very much part of the way of life of most parishioners.

Geology

The Philippine fault runs parallel to Masbate's East coast. A detailed description of Masbate's geology and the prevalent structures can be found through this link

Biology

Im Masbate 15 mangrove species can be found.The predominant ones being Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba), Bakauan-lalaki (Rhizophora apiculata), Pi-api(Avicennia lanata), and Bakauan-babae (Rhizophora mucronata).[1]

Political

Masbate is subdivided into 20 municipalities and 1 city.

Masbate Representatives
1st District 2nd District 3rd District
Narciso Bravo Jr. (KAMPI) Antonio Kho (Lakas-NUCD) Rizalina Lanete (NPC)
City/Municipality No. of
Barangays Area
(km²) Population
(2000) Mayor
(2007-2010)
Aroroy Hon. Arturo Vicente P. Maristela, Jr.
Baleno Hon. Gracia Mingoy-Llamado
Balud Hon. Clemente A. Arguelles, Jr
Batuan Hon. Severino V. Alofre III
Cataingan Hon. Felipe L. Cabataña
Cawayan Hon. Ramon B. Abinuman
Claveria Hon. Henedina V. Andueza
Dimasalang 20 Hon. Henry J. Naga
Esperanza Hon. Mac John C. Seachon
Mandaon 26 Hon. Emily Estipona Hao
Masbate City Hon.Ates M. Tuazon Milagros Hon. Dr. Natividad Magbalon
Mobo Hon. Konrad R. Ramos
Monreal Hon. Ben G. Espiloy
Palanas Hon. Rudy L. Alvarez, Sr.
Pio V. Corpuz Hon. Diomedes C. Amaroto
Placer Hon. Vicente C. Cutero
San Fernando 26 19,179 Hon. Helen Letada-Bunan
San Jacinto Hon. Leny Arcenas
San Pascual Hon. Zacarina A. Lazaro
Uson 36 43,825 Hon. Felepe U. Sanchez

History
Pre-Spanish Period

During the pre-Spanish period, the province was part of the province of Sorsogon. The province is administrated by the Diocese of Sorsogon during the Spanish times.
Masbate as an Independent Province

The Second Philippine Commission (the Taft Commission), consisting of Judge William Howard Taft, Mr. Dean C. Worcester and Senor Trinidad Pardo H. de Tavera, organized the islands of Masbate, Ticao and Burias into the Province of Masbate during their visit to the region in March 1901.[2] Senor Serrano, a native Masbateno, was appointed Governor of the province. George Landers, a New York soldier was appointed Supervisor and Lieutenant Snyder of the Twenty-seventh Infantry Regiment was appointed Treasurer. The province had about 40 000 inhabitants at that time [3]

In 1901, a very strong typhoon hit Masbate badly and seriously crippled its economy when coconut plantations, forests and 90% of the houses were severely devastated. Governor Henry C. Ide issued an Executive Order annexing Masbate to the Province of Sorsogon under the Philippine Commission Act 1413 enacted on November 23, 1905 which took effect on January 1, 1906.[4]

During the year 1917, Masbate became independent of its mother province, Sorsogon. Pio V. Corpuz became its first governor after the American times. The municipality of Pio V. Corpuz is named in his honor.

The Philippine Legislative Act 2934, approved on December 5, 1920, implemented by Executive Order No.3 dated January 9, 1921 and was made effective on February 15, 1921, mandated the separation of Masbate from Sorsogon as a separate Province. [5]

Second World War

In 1942, the Japanese forces landed in Masbate.

In 1945, Masbate was liberated by the Philippine Commonwealth forces with Filipino guerrilla units, which attacked the Japanese Imperial forces beginning the Battle of Masbate.
Masbate City
Architecture
Lighthouses

There are three lighthouses in the province,[6]:

* Colorado Point

1908. Active; focal plane 33 m (109 ft); two red flashes every 5 s. 5 m (16 ft) concrete tower with keeper's house. No photo available. A tourist site says the light station may date from Spanish times but the present lighthouse is American. Located on the east side of the entrance to the harbor of Aroroy, on the north coast of Masbate. Site apparently open, tower status unknown. ARLHS PHI-020; Admiralty F2508; NGA 14604.

* Bugui Point

1903. Active; focal plane 66 m (218 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) masonry tower. Keeper's house. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears on a postage stamp. A tourist site says the lighthouse was constructed by the Spanish, but it does not seem to have been in service by 1898; apparently the Americans completed it. Located at the northwestern point of Masbate, a landmark on the traditional Southern Passage to Manila from San Bernardino Strait. Site apparently open, tower status unknown. ARLHS PHI-070; Admiralty F2510; NGA 14600.

* Jintotolo (Gintotolo) Island

1890s. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15.5 m (51 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. 1-story keeper's house. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears on a postage stamp. Located on an island off the southwestern tip of Masbate in Jintotolo Strait, an important shipping route to and from the central Philippines. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-035; Admiralty F2292; NGA 14624.