masbate

Masbate is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate, Ticao and Burias.

The island of Masbate lies at the center of the Philippine archipelago and is bounded on the north by Burias and Ticao Pass, east by San Bernardino Strait, south by the Visayan Sea, and west by the Sibuyan Sea.

When the Spaniards reached the shores of Masbate in 1569, they found tiny settlements spread along the coasts with a flourishing trade with China. Chinese traders who visited Masbate founded small settlements. Ruins of cave-like dwellings were found along the coasts of Aroroy, Palanas, and Masbate. Porcelain jars dating back to the 10th century were excavated at Kalanay (Aroroy) in the 1930s. Historical accounts show that the Christianization of the Bicol Region actually began in Masbate in 1569:

History shows that in December 1600 the Dutch sought refuge at San Jacinto Harbor after their fleet lost in battle with the Spanish Armada in Manila. At the height of the Galleon Trade, Mobo contributed first class lumber for the construction of galleons, making it the center of trade in the province and was the capital of the province in the early part of the Spanish occupation

The Japanese arrived in Masbate 1942 but was liberated by joint Filipino and American soldiers on April, 1945.

Masbate has rich natural resources like agriculture, farming, livestock and poultry raising, rice, corn, root-crops and coconuts, and a flourishing fishing industry with all kinds of commercial species of fish teemed in great abundance along it's coastline. The province is one of the richest in the country in terms of mineral resources that include copper, silver, iron, manganese and chromate, it is described by geologists as a province sitting on a pot of gold .

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