What's Behind the Marble of Romblon, Philippines - Grandeur, Beauty, and Culture

As God showers His goodness to the world, Romblon is one of many places that bucketed magnificence in its environment and its locals.

God's distinctive graces in the nature of Romblon, Romblon.

Romblon is strategically situated at the center of the Philippines. It lies between the province of Marinduque way up north, Panay Island in the south, Bicol Region in the east, and Mindoro and Palawan in its west. Romblon is a cluster of 20 islands which consists of three major islands, Romblon (Provincial Capital), Sibuyan and Tablas.

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Its strategic location serves as the gateway for ferries and other marine vessels traversing to the southern part of the archipelago.

Romblon Island alone possesses God’s grand and distinctive arts. It is renowned for having the abundance and quality marble. It sole bears the title " The Marble Capital of the Philippines" and " The Marble Country". A lot of things in the island are packed with marble. From numerous monuments and figures down to materials for construction of buildings, roads and houses, marble in Romblon is everywhere. It also became part of the lives of the locals. Yep, that includes me. It offers livelihood also for Romblomanons aside from fishing and farming.

However, Romblon is not just marble. It is not just a Romblomanon artistically sculps blocks of marble. Romblon also takes pride of its abundance of nature and historical stories.

For it is surrounded by waters of the Sibuyan Sea, It is depleted with picturesque scenes of islands kissing the horizontal blue seas. It is filled by fine and unspoiled white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, carpets of coral gardens teeming with tropical fishes and other marine species which are perfect for diving enthusiasts.

Magnificent rock formations, dolphins, inland historical treasures, numerous marble monuments, captivating mountains, rivers and waterfalls, islets, lush forests, caves, and other panoramic views are also present in Romblon.

Here are the list of some attraction that a Romblomanon, and of course Filipinos should be proud of.
1. Alad Island - boasts its pristine white sand beach and crystal clear waters and marvelous rock formations.
2. Tiamban Beach - It is indubitably considered to be the eye-catcher spot for both local and foreign tourists.  It shows off its fine white sand beach that stretches along with its nearby beaches (Margie and Bonbon) to the Bang - Og Island. 
3. Fort San Andres and Fort Santiago - is an centuries-old Spanish fortresses built out of coral bricks and blocks to protect Romblomanons from the ravage of Moro pirates.
4. Cobrador Island - features the finest white sand beach in Romblon, Romblon. It also known for having Ilaya Cave and ample of majestic limestone formations. 
5. Mt. Bontoc - famous for having gentle to engaging trail up to the peak and favorite place for scouting activities.
6. Mt. Lagting - Romblon Island's  highest peak (444 m) that offers a wide and marvelous vista of Sibuyan Sea, Mt. Guiting Guiting and the neighboring islands of Tablas and Sibuyan.
7. St. Joseph Cathedral and Belfry - a Baroque-inspired and the oldest church in the province which was built by the Recollect Fathers in 15th century out of coral blocks. 
8. Agbanabat Cajimos and Calabogo Lighthouses - provides a wide panorama of Sibuyan Sea.
9. Romblon Town - towering over modern edifices are centuries-old bridges, houses, St. Joseph Cathedral, Fort San Andres, and century trees.

10. Agnay, Mapula, Alad, Sanctuaries - some of the Romblon's sanctuaries that carpeted with bountiful coral reefs teeming with amalgamation of marine biodiversity.

P.S. Thank you to Ma'am Marj for sharing most of her pictures to me.