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The Bondoc Peninsula (commonly known as BonPen) is a narrow peninsula located in the southeastern part of Quezon Province in Calabarzon Region, southern part of Luzon, Philippines. The peninsula consists of 12 municipalities: Agdangan, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Luna, Macalelon, Mulanay, Padre Burgos, Pitogo, San Andres, San Francisco, San Narciso and Unisan, all in the 3rd Congressional District of Quezon. [1] The peninsula is known for featuring beautiful beaches and historic churches. The peninsula remained largely agricultural with copra as its produce. [2]
Those municipalities are mostly hilly and coastal areas. It has a unique festival named BonPen Festival featuring the beautiful sites of the district's twelve towns and promoting tourism in the area. The culture and arts of the peninsula is distinct compared with other districts in Quezon province. There has been a proposal to establish a Province of Bondoc Peninsula, separating the 3rd congressional district of Quezon and forming it into a distinct province. [3]
The Bondoc Peninsula is a 182-kilometer long peninsula that consists of 12 municipalities and 325 barangays, [4] all located within the 3rd Congressional District of Quezon, including Alibijaban Island. It is bordered by water on three sides: to the east lies Ragay Gulf, to the south is the Sibuyan Sea, and to the west is Tayabas Bay. [5] The Peninsula mostly consists of remote forests, hills, and mountainous terrain, while the municipality of Catanauan is an urban area. The southernmost part of the peninsula is referred to as "Bondoc Pt.". The peninsula is elevated at 192 meters.
The peninsula is home to the Limestone tombs of Kamhantik, an archaeological site in the municipality of Mulanay.
From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the peninsula was a battleground for the New People’s Army. The N.P.A burnt houses, stole crops and killed farmers. [2]
13°26′12″N122°33′25″E / 13.4366667°N 122.5569444°E
In 2012, according to activists, the peninsula immediately became the site of enforced disappearances, intimidation, and harassment. Intense military operations have been conducted by government forces in the peninsula and massive military troops were present in the peninsula. [6] Human rights advocates and various people's organizations gathered under the Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement conducted a Peace Caravan and Mercy Mission in the peninsula from June 25, 2012 to July 2, 2012. Their purpose was to document human rights abuses and provide relief operations, medical, and psychosocial assistance, among other services. [7]
The majority of Bondoc Peninsula's inhabitants are Tagalogs and Roman Catholic Christianity is the dominant religion. They speak a Tagalog dialect influenced by those spoken in nearby Marinduque and eastern Oriental Mindoro, though Tayabas (Quezon) dialect and standard Tagalog (Filipino) are also spoken and understood. Another residents in the peninsula are Bicolanos who occupy its eastern part facing Bicolandia via Ragay Gulf, and Visayans (mainly Cebuano-speakers) who inhabit some remote areas of San Francisco and San Andres, due to its geographical contact with Cebuano-speaking parts of Burias Island in Masbate. Bicolano and Cebuano are heard in those areas as are Hiligaynon, Waray and Masbateño. [ citation needed ]
Calabarzon, sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog and designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urbanized city, Lucena. It is the most populous region in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), having over 16.1 million inhabitants in 2020, and is also the country's second most densely populated after the National Capital Region. It is situated southeast of Metro Manila, and is bordered by Manila Bay and South China Sea to the west, Lamon Bay and the Bicol Region to the east, Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, and Central Luzon to the north. It is home to places like Mount Makiling near Los Baños, Laguna, and Taal Volcano in Batangas. Calamba is the regional center while Antipolo is the most populous city in the region.
Camarines Norte, officially the Province of Camarines Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet, the most populous town in the province. The province borders Quezon to the west, Camarines Sur to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the north. It has historically been a Bikol-speaking region. However, there has been a language shift in recent years to Tagalog, which is more commonly used nowadays.
Aurora, officially the Province of Aurora, is a province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. Its capital is Baler and borders, clockwise from the south, the provinces of Quezon, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Isabela. Maria Aurora is the only landlocked town in the province and yet, the most populous. It is the only province in Central Luzon that has no chartered cities.
Padre Burgos, officially the Municipality of Padre Burgos, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,488 people.
Claveria, officially the Municipality of Claveria, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Masbate, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,142 people. Ranked 592nd among 1,488 municipalities in the Philippines.
Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 31,160 people.
Catanauan, officially the Municipality of Catanauan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 72,752 people.
General Luna, officially the Municipality of General Luna, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,804 people.
Lopez, officially the Municipality of Lopez, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 94,657 people.
Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people.
Tagkawayan, officially the Municipality of Tagkawayan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,003 people.
Unisan, officially the Municipality of Unisan, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,448 people.
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon, is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province upon its creation in 1591. Around the middle of the 18th century, it was changed to Tayabas. In 1946, in recognition of the second president of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon, the name of Tayabas Province was changed to Quezon. Lucena, the provincial capital, the seat of the provincial government, and the most populous city of the province, is governed independently from the province as a highly urbanized city. To distinguish the province from Quezon City, it is sometimes called Quezon Province, a variation of the province's official name.
The Quezon del Sur creation plebiscite was a plebiscite on the creation of the province of Quezon del Sur from Quezon; the original Quezon province would have been renamed to "Quezon del Norte" had the plebiscite been approved by the residents of Quezon. The plebiscite was held on December 13, 2008, and the result was a slight majority rejecting the creation of the province.
Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas, is a 6th class component city in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,658 people.
The Maulawin Spring Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area of forested hills and several rivers and streams located in the province of Quezon on southern Luzon island in the Philippines. It was originally created in 1939 to protect the watershed in the municipality of Guinayangan known as the Maulawin Spring Watershed Forest Reserve declared through Proclamation No. 365 by President Manuel Luis Quezon. It had an initial area of 60 hectares. In 2000, the forest reserve was enlarged and was redesignated as a protected landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System by virtue of Proclamation No. 295 issued by President Joseph Estrada. It is the only source of potable water for domestic consumption of the more than 40,000 residents of Guinayangan.
Alibijaban is a small island located off the southeastern coast of Bondoc Peninsula in the island of Luzon. It belongs administratively to the municipality of San Andres, Quezon province, and is coterminous with the barangay of the same name. With a population of 1,738 inhabitants in 2020, it is the smallest of seven barangays in San Andres.
Local elections were held in the Province of Quezon on May 13, 2019 as part of the 2019 general election. Voters selected candidates for all local positions: a town mayor, vice mayor and town councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the vice-governor, governor and representatives for the four districts of Quezon.
Quezon's 2nd congressional district is one of the four congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Quezon, formerly Tayabas. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1916 and earlier in the Philippine Assembly from 1907 to 1916. The district consists of Quezon's capital city of Lucena and adjacent municipalities of Candelaria, Dolores, San Antonio, Sariaya and Tiaong. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by David C. Suarez of Lakas–CMD.
Quezon's 3rd congressional district, also known as the Bondoc Peninsula, is one of the four congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Quezon, formerly Tayabas. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1987. The district consists of municipalities in the Bondoc Peninsula, the southern part of Tayabas Isthmus and southwest coast of Ragay Gulf, namely Agdangan, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Luna, Macalelon, Mulanay, Padre Burgos, Pitogo, San Andres, San Francisco, San Narciso and Unisan. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Reynante Arrogancia of the Nationalist People's Coalition.