Boac, Marinduque

Boac town proper overlooking the Boac River

The toponym Boac is derived from the Cebuano word bu-ak, cognatic to the Tagalog word bi-ak and the southern Tagalog term ba-ak. This is in reference to the town being bisected by the Boac River which runs from the Central Marinduque and Balagbag Mountain Ranges to the west coast facing the Tayabas Bay and Sibuyan Sea.[5] Other references suggest that the name Boac is derived from the Tagalog term bulwak referring to the gush of water at the estuaries and mouth of the Boac River.

In the early years of Spanish colonization in Marinduque, it was first mentioned in Miguel de Loarca’s Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582-1583) that the natives of the island are Pintados or tattooed people resembling those from the Camarines Provinces and the Visayan Islands. In 1580, the first visita was established in the island of Marinduque and was called Montserrat de Marinduque in what is now the municipality of Boac; this visita was governed by Fray Alonzo Banol as minister.

In 1621, the Spanish Jesuit missionaries brought a three-foot Marian image to Boac which will later be known as the Mahal na Ina ng Biglang Awa. Notorious for their sea raids, a group of Muslim pirates from the southern Philippines sieged Boac in the mid-17th century along the shores of Laylay and eventually into the Poblacion located along the Boac River.[6] In panic, the locals took refuge in the fortress church of Boac as able-bodied men defended the outer walls against the attacks. Many locals were killed and, by the third day of siege, the surviving locals began to run short on food and the capture of the fortress became imminent. As an act of faith, the survivors prayed fervently at the throne of Mary, asking her to deliver them from these enemies. According to legends, a very strong storm with torrential rain, thunder, and lightning engulfed the area and at its very height, it was reported that the image of a beautiful lady with outstretched arms appeared standing on the top of the fortress wall. Terrorized, the pirates fled in confusion to their vintas and left the island.[6] Since then, the image of Mary has been honoured and given the title "Biglang Awa." To commemorate this miracle, the old image brought by the Jesuits in Boac was placed in a shrine erected on the portion of the wall where Mary is said to have appeared.

Laylay Port

In 1942, Boac was occupied by Japanese troops. In 1945, the Battle of Marinduque began and the American-Philippine Commonwealth troops landed in Boac after the war was built of the general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary from 1945 to 1946 station in this municipality.

The Provincial Government of Marinduque under Gov. Carmencita O. Reyes built a larger-than-life-size image of the Our Lady of Biglang Awa in cement and placed in the seashore in Balanacan Port to welcome travelers to the island.[6]

On May 10, 2008, the Diocese of Boac celebrated the 13th anniversary and the golden anniversary of the canonical coronation of Mahal na Birhen ng Biglang-Awa (1958–2008). Cebu Archbishop-Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Mogpog, Marinduque, officiated at the consecrated mass.

Boac is the third largest of the six municipalities of the province of Marinduque, after Santa Cruz and Torrijos. It borders all the municipalities of the province: Mogpog to the north, Santa Cruz to the Northeast, Torrijos to the East, Buenavista to the South and Gasan to the South Southwest.

The municipality is generally hilly, rugged and mountainous in the south and eastern part with thin strips of flat and farm lands and long shoreline in the west. The longest and largest river, Boac River, which gets its source in the mountainous forest in the extreme southwest and spills off to the northern shore of Boac, divides the municipality into two geographical areas: north and south.

Boac River in Barangay Tumapon

The closest town-to-town reference to Boac is the municipality of Mogpog which is approximately 5 kilometers. Boac is connected to Mogpog and Gasan by the Marinduque Circumferential Highway or the Pan-Marinduque Highway. Two bridges connect the north and south area of the municipality: the narrow Tabi Bridge which connects Barangay Tabi and Barangay San Miguel and the said-to-be the longest bridge in the province, Biglang Awa Bridge (186m), which connects Barangay Tampus and Barangay Bantad. A narrow minor road connects Boac and Mogpog via Buliasnin-Nangka Road, and Boac and Gasan via Duyay-Tapuyan Trail. Boac has a total road network of 117.61 kilometers.

Geopolitically, Boac is divided into six zones: Poblacion, Riverside, Ilaya I, Ilaya II, Seaside A and Seaside B. Boac's geographical center is roughly located between the border of Barangay Binunga and Barangay Can-at.

Boac is home to most of the province's commercial businesses. Barangays San Miguel, Murallon, and Mercado are the town's business district where the public market, medium-rise buildings, sports arena and Boac Town Arena, now Moriones Arena are. Meanwhile, Barangay Isok is home to the town's education district. Marinduque National High School, St. Mary's College of Marinduque, Don Luis Hidalgo Memorial School, Barangay Day Care Centers, Boac North District Office and the Division of Marinduque DepED Office is in Barangay Isok. The Municipal Building Hall is at Barangay Tampus, adjacent is the Marinduque Museum at Barangay Malusak.

The Marinduque Provincial Capitol is in Barangay Santol near the Dr. Damian Reyes Memorial Hospital (formerly Marinduque Provincial Hospital) and Camp Maximo Abad.

According to the 2015 census, the population of Boac is 54,730 people[3], with a population density of 260 people per square kilometer. The most densely populated areas are in the Poblacion, northwest, and southwest barangays. Barangays in the eastern portions of the municipality are generally sparsely populated. Approximately 70% of the population lives along the national highways or within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the national road. Furthermore, approximately 5% of the total population lives in the town proper and 10% lives in the sub-urban barangays.

Boac Business District view from Mercader Street

Boac Business District view from Gov. D. Reyes Street

In the centre of town, the Boac Public Market is one of the town's landmarks. Vendors sell dry and wet products in four air-conditioned buildings. Transport terminals near the market carry goods to other barangays. It is considered to be the mini-supermarket of the province.

The poblacion area is called as Boac Central Business District (BCBD). The newly constructed two-floor Town Market with about 100 stores is in the heart of the poblacion.

Local fast food chains and restaurants include GoodChow Food Express, La Concha Restaurant, Kusina sa Plaza and many more.

Several convenience and grocery stores includes CASHypermart, New Era, Jinang-Tan, Centro Market. Puregold Boac (Marinduque) Branch was scheduled to open in November 2015.

• Bus - linking Kamias in Quezon City and Makati City to Boac via RO-RO ferry.
• Jeepneys - connecting to different municipalities of the county.
• Tricycle - serving all barangays.

Biglang-Awa Bridge is the longest bridge in the province, connecting Barangay Tampus to Barangay Bantad. Many people stand on the bridge to watch the sun set and to get a good view of the Boac Cathedral.

• Dr. Damian Reyes Memorial Hospital (formerly Marinduque Provincial Hospital) located at Brgy. Santol.
• Pablo N. Marquez Memorial Health & Diagnostic Center / Boac Rural Health Unit I located at Brgy. Isok I.
• Boac Rural Health Unit II located at Brgy. Bantay and serves areas in the Ilaya District.

• Kabugsakan Falls in Barangay Tugos
• Tahanan sa Isok in Barangay Isok
• Villa Aplaya Beach Resort in Barangay Ihatub
• Long beach shores from Maligaya to Cawit, mostly free
• Boac Town Plaza, located in Barangay San Miguel, is where most major gatherings and festivals are held.
• The Boac Museum, beside the Boac Town Plaza and Rizal Park, is home to a collection of facts and information about the Island.
• The Boac Cathedral is Marinduque's central cathedral. In Barangay Mataas na Bayan, it is a historical church where the Katipunan Flag is said to have been baptized. Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is the patron saint of Boac, while Birhen ng Biglang-Awa is the patroness of the province.
• In Barangay San Miguel, the Boac Town Arena is where the famous senakulo (a part of the celebration of Moriones Festival) is held.
• Casa Real is a small museum, in the former site of Rizal Park in Barangay San Miguel.
• Freedom Park in Bunganay, Boac is the main eco-tourism theme park in the municipality with team building activities, zipline, etc.
• Laylay Port is a historical landmark in the municipality where the Japanese and American troops landed. It was once a commercial port where goods and products from other places embarked.

• Tayabas City, Quezon, Philippines

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boac, Marinduque.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Boac.

• Boac Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Boac, Marinduque official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• Ang Kasaysayan ng Mahal na Birhen ng Biglang-awa - Boac, Marinduque
• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boac, Marinduque, Philippines
• Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay as of August 1, 2007
• Local Governance Performance Management System