Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Marinduque is no longer included in the list of ten poorest province of the Philippines

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Friday, July 8, 2011

Marinduque is no longer included in the list of ten poorest province of the Philippines

Chateau Du Mer Beach House, Amoingon, Boac

Chateau Du Mer Main House in Amoingon, Boac

The ten poorest provinces in the Philippines according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) of the Philippines are as follows: ( in alphabetical order but not in ranking)

1. Abra
2. Apayao
3. Lanao del Sur
4. Maguindanao
5. Masbate
6. Misamis Occidental
7. Northern Samar
8. Surigao del Norte
9. Tawi-Tawi
10.Zamboanga Del Norte

There are 79 provinces in the Philippines and grouped into 12 Regions. I have no idea what is the ranking of Marinduque, But I have a feeling it is in the top 25 of poorest provinces, however I am very proud that it is no longer in the top ten.
On the otherhand, the top ten riches provinces in the Philippines( annual income collected)are as follows:
1.Bulacan (P1.807 billion)
2.Negros Occidental ((P1.674 billion)
3.Cebu (P1.657 billion),
4.Cavite (P 1.542 billion),
5.Laguna (P1.487 billion),
6.Pangasinan (P1.482 billion),
7.Batangas (P1.386 billion),
8.Quezon (P 1.36 billion),
9.Rizal (P1.361 billion)
10.Bukidnon (P1.295 billion).

There are no surprises in this list. The above ten provinces have manufacturing as well as agricultural sources of income. Negros Occidental has sugar cane and Bukidnon has pineapple plantations.

About 10 years ago, I remember reading that Marinduque was one of the poorest province in the Philippines. But when the mines were opened, the province income increased and the province was no longer listed in the top ten poorest province. Is this true or just fiction?

If you are a visitor in Marinduque, you will notice that there are beautiful homes, beach resorts and mansions along the national road of the western coast of the island. Some of the mansions are in the interior of the province and on the top of the hills and/or cliffs with beautiful views of the ocean or the mountains. These homes are either owned by the local politicians/businessmen, balikbayan retirees, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)s or foreigners( Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Australians etc..) married to local Filipinas. The following are some of the homes that has unique architecture or design that I found in the web. Of course the above two photos are my own retirement house and beach house respectively.

Congressman Velasco Beach Resort in Torrijos

Paradise Valley Resort of Jan in the interior of Gasan

Elan Go Beach House in Bunganay

Former Governor Carrion Residence in Boac

Flinstone House in Torrijos

Note: There are several beautiful homes with unique designs along the coast from Boac to Gasan, but there are no photographs in the Web. If you have some photos and want it included in this posting please let me know.

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree