Fast Crafts, Inter island

Romblon province is comprised of several islands and there is sure difficulty of island hopping physically. The seas that bound the  islands coupled by intermittent weather condition add to the flavor of difficulty of sharing and interconnecting people and lives.

With these hard conditions, Romblomanons have to live by with the "Habagat" and the "Amihans", due to them progress and development is slow and time factored. These are the odds to  experience in the nature rich island, but still many love this paradise.

I would like to introduce modern age transport now in the offing of our time, the sea Fast Crafts which are serving many more progressive islands in the country, and this, with it's sky rocketing cost is possibly attainable at the will of the proper authority- the local government which should lead.


These crafts are not anymore of a luxury, but a necessity for the moment, a catalyst for development and progress.The local government should acquire several of them to correspond this need.  It's uses ranges from official business into emergency medical response missions where time and speed is most required.

Many of these crafts are in commercial service in Cebu and
other islands.

We should imagine the condition of the three major island of Romblon, that  they should be served actively 24/7 and the local provincial authority should take a pilot role to dignify itself in the acquisition of these modernized crafts. More  significantly the satellite islands of the province of Sivale and Batoon Groups, the Carabao islands are restrained of their function in the province because of the absence of a dependable sea vessels operating in our region.

Well, in consideration of fast pacing our island and people, these are just some of the few components of a desired "Romblon Dream". 

Though we view life and  situation as difficult economically, we are not restricted to overcome them, yet we must be motivated to  devise ways to turn obstacle into beauty.

The Bangsamoro Law

Whether constitutional or unconstitutional, the proposed Bangsamoro Law is not reflective of the Majority in Mindanao.

The government had dealt with the MILF alone and the agreeing panels faced with the personal concerns of the rebel groups, comes short of the sentiments and feelings of the majority concerned.

Mindanao is comprised of 80 percent Catholics, and this is the ruling majority of the region, not the Muslims. They were not properly consulted in the drafting of the framework, and if maybe, their participation and glimpse on the process is marginalized.

One salient features of the proposed bill could be the inclusion of the Sharia Law or the Islamic law which is sectarian. The government as an entity should be neutral of religion or secular in its framework, a Humanist, non-sect partisan.

"Moro" or "Muslim" shall not be incorporated or titled to the bill, because they are a minority in the region otherwise it is bias.

The proposed bill is prohibited for public view and information up  until it is ready for referendum, again this is a due deprivation on the right of information of every Filipino. I myself  is wary of its provisions, though we have the congress to do the business, we cannot send or contribute our views and concerns to our duly representative in congress that can help shape up his vote for ratification. Of course our designated congressmen will sit and consult its constituents before facing battle in congress, that's what it is! Without the framework available, we cannot act on our political duty as a citizen of this country.

The political milestone of this administration is  under this legislation, and its hustle to complete the framework and enact them before its term ends, is highly suspicious. 

We cannot assure peace in Mindanao even with the Bangsamoro  in placed, because of the non-inclusion of other rebel groups in the panel vowing to attain a separate state of Mindanao like the BIFF, MNLF, ABU SAYYAF, and other militant and Feudal groups. Their prior ambition is to establish a separate state through armed struggle and their issues are unattended.

The goal for peace and unity of the country particularly in Mindanao cannot be achieved through concessions of power to these rebel groups, instead we can attain peace if the government can eliminate poverty in the region.

Education and Massive infrastructure in Mindanao is needed to vaporize separatist movements  in Mindanao. Annihilating poverty in the region will unite the whole country.

To solve poverty is to solve the pervasive corruption in the government. Bangsamoro is a cover up of the government's continued refusal to eliminate corruption in governance. Progress in Mindanao will not need Bangsamoro, it will need clean governance to effect progress for it.

Mineral Resources for Local Development

Romblon Local Mineral Resources 

It is a common knowledge  in Romblon about the existence of an on-going quarry operation of rubbles in the island, which had started few years back.  So far, I am not particular with the data of the  mining, and I am not in-depth on the  information needed to write this blog, and no resources  on my part to tackle the subject but only holds my personal opinion as a private citizen to comment on the matter.  

The material:

The stones extracted in the island are large quality mineral marble deposits reduced into rubble "head size" forms all accomplished through intensive manual labor employed by the residents in the area.  

Romblon marble is famous worldwide. It was first discovered by the Italians way back in the 1930's, had set up quarrying and machinery gang-saw cutting in the defunct Filipinas Marble Corporation, the very first in the Philippines.

Local marble tiles are still famously sought in quality and durability with the still small scale cutting operations by the local businessmen today.

The advent of the foreign buyers of rubbles in the island had deteriorated the dignity of the marble mineral as it reduced them into a cheap kind of raw materials hauled to Japan and China. This quarrying is massively destroying the landscape of the island as it disregards quality, color and shapes of the marble stones and are extracted without mercy. It pose rabid competition with the tile business of the locals as the quarry sites are operated in concession by these foreign buyers.

Value Added:

The marble stones dug and hauled out of the country is just very cheap in Romblon, it amounts only to about P300/cu.m. which is more or less  2,760 kilos. while the semi and processed dust in kilos are bought to a price of $10/kilo  abroad.  

Therefore the true value of the material is $27,600.00 (P1,186,000.00) in a cubic of marble, against P300.00 given to the peasants. (These are rough figures only and do not ascertain prevailing market values, but the intention of the computation is to assert the value added opportunities available.

The marble dust has wide varieties of uses from arts to industrial applications. It is most sought today as it has a very lucrative business abroad.

The Impact to  Progress:

I have not yet googled the entirety of the great prospects of marble worldwide, but with only a light scratch and simple common sense,  will introduce you to the broader horizon of benefiting on the very precious material we have in Romblon, the God given Marble.

Imagine  the impact on the economy of Romblon if only the municipal government will lead and invest to utilize the operation of Marble dust plant and export them world wide? The return is enormous.

Employment and revenue for the municipality awaits if we will calculate the value of our resources and not let foreigners reap of  our "gold".

If we will not opt to monetize our resources for the economy of the island, then it will be good for the nature and the habitat but considering the economic value of our deposits, we can operate with control, management and preservation of the island.

Some pictures of the Marble mountain:

The barge vessel hauling the materials out of the country

The mountainside eroded by the quarry

progress of quarrying