Demographic Location
Romblon is an archipelagic province strategically situated at the center of the Philippines. The province is surrounded with deep waters, bounded by Masbate Island in the east, Mindoro Island in the west, Marinduque in the north and Panay Island in the south.
It is approximately 187 nautical miles or 299 kilometers south of Manila.
Romblon’s total land area is 1,355.9 square kilometers representing 0.46% of the Philippines and 4.6% of the land area of MIMAROPA. Romblon is lone Congressional District with 17 municipalities and 219 barangays; and has two provincial districts.
Demographics
Population
As of May 2020, the province of Romblon had a total population of 308,985 persons. Of this total, the household population comprised 99.7% or 308,072 persons. This number is about 16.5 thousand higher than the 291,569 household population in 2015, and 24.6 thousand more than the 283,482 household population posted in 2010.
Among 17 municipalities of Romblon, Odiongan had the most number of households in 2020 with 10.3 thousand.
Population density
Population density for the province stood at 201 persons per square kilometer in 2020, slightly higher than the figure of 191 persons per square kilometer in 2015. The most densely populated municipality in the province is San Jose with 533 followed by Romblon with 467 persons per square kilometer. The most sparsely populated is Cajidiocan with 115 followed by San Fernando with 123 persons per square kilometer.
Population growth rate
The Annual Average Growth Rate of the province for the period 1915 to 2020 stood at 1.14, with Ferrol contributing the highest growth rate of 2.97 followed by Santa Fe with 2.14. Three municipalities recorded a negative growth rate for the same period with Concepcion exhibiting -2.60 followed by Looc and Corcuera with -.44 and -.35 respectively.
Population birth rate
In 2019, the PSA registered a total of 4,502 live births which is equivalent to a crude birth rate of 15 or 15 births per thousand population. On the average, 1 baby is born every two hours in the province.
Ethnicity
Romblon is home of three ethnic groups, the Bantoanon, Ati and Mangyan Tagabukid. Long before, these ethnic groups were nomadic to semi-nomadic to permanent settlers. These Indigenous People/Indigenous Cultural Communities (IPs/ICCs) groups are the first and original inhabitants of their respective places.
Based on the 2015 Listahanan database, there were 23,770 Indigenous People assessed in the province with 12,221 or 51.5% being male and 11,549 or 48.6% being female. Out of those assessed, there were 800 who were solo parent, 4,910 or 20.7% have no electricity, 6,888 or 29% have no sanitary toilet facilities, 9,405 representing 39.6% have no access to safe water, and 5,507 or 23.2% have experienced displacement.
There are no significant gender disparities for IPs in the province, but it will be noted that since they are mostly in the hinterlands of Sibuyan Island, almost 40% have no access to safe water and 29% have no sanitary toilet facilities which are considered basic necessities for living. Likewise, a considerable number comprising 23% have experienced displacement probably due to the type of housing materials utilized in their homes (light and scrap materials) which is prone for damaged during typhoons and heavy rains.
Religion
The people of the province are mainly Roman Catholic.
Economy
GDP
The economy of Romblon posted a growth of 3.4 percent in 2021, a rebound from -9.5 percent decline in 2020. In 2021, the Gross Provincial Domestic Product (GPDP) of Romblon is valued at PhP 26.4 billion from the 2020 level of PhP 25.6 billion. (Figure 1)
The main contributors to the 2021 GPDP growth were: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing; Construction; and Public administration and defense; compulsory social activities.
Major economic industries, namely: Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Industry, and Services all posted positive growths in 2021 with 8.6 percent, 2.8 percent, and 2.2 percent, respectively.
Unemployment rate
Labor force for the province for the period 2015 or those population aged 15 years old and over was recorded at 172,709 with 88,268 being male and 84,441 being female. Out of this numbers, 57,303 were unemployed and 115,406 have gainful employment representing 66.8% labor force participation rate. Labor force participation rate for the male is 84.2% or 88,268 individual while for the female is considerably lower at 48.7% (84,441)
Major economic activities
Although Romblon is primarily an agricultural economy, very minimal capital is invested in agri-based endeavors. The basic agricultural sub-sectors – agriculture, livestock and fishing have not evolved into an industry. With vast natural resources, such as rich fishing grounds, coconut, banana, cassava, and high value crops for commercial production, the province could become a major producer of fish and agricultural products. Under the Provincial Development & Physical Framework Plan, eco-tourism was identified as a major development strategy.
Major and minor products
Romblon is infamous of its marble. Also, its basic potential for local economic growth is commercial agricultural crop production and development of the fishing industry. These two basic sectors are the keys to unlocking its sluggish economy towards sustainable growth that will directly benefit the marginalize communities. A tourism-driven agricultural development is the growth scenario envisioned by the province. Another major commercial commodity that Romblon has is copra and coconut by-products. There are also high-value commercial crops with great potential of contributing to economic growth such as banana, cassava, arrowroot, peanuts and even ginger and turmeric. These can be the sources of raw materials for food processing to include babana/cassava chips, arrowroot cookies, peanut butter, peanut brittle and assortment of healthy beverages based on ginger and turmeric.
Tourism
Romblon has numerous beaches and dive sites. Among its best white sand beaches are Bonbon, Cobrador and Tiamban Beach in Romblon, Macat-ang, Tabunan and Tambak Beach in Banton, Lunas and Bignay Beach in San Jose, and Cresta del Gallo in San Fernando.
Romblon is also home to the only known blue hole in the Philippines in the town of San Agustin.
Mount Guiting-Guiting in Sibuyan, the province’s tallest mountain, is considered one of the most difficult climbs in the Philippines, and is thus a major destination of local mountain climbers because of its steep and jagged summit. Another a suitable place for hiking and trekking is Mount Payaopao is Tablas.
Meanwhile, Banton’s Guyangan Cave System, an Important Cultural Treasure, is where the Banton Cloth — the earliest known warp ikat textile in Southeast Asia — was found in 1936.
Aside from the precolonial Guyangan Cave System in Banton, the province also has several heritage sites built during the Spanish colonial period. In Romblon town, the forts of San Andres and Santiago served as fortifications against Muslim pirates in the 17th century, while the St. Joseph Cathedral and Belfry houses a centuries-old image of the Santo Niño de Cebú or the Holy Child. Both heritage sites were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum. The town also has colonial-era bridges that were declared Important Cultural Treasures. A similar fort in Banton, the centuries-old Fort San Jose and Banton Church, were built in the 1600s and was also used as defenses against Muslim pirates.
Every second week of January, Romblon town celebrates the feast of the Santo Niño de Cebú, also known as the Biniray Festival. A similar Biniray Festival also occurs in Banton every 10 September in commemoration of the island’s patron, San Nicolas de Tolentino. Other festivals include the Saginyogan Festival in Alcantara, Odiongan’s Kanidugan Festival, and Looc’s Talabukon Festival, which honors the giant genie-like epic hero, Talabukon, who saved the people from pirates.
In recent years Romblon Island has attracted more scuba divers. It has pristine and untouched reefs with almost undisturbed hard and soft corals around the islands of Romblon, Logbon, Alad and Cobrador. With multiple marine sanctuaries and private associations most of the marine life around Romblon is protected.
Public Infrastructure
Road Network
Internal Circulation in the province is through circumferential roads classified either national or provincial. Circumferential road in Tablas Island interconnects the nine municipalities of San Agustin, Calatrava, San Andres, Odiongan, Ferrol, Looc, Santa Fe, Alcantara and Santa Maria. Same is true with Sibuyan Island wherein the circumferential road interconnects the three municipalities of Magdiwang, Cajidiocan and San Fernando. In the island-municipalities of Romblon, Corcuera, Banton, Concepcion and San Jose, the circumferential roads interconnect the barangays.
Transportation
Considering its archipelagic geographical characteristics, Romblon province has only two external transport modes namely water and air.
Sea transport is the most important mode of transportation in the Province which is vital to commerce and industry. All conventional cargoes are transported out and into the province by pumpboats or ships which spurred the development of seaports such as those that could be found instrategic locations in the entire province. These seaports connect Romblon to Masbate, Caticlan in Aklan, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Batangas, Marinduque, Lucena, and Capiz.
Romblon Province has a commercial airport located in Brgy. Tugdan, in the municipality of Alcantara, in the south-eastern part of Tablas Island. Currently, AirSwift flies in and out of the province from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Power
Romblon has two electric coops namely: Tablas Island Electric Cooperative covering the area of Tablas and San Jose; and Romblon Electric Cooperative covering the islands of Romblon, Sibuyan, Simara, Banton, and Sibale.
In 2019, Tumingad Solar Power Project of Sunwest Water and Electric Company inaugrated its 7.5-megawatt peak solar power plant in Odiongan, Romblon that will provide clean, green, and reliable electricity to at least 43,400 households in Romblon.
Telecommunications
Smart Communications, and Globe Telecom already have relay stations in the province enabling most areas province-wide connected through cellphones, except on some area where the signal is weak or non-existent because of mountains that block the signal. PLDT also activated 5G signal in Tablas Island, Romblon island, and Sibuyan Island.
There are also telecommunication exchanges in the province namely: Romblontel, Odiongan Telephone Corporation (OTELCO), and PLDT.
Education
Based on the report submitted by the Department of Education for the School Year 2017-2018, there were 216 Public Elementary Schools with 212 providing kinder classes and 44 Public Secondary Schools (41 main and 3 Annex) in the province. For the same period, enrolment in Kinder totals 6,736 with 3,501 males and 3,235 females. Total enrolment in elementary education grades 1-6 is P42,937 with 22,861 male and 20,076 female students. For Secondary Level, total enrolment in Public Secondary Schools for SY 2017-2018 for Grade 7-10 is 224,887 (M-12,555, F- 12,332) while enrolment for Senior High (Grade 11-12) is 7,915 (M-3,860, F-4,055).
There are 21 private schools province-wide. Private elementary school total enrolment for the same school year is 1,197 (M-611, F-586), kinder – 317 (M-177, F-140) and 880 (M-434, F-446) for Grades 1 to Grades 6. For private secondary schools, there are 4,824 (M-2,345, F-2,479) enrollees. Total enrolment for Grades 7 – 10 is 2,561 (M-1,302, F-1,250) and for Senior High (Grades 11-12) is 2,263 (M-1,043, F-1,220).
Gross Enrolment Ratio for Elementary for SY 2017-2018 is 101.59 (M-105.47, F-97.73). The Net Enrolment Ratio Elementary for the same school year is 92.46 (M-93.98, F-90.86). The Secondary Gross Enrolment Ratio the same period is 98.59 (M-96.05, F-101.32) while Net Secondary Enrolment Ratio is recoded at 79.42 (M-74.45, F-84.77). For the Completion Rate for SY 2017-2018, Elementary Completion Rate is recorded at 97.89, with females registering a slightly higher figure of 98.89 than males with 96.98. For the Secondary Completion rate for the same period, the figure is considerably lower at 84.24 with the female registering a much higher completion rate of 88.93 compared to the 79.77 for males. The Cohort Survival Rate for the province in SY 2017-2018, for Elementary is 95.51 with female registering a higher figure of 97.98 compared with 93.04 for the males. For the Secondary, Cohort Survival Rate is considerably lower at 85.35 with female figure at 89.80 and for male 80.93.
The above enrollment data reveals that both male and female children of school age have access to education services. However, Completion Rates for female reveals a higher figure than their male counterparts and Cohort Survival Rates for both elementary and secondary showed a much lower statistics for males. Our education data reflects the overall situation in the country where more male students drop out of school or do not continue their higher education once they grow older and able to get paying jobs to help with the family’s finances.
Media Landscape
There are three radio stations in the province, these are GM FM 100.5 MHz based in Romblon, Romblon; Radyo Natin Looc DWMM 104.5 MHz based in Looc, Romblon; and Radyo Natin Odiongan DZVG 101.3 MHz based in Odiongan, Romblon.
As for print media, Romblon Sun and Romblon Journal are two major newspapers circulating in the province, aside from broadsheet and tabloid newspapers from Manila.
Romblon News Network, meanwhile, provides provincial and national news and information via the web and social media.
Residents of Tablas Island can watch GMA Channel 6 using analog antenna, this is a relay channel of GMA Iloilo. There are also existing cable providers and local cable stations operating in several municipalities in the province. Aside from these cable stations, there are also distributors of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV such as Cignal Digital, Satlite, and G-Sat.
PIA MIMAROPA 