Ulong Beach Marinduque Philippines

08/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/19oNnv9q92/

06/01/2025

Alfredo Siena of Gasan honored by US Navy for WW2 rescue of US Sailor.

On August 8, 1944, the submarine USS Gunnel was patrolling in the area South of Marinduque.

Just after noon at 12:21pm the Gunnel spotted a convoy of six vessels to the South of Marinduque. At 2:40pm the Gunnel surfaced and started firing on the convoy with it’s deck guns, two 20mm machine guns and a 4” deck gun. Both machine guns jammed and the 4” gun was overshooting. To avoid unexpected return fire from the convoy the Gunnel cleared it deck and dived.

It was discovered that Rudolph Velle Motor Machinist’s Mate first Class was missing. Velle had been acting as the gun captain and when the Gunnel had fired its last round from the four-inch gun, the recoil knocked him into the sea.

With an enemy patrol boat and aircraft arriving on the scene, the Gunnel was unable to surface and search for Velle until evening. At 6:52pm the Gunnel surfaced but were unable to locate Velle. Velle was known to be a strong swimmer and perhaps capable of making the fourteen miles to Marinduque.

In fact Velle did make it to the beach. It is here where Alfredo L. Siena took charge of Velle. Nothing was recorded on how long Velle was on Marinduque. He would later be transported on a schooner to Panay where on December 4, 1944 he was rescued by the submarine USS Hake.

04/01/2025

One of my WW2 souvenirs. 60cmx60cm Hand sewn map that I'm guessing is Pina cloth, entitled "Liberation of Marinduque"

Shows all six towns and notes that Balaring as where "J**s landed July 7, 1942. It also calls out Buena Vista "Americans landed Jan. 9, 1943". Unless the maker of this map knew of some other event, this date is inaccurate as the Americans landed on January 3, 1945 as is noted at the top of the map.

This was from an estate sale in the U.S. and the owner was not identified. The maker of this map is also unknown, but I would guess was from Marinduque.

The condition of the map is poor with stains in the middle and fold lines with some tears along the folds.

03/01/2025

The First Air-Mail flight to Marinduque.

Shown here is a postal cover which commemorates the first air-mail flight to Marinduque, October 30, 1931.

Research has shown the addressee, Major I. F. Peak, as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Army Air Corps stationed in Fort Nichols in Manila.

Information found from the Airpost Journal, February 1932, Page 27 report of Philippine First Flights is as follows:

The U.S. Army Air Corps (squadron stationed at Clark Field) Fort Stotsenburg has been lately very active with pioneering new Air-trails or new routes, and made several First Flights and pioneers, transporting Air Mail in due official way, previous announcement and corresponding permits or authorization in very case from the Bureau of Posts of the Philippine Government and in accordance of Rules and Regulations established. All were carried in mail bags as regular official Air-Mail, with its proper Way-bills of Dispatch, etc.

Several of these First flight covers to various points in the Philippines can be located during the 1931 timeframe.

Where exactly the airplane landed in Boac (if it did) is a mystery. A Post war photo I have shows a very primitive air strip located somewhere along the Boac River. It is also possible that the mail bag was air dropped as was documented in other location

17/12/2024

This mornings yearly low tide. Not many visitors with weather and being on a week day.

16/12/2024

Low tide of the year is tomorrow, Tuesday 17 December. 7am is the lowest point at negative 0.5.

02/04/2024

Sunset this evening

21/03/2024

Who can recognize the young boy holding the mask in this 1965 article?

20/03/2024

Teenage stars Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz visiting with the Morion's in Marinduque.

Gian Luigi Marasigan Malangis provided the following information:

Kwento ng mga matatanda, ang pelikulang "Ibalik Mo ang Araw sa Mundong Makasalanan" (1978) na dinirehe ni Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara ay isa ring pelikula na ilan sa eksena nito ay sa Marinduque kinunan (may mga moryon din daw). Si George Estragan ang bida dito, si Gloria Diaz naman ang leading lady. Nakipagsayawan pa raw si Estragan nong fiesta sa Mogpog at nagligo sa dagat ng Kabahuan (Maligaya).
Elders story, the movie "Bring Back the Day in the Sinful World" (1978) directed by Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara is also a movie in which some of its scenes were shot in Marinduque (may mga moryons din daw). George Estragan is the protagonist here, Gloria Diaz is the leading lady. Estragan was able to dance during the fiesta in Mogpog and took a bath in the sea of Kabahuan (Maligaya).

15/03/2024

Marinduque's forgotten "insurgent". Melchor Malahakan. Newspaper article from the Baltimore Sun, May 1918.

16/12/2023

The yearly low tide this morning at Ulong. The rainy weather kept away most of the visitors.

06/11/2023

The concrete seawall has reached the end of the point. The work crew is busy removing the protective barrier of dirt which kept the concrete from being washed away while being poured.

Out on the bypass road, the last small section of roadway in front of the KaBeach food place is being poured and this will complete the 2 lanes in each direction for this stretch of the road. Not sure which agency placed the left turn marker to indicate the bypass road turns left at the Ulong entrance, however the really should have trimmed the branches around sign so it can be seen.

07/08/2023

Not a good day to visit Ulong. A lot of silt and trash in the water and along the shore. Unfortunately the land owners, barangay volunteers, civic groups and even the police end up cleaning up the trash shown in the photos.

11/06/2023

Ulong as seen from the Luzon Datum Road. The Sea Wall is highlighted with the arrow.

29/05/2023

Large waves and muddy water this morning at Ulong. The waves are eating away at the end of the point where the construction crews have been dumping dirt as part of the seawall expansion.

05/04/2023

The exit lanes of the diversion road at the National Highway have now been poured. The crews have been busy filling in all the missing portions of the roadway this week. Soon we will have a complete 4 lane road leading into Ulong.

03/04/2023

A quick primer for non native Marinduque visitors. (Also to know is that some words are again different depending where on the island you are at)

Ang mga ibig sabihin ng salitang Marinduque na naisaad sa video na ito ay depende sa aming pagkakaunawa, kung iba man po ang ibig sabihin sa inyo ng mga ito,...