MIMAROPA

Mimaropa is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IV-B. It is one of two regions in the country having no land border with another region, the other being Eastern Visayas. The name is an acronym combination of its constituent provinces, which are: Mindoro (divided into Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro), Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. The region is also formally known as the Southern Tagalog Islands.

The region was part of the now-defunct Southern Tagalog region until 17 May 2002. On 23 May 2005, Palawan and the highly urbanized city of Puerto Princesa were moved to the region of Western Visayas by Executive Order No. 429. However, on 19 August 2005, then-President Arroyo issued Administrative Order No. 129 to put in abeyance Executive Order No. 429 pending a review.

Calapan City is MIMAROPA's regional center. However, most regional government offices such as the Department of Public Works and Highways are in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

History

Region IV-B, together with Region IV-A, were officially created with the partitioning of Region IV (Southern Tagalog) into the two regions on 17 May 2002 with the issuance of Executive Order No. 103 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; for the purpose of promoting efficiency in the government, accelerating social and economic development and improving public services in the provinces covered. Region IV-B was designated as MIMAROPA, which stands for the island provinces belonging to the Southern Tagalog region—Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental), Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.