IN THE KNOW

Located in the middle of the Philippine archipelago, Masbate province has three major islands—Masbate, Ticao and Burias.

The first-class province (average annual income: at least P450 million) has 21 towns and a population of 892,000 (as of 2015).

Masbate City, the capital, can be reached by plane from Metro Manila in one hour. By land and sea, travel takes 16 hours.

Masbate’s commercial production of cattle, representing the output of Bicol region, is the highest in the country at 33,189 heads in 2016.