Guimaras: Mangoes and More

If you haven't heard of Guimaras, here are two fast facts about the place: first, Guimaras is the smallest and youngest province in Western Visayas, Philippines; and second, its most popular produce are mangoes.

Guimaras is located between the islands of Panay and Negros and used to be part of Iloilo Province. In 1992, it separated from Iloilo and became a full-fledged province. A few days ago, I spoke at the Women of Wisdom National Conference in Iloilo City hosted by the Church of the Nazarene and on its last day, we had an outing in Guimaras. Fortunately, the Manggahan Festival was still ongoing and we had a taste of the famous Guimaras Mango. By the way, the province is a Special Quarantine Zone for Guimaras Mango. That means, entry of fresh mango fruits, seeds planting materials and/or any part is prohibited.

The Manggahan Festival is a two-month long celebration from April to May, culminating with special events at the Provincial Capitol Proper in the Guimaras capital of Jordan. When we visited the capitol, there were fruit stalls selling mangoes at P60/kilo for ripe mangoes and P80/kilo for green mangoes. Also, ornamental plants and agricultural and food products like cashews, mushroom crackers, and seaweed noodles were on display. 

Free taste of Guimaras Mango

 Eat-All-You-Can Mangoes for only P90.00

Mango shake and suman on a hot summer

Other than their sweet mangoes, Guimaras is also blessed with clean beaches and scenic landscapes. There is no direct flight to Guimaras but you can take a 15-minute boat ride from the Ortiz Wharf at Iloilo City or by pump boat from Negros Occidental.

Visit the Guimaras Manggahan Festival Facebook page.

For stories about Iloilo follow this link. Read about The Old Catholic Churches of Iloilo and savor the delicacies of the province in the article I Like Iloilo!

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