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Occidental Mindoro — Ancient Script and Apo Reef

Occidental Mindoro is the western half of Mindoro Island, home to the indigenous Mangyan people — one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines with a unique script called Hanunuo. The province is known for Sablayan, a gateway to Apo Reef Natural Park, the second-largest contiguous coral reef system in the world. Local cuisine is centered on seafood and rice, with influences from both Tagalog and Mangyan traditions. The province's remote interior remains thickly forested, and the Mangyan communities continue to practice traditional slash-and-burn farming, weaving, and the inscription of their ancient script on bamboo.