Ma-i was a medieval state first recorded in Chinese documents, such as the History of Song and the Zhu Fan Zhi (1225) by Zhao Rukuo. Ma-i was described to be located north of Borneo, and were highly competitive in the trade with China. While the location of Ma-i remains disputed, most historians agree that it was located in Mindoro, specifically at the Mauhaw River around Bulalacao according to William Henry Scott.[6] This is corroborated by Spanish records, such as the account of Juan Francisco de San Antonio, called the "Chronicas de N.S.P. Francisco en las Islas Filipinas, China y Japon 1738", where Chapter 36 of the book is called "De la Provincia y Isla de Mait o Mindoro" (The Province of the Island of Mait or Mindoro), showing that the term 'Mait' and 'Mindoro' were once interchangeably used.[7]
Modern period
On May 7, 1995, reelectionist Mayor Guillermo Salas was assassinated a day before the 1995 election by Rodel Gonzales of the Mangyan tribe; Gonzales eventually surrendered to authorities five days later, confessing to the crime.[8]
Geography
Bulalacao is located at the southernmost tip of the province and is 176 kilometres (109 mi) from the provincial capital Calapan and 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Roxas.
^Lopez, V.B. (April 1, 1974). "Culture Contact and Ethnogenesis in Mindoro up to the End of the Spanish Rule". The Asian Center. 12 (1): 3 – via Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia.
^Evangelista, Romie (May 14, 1995). "Mindoro town mayor's slay solved". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
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