Marinduque town plays host to rock marking PH’s center

MOGPOG, Marinduque—A piece of rock on top of a hill in the fishing village of Hinanggayon in Mogpog, Marinduque marks the center of our archipelagic country.

This center, the Luzon Datum of 1911 which is also known as Station Balanacan, is the primary geodetic reference, or datum origin, of all geological surveys in the Philippines, said Linda Papa, deputy administrator of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria).

She said all maps and surveys made in the country make use of the Luzon Datum as their reference point.

On Aug. 9, representatives of various national agencies, local government officials and employees, and residents in the province converged on top of this hill to unveil the national historical marker of the Luzon Datum of 1911 as the center of the Philippines.

The unveiling rites marked the centennial celebration of the establishment of the marker.

Gov. Carmencita Reyes said “it is the rarest of opportunities to play host to the marker of all markers, to the very benchmark of all geodetic reference points in the Philippines, the point number one for all Philippine map makers.”

She said the Luzon Datum is an authoritative reference guide that would be synonymous to Marinduque each time geodetic engineers, surveyors, GPS (global positioning system) users start their calculations and relocation measurements.

Data gathered using the Luzon datum as reference point and the network of other stations are essential to defining property boundaries and other works on maps and cadastral surveys.

Reyes, however, said the Luzon Datum “is important not only as a geodetic reference but also as a historical heritage.”

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Namria, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, provincial government and municipal government of Mogpog have joined hands to preserve the Luzon Datum for its role in Philippine surveying and mapping.

Danilo Querijero, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the preservation efforts seek to develop the Balanacan Station as a domestic tourism site.