About

Lanas Beach Resort

Overview

Carabao Island is the southernmost island of Romblon also known as Hambil by locals belongs to the municipality of San Jose in the province of Romblon, this slice of tropical paradise has been described as Boracay from 30 years ago. For the longest time, Carabao Island has been like a satellite orbiting Boracay, its fortunes tied tightly to the latter’s tourism industry. Many guests in Boracay often take day tours to carabao Island, or stay there for a couple of days to enjoy its more serene vibe before heading back to party in Boracay, but most of them especially foreigners fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the place and now found a new home and now staying for more than 20 years in the Island.

Throughout much its Spanish and American colonial history, the island and its inhabitants repeatedly changed hands between the political jurisdictions of Romblon and Capiz provinces, before becoming a separate municipality of Romblon in 1969. Majority of the town’s inhabitants speak Onhan, a western visayan language also spoken in some parts of Aklan in Panay Island.

History

The original settlers of the island were the Aetas, locally known as Ati or Ita who were believed to have a descended from Orang Asli, the aboriginal people of Malay Peninsula in Mainland Asia. The Aborigines came to the Philippines during the Paleolithic period by the way of land bridges that connected the archipelago mainland asia. The Aetas settled in different parts of Panay Island and on the southern portion of Tablas Island, including Carabao Island where San Jose is located.

Economy

Fishing and Tourism are the two of the primary economic activities in San Jose. The latter become a popular source of income in the recent years following the influx of tourists to neighboring Boracay Island.

Geography

San Jose is located at Carabao Island off the southern tip of Tablas Island in Romblon Province. It is separated from the Municicpality of Santa Fe in Tablas by the Cabalian Channel. To the south of San Jose are the municipalities of Malay and Nabas in Aklan Province, which are on the north-western tip of Panay Island. It is very close to neighboring Boracay Island, a popular tourist destination for Filipinos and foreigners alike. San Jose separated from Boracay by a narrow body sea called Hambil Channel.

San Jose has a total land area of 22.05 square kilometers (8.51 Square miles) The island municipality has a diverse geographic profile, with an irregular coastline dotted by white sand beaches that are becoming an alternative tourist destination to neighboring island Boracay. Its interior is characterized by undulating hills covered with lush rainforest and coconut trees.