Lubang Island (Surville-Gozar)

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Lubang Island is the largest island in the Lubang Group of Islands, an archipelago which lies to the northwest of the northern end of Mindoro in the Philippines. The Lubang Islands are about 150 kilometres (93 mi) southwest of Manila. There are seven islands in the group, The island is divided into two municipalities. The largest settlement is the town of Lubang, west of the island. Its town center is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Tilik Port, the only safe anchorage on Lubang Island. The eastern half of the island is covered by the municipality of Looc.

The islands were originally settled by Visayan peoples starting about 30,000 years ago. By 1900 the islands were inhabited by both Tagalog and Visayan peoples.

The Spanish built a fort on Lubang Island, the San Vicente Bastion, on the western point of the entrance to Port tilig.

After World War II, Lubang Island was where Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese army intelligence officer, hid in the jungles when the Allies reclaimed the Philippines, and engaged in continuous guerrilla warfare against the United States and later against Philippine Commonwealth troops and paramilitary police, refusing to believe the war was over. In March 1974, he was officially relieved of duty, 29 years after the end of the war, making him one of the last Japanese soldiers to surrender.