Taklong Island, situated in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, is the primary island within the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, positioned at the southern tip of Guimaras in the West Visayas region of the Philippines. The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) oversees a marine biological station on this island. This single-story station, established in 1977 and renovated twice (in 1987 and 2008), occupies a 1.64-hectare plot of land donated to UP in 1964, with Carlos P. Romulo serving as the University President at that time. Donors, including the family of the late Antonio Ortiz, the first Lieutenant Governor of the then SubProvince of Guimaras, contributed to this land grant. Taklong Island was declared a national marine reserve on Feb. 8, 1990, by then President Corazon C. Aquino, when only one family, the Basco family headed by Vicente Basco, resided on the island. Vicente Basco, the sole recognized long-term resident at the time of the island’s inclusion in the national marine reserve, had been employed by UPV as the caretaker of its Taklong Island Station since the 1970s until his retirement. Presently, there are UPV personnel, including security guards, stationed on the island.