Vamos a Zamboanga, the city of romance

Zamboanga is a city of romantic dreams. It dazzles you in the present and caresses you with the past. As far back as the 13th and 14th centuries, Zamboanga was already a trading hub for the Chinese, Malays and the natives. The trading tradition revolved on barter trading, the evolution of which can be seen in the city’s colorful barter markets which deal in goods from Asian neighbors down south. It was the time of native vintas sailing the seas of Zamboanga – a tradition that lives on today – and a source of pride for every Zamboangueño.

In 1593, the Castilian flag of Spain was first seen off the shores of Zamboanga at Caldera Bay (Recodo), and the Spanish presence is today remembered by the city’s premier landmark of Spanish culture, Fort Pilar, a Spanish coastal fort built in 1635. The Spaniards stayed on for three centuries. And in that time, Fort Pilar became a shrine as stories and legends of miraculous events of the Lady of the Pilar began to be told. As more and more people from the neighboring islands came to Zamboanga and sought protection from sea marauders behind the walls of Fort Pilar, the Spanish presence gave birth to the unique Zamboangueño language of Chabacano, a Spanish patois which became the primary medium.

Christianity in Mindanao was introduced in Zamboanga City. The Archdiocese of Zamboanga included all of Mindanao except Sulu where the Tausug culture and Islam proved to be as dynamic as the Spanish influence. With the ceding of the Philippines to the United States by Spain, the Americans occupied Zamboanga City which became the capital of the Moro Province (the whole of Mindanao) from 1903 to 1913. The Provincial Capitol Building (now Zamboanga City Hall) was built at this time and housed Military Governor John "Blackjack" Pershing. On October 12, 1936, Zamboanga became a chartered city and included Basilan Island (which separated from the city in 1948), at that time the largest city in the world in land area.

Since then, Zamboanga has played a central role in the region’s ascendancy as a center of trade and commerce, government, transportation, communication, and religion. Aside from being the capital of the Zamboanga Peninsula region, it is now a freeport and special economic zone, the only one in Southern Philippines.

Nature’s Bower

There are no concrete jungles here. Zamboanga isn’t called the "City of Flowers" for nothing. Instead, there are streets lined with century-old palms shooting up to the skies or stately acacia trees with massive leafy branches providing shade. Talk about quaint city charm at the turn of the 20th century and you get more than a glimpse here.

Zamboanga City is 1,480 square kilometers of sun-kissed and wind-blessed mainland and 25 islands basking in a climate that’s the best the whole year round. This makes the city’s beaches – from the unique pink sands of Sta. Cruz island to the tan stretches of Bolong, to the pebble beach of the Zamboanga Golf Course & Beach Park at Calarian – enjoyable throughout year.

Buenas Dias! Quetal?

Or something to that effect in the other tongues that Sama, Tausug, Yakan, Maranao, Visayan, or Filipino-Zamboanga residents use by way of greeting. And with these words come a smile and an engaging manner – cariño, they call it – which makes you feel right at home. Chabacano itself is an amalgam of 70 percent Spanish and the remaining 30 percent a mix of other dialects or languages. It is, in itself, a window of the ethnic heritage that makes up Zamboanga and gives her the unique blend of culture and color that is hers alone. And just as the tribes mingled and co-existed through the centuries, so did they with all those who came to the City of Flowers, lured by stories of a charming and elegant city that had one foot in the past.

Catch the Zamboagueños in their most festive moments, in their busiest hours of the day, or even in the somnolent hours of the afternoons when a good number still go by the old Spanish tradition of the siesta por la tarde. And you’ll discover that they’ll be among the best you can count on as true amigos y amigas.

Bienvenidos!

No wonder they called her Preciosa Perlita, Orgullo de Mindanao – Precious Pearl, Pride of Mindanao. It was true then and it is true now.

There was a time then when travelers were warned not to venture to fair Zamboanga for they would tragically forget all they left behind. It was true then and it is true now.

She was once called Jambangan by the early Malays for the flowers that ran riot in an abandon of color. Her name carries on that legacy. Through the Spanish, American and post-war eras, Zamboanga City’s hospitality became legendary. While the old-world customs may have faded with time, the hospitality remains in every hotel and every home in Zamboanga.

Sights & More

One can start off and leisurely meander around the center of the old and new city. First, the center of the old settlement, the villa Fort Pilar. You can see it by day or night, basking in the glare of the sun or bathed in the glow of evening lights and candles at the shrine. Wander around and you may find your way to the American-era City Hall and beyond that, either to the Sunken Garden and the Tourism Office there or at Plaza Pershing, a quaint remnant of a Spanish Plaza of the 17th century (first called Plaza de Don Juan de Salcedo) later named after Pershing, a name that lives on to this day. You may later find yourself near the picturesque Zamboanga Port area and completing your circle back to Fort Pilar, chance upon what remains of Pettit Barracks, an American military facility in 1899.

Visit places like the venerable Pasonanca Park, which gained world-renown as early as the 1960s with its Scout Camp and Ampitheater, Tree House, and its natural pools. Walk to the Abong Abong Park with its Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) and its breath-taking view of Zamboanga and Basilan at the top of the mountain. And if sun, sand, and sea are your preference choose Sta. Cruz Islands and their unique pink beach for the island experience, the Zamboanga Beach Park at Calarian for the sport-swim combo, or the Vista del Mar beach where the 50th Anniversary of the American Liberation landings in 1945 were commemorated. Get a tan at Bolong Beach, pebbly Caragasan Beach and Talisayan Beach.

Zamboanga‘s calendar of festivals is full throughout the year. But the centerpiece of celebrations is the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival. It usually runs from October 1 to 12, peaking with the Fiesta Pilar feast day on Octber 12 with a plethora of street dancing, concerts, cultural shows, trade fairs, vinta and banca regattas, beauty pageants, culinary expositions, sports events and traditional parades that showcase the unique amalgam of the Zamboangueño culture.

Other annual celebrations include the Dia de Zamboanga marking the city’s founding day (February 26), the Holy Week observance featuring the Santo Intierro procession (movable, usually in March and April), the Flores de Mayo festival, the Islamic holidays Isra Wal Miraj in May, Eidil Fitri, and Mauludin Nabi in December. Also in December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Getting To Zamboanga

The city is accessible by air and sea from Manila and Cebu. Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines, and Cebu Pacific have daily schedules to Zamboanga. By sea, major shipping and passenger lines such as WG&A, Super Ferries, Sulpicio Lines, Negros Navigation and Aleson Shipping make Zamboanga a major stop in their routes.

For schedules and packages, get in touch with accredited tour agencies.