Zamboanga Hermosa: Still a proud bastion of the Catholic faith

ZAMBOANGA CITY – With the national government trying to rush the signing of the "peace agreement" with the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Malaysian officers and officials belonging to the "monitoring" group are here in Mindanao in full force.

The GMA government, kowtowing to the wishes of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), has welcomed the Malaysians as monitors and middlemen in resolving the "conflict", and invited Brunei Darrusalam to also send over "monitors" as well as other Muslim countries.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Just as the Americans cannot pose as honest brokers in the confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians, how can Muslim nations, particularly Malaysia (which used to train and help arm rebels from the original Moro National Liberation Front, or MNLF) be an honest broker in the negotiations between the MILF and the Philippine Government?

We’re the most naive, if not supine, nation on this planet if we think the Malaysian Bumiputras can be neutral and helpful in this matter.

Surely, La Presidenta, who’ off to Cebu tomorrow on another of her visitations to her favorite city, isn’t dreaming of winning the Nobel Peace Prize since that prize has already been awarded to a lady environmentalist from Kenya, so it’s mystifying why we’re hoping to quick-forge a peace in the central Mindanao area when it’s clear that Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist training camps have been operating in that MILF-controlled zone.

Terrorists taught bomb-making there were even "implicated" in the Jakarta bombing.

The only "reason" I can see for sucking up to the OIC and the Muslim world is that we’re scared stiff the Arabs may shut off the oil faucet, stop selling us oil (now surging in price way above the $50 per barrel mark), and compel us to go back to the bicycle, the man-powered pedicab, the calesa, dokar and carromata, and the oil lamp. No more fossil fuel for the NAPOCOR, to generate electricity in darkness, ruinously subsidized prices? Gee. We might be living in darkness, without air-conditioning, but we might be able to balance the budget.

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But what’s this?

The Malaysian monitoring team the other week wanted to make Zamboanga City their "headquarters". Probably they preferred the civilized facilities, the romantic aspect, and the other attractions of Zamboanga Hermosa (beautiful Zambo, as the song goes).

The Malaysians reportedly said they could be guarded by both the Philippine military and MILF bodyguards. Zamboanga’s Mayor, former Congressman Celso Lobregat Jr., hit the roof at the very notion.

To begin with, Lobregat told the Malaysians, why locate yourselves in Zamboanga? He said that Zamboanga "is not a conflict area", and there’s no confrontation of any kind to "monitor" here. The MILF are not in Zamboanga, he reminded the Malaysians.

"If you bring any MILF cadres into Zamboanga," Lobregat warned, "we’ll disarm them immediately."

And arrest them, too, Mr. Mayor, it’s important to reiterate, for carrying illegal firearms.

As long as there are armed men (and women) in Mindanao, bearing illegal firearms – none of them belonging to our police and armed forces – there can never be "peace".

We must al commend Mayor Lobregat for his courageous position. Just like his mother, the late Mayor (also former Congresswoman) Maria Clara Lorenzo Lobregat.

"Caling" stood fast when former President Fidel V. Ramos tried to suck Zamboanga into the Muslim zone of his "Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development."

Imagine FVR and his "Surrender Gang" attempting to force Zamboanga City and other cities and provinces in Mindanao to be incorporated into the Muslim area of autonomy under the SPCD’s coverage. The late Congresswoman, later Mayor Caling led the opposition in bringing the matter to court. The Zamboangueños voted 99.3 percent against inclusion in the Muslim autonomous zone.

Caling was the daughter of Don Pablo Lorenzo, who had also been Mayor in Zamboanga as well as Zamboanga’s representative to the First Philippine Assembly and delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

She entered politics herself in 1971, three years after the death of her husband, businessman-entrepreneur Celso Lobregat in a plane crash in 1968. Her younger brother, my classmate at the Ateneo de Manila, the legendary basketball and soccer star, the late Luis "Moro" Lorenzo, was the father of former Agriculture Secretary Luis "Sito" Lorenzo Jr.

Caling had angrily reminded FVR and company that Zamboanga is a Catholic city, and was not involved in the Moro Wars. (Basilan province, which broke away from Zamboanga City years ago, was "involved" – and has voted to join the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, with the exception of its capital, Isabela.)

Last Monday, this writer was vividly reminded of this fact when we went to the Shrine of Zamboanga’s patron, La Virgen de Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza, to celebrate her Feast Day – hundreds of thousands of Catholic devotees converge on this enchanting city from all the surrounding provinces, like Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and even Sulu, and from the cities of Dapitan, Ozamis, Pagadian, Dipolog, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Cotabato and Davao.

Contrary to popular misconception in Manila and Luzon, the vast majority of people in Mindanao are Christians, not Muslims.

Last Monday, Zamboanga was overflowing with Catholic pilgrims, lighting candles to our Blessed Mother on her feast day.

The Shrine at ancient Fort del Pilar (originally established by Melchor de Vera, a Jesuit priest, on June 23, 1635) was jampacked with worshippers, as the Bishop of Basilan and other prelates presided over a concelebrated Mass.

The fort itself was first named Real Fuerza de Sa Jose (royal fort of St. Joseph), but was renamed Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza in 1719 (Royal Fort of Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza).

From that fortress, the Spaniards repulsed repeated Moro attacks for three centuries, until the Americans, in their drive to take over the Philippines, "captured" it on November 16, 1899.

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Since I was young, Zamboanga was a city of dreams and romance.

We were brought up in our family to the lilting lyrics of that song – incorporated in the Rigodon, by the way, of the Commonwealth and postwar eras – no te vayas a Zamboanga! (The sexy senior citizens of our time will recall that catchy tune, and the words which warned: "Don’t you go, oh don’t you go to far Zamboanga!" The words purportedly came from a young lady named "dear Paloma" who didn’t want her boyfriend to go to far Zamboanga, "where you might forget your darling far away!" In short, the beauty of the Zamboanga girls was so renowned that the youthful lover might, poor Paloma rightly feared, be beguiled and seduced by those irresistible sirens. Naturally, all of us "boys" began to nurse the ambition of going to Zamboanga to find out whether this legend was true.

I first went to Zambo by freighter decades ago, and discovered it was true. In those days, Zambo was famous as "The City of Flowers", not all of them on the stem.

And it’s still true.

Monday night, we attended the "Lifestyle Zamboanga: Mascota Competition" in the Old Fort.

The mascota is the beautifully embroidered and elegant dress, derived from the Spanish gown, but uniquely Zamboangeña. By golly, I’m an ancient Mariner, but those gorgeous girls – who modeled those entrancing mascota gowns, so colorfully and tastefully a tribute to the local, very talented couturiers who designed and sewed them – were spectacular. Paloma should still worry if her lover were to come to "far Zamboanga", because they, indeed, might forget their darling far away.

All, except two of the contestants, were Christians, everyone a mestiza, lovely, but the winner was a statuesque and graceful Muslim beauty named Melanie Anjarani. She was a knock-out!

Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano had come down with us in the private Learjet we had "borrowed", since he was the guest of honor and main speaker of the Zamboanga Hermosa ("Hola! Zamboanga!") celebration de Amistad y Esperanza.

Would you believe, it was Secretary Durano’s first visit to Zamboanga City, although he was a three-term Congressman in Cebu (Danao) not too far away. Ace was entranced by the Fiesta: the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar coincides with, and is concelebrated with, the date of the inauguration of Zambo as a chartered city on October 12, 1936.

There were the competing high schools, including the Ateneo de Zamboanga (founded in 1916) and the Pilar College presenting dances and music in colorful attire, so redolent of Zambo’s Spanish and American traditions. My nephews, Father Luis Soliven David S.J., Ramon David, etc. all went to the Ateneo de Zamboanga.

"Ace" – calling on his "Spanish" – delivered a short and impromptu but eloquent speech on the theme of Amistad y Esperanza (Friendship and Hope).

For a first-time visitor, it’s amazing to discover that the native language of the Zambanguenos is Chabacano, a Castillian patois which is 70 percent Spanish and 30 percent "native" dialect. You’re greeted with Bienvenidos galore and Que tal usted? (How are you?). Spain’s three-century reign, in truth, left its indelible mark on the city – including the Castillian beauty which marks Zamboanga’s women, with admixtures of American, German, Swiss, and other European strains.

Yes, the Americans were here, too.

As long ago as the 13th and 14th centuries, Zamboanga was already a bustling trading center, where all Asia from the Chinese to the Malays came to trade. The colorful sail of the Moro vinta is one of the trademarks of the city, although most Muslims are in the Rio Hondo (Deep River) district near the Fort, and in Taluksangay where there is a big Mosque.

During the Spanish centuries, the fort and the shrine of Our Lady of del Pilar became a place of pilgrimage, owing to the miracles attributed to the Blessed Virgin.

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The Americans for their part made Zamboanga the capital of the Moro Province from where they "governed" all of Mindanao. The famed General John J. ("Black Jack") Pershing, then a captain, lived in this city for four years as Governor of the Moro Province (he even established Pasonanca Park). Pershing – who’s honored in name by Pershing Square, the main plaza – went on to become the commanding general of the American Expeditionary Force sent to Europe to victoriously fight World War I.

It was during Pershing’s time that the .45 caliber pistol and later .45 caliber automatic were invented, designed to fire a bullet powerful enough to stop a Moro "suicide" attacker, called in those days a juramentado or amok.

The Americans also incorporated a word from our archipelago into the Webster dictionary: "boonducks", which in American slang became "boonies." It was derived from bundoks or mountains.

To return to Zamboanga (my last visit was five years ago to deliver a speech) is to fall in love with this wonderful city again.

And it’s not really "far Zamboanga". By private jet, it’s only 45 minutes from Manila. By Philippine Airlines, it’s about an hour and 15 minutes. Come to Zamboanga, I’d say!

It’s safe – well, comparatively. It’s still a Christian citadel, with maybe 18 percent of its 500,000 population Muslims. Mayor Lobregat is manfully striving to disarm the few Moro "bodyguards" of politicians from neighboring Muslim provinces who maintain homes, even palatial residences in sections of the city.

Many Muslim mayors and governors seem to prefer to locate their own families in Zamboanga City because it’s "safe".

In fact, the ARRM has been proposing to put some of its agencies here. Why? Aren’t they supposed to be the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao? So they must establish those offices and agencies in their own region.

Or perhaps put them in the Greenhills Shopping Center which is fast becoming a Moro enclave, with the Ortigas & Company’s General Manager Rex Drilon II (Datu Rex Abdurrahman he ought to be renamed – in Cebu City they call him other names) and Sultan "Rafa" Ortigas insisting on inaugurating a Muslim Mosque cum Prayer Room... perhaps this Friday. I guess the "conflict area" is not Zamboanga, but Greenhills nowadays.

Soon the Basilan Gang from Maluso – the homeland of the Abu Sayyaf (near my sister’s former plantation) – will be there, too, to.. well, pray of course. Weren’t those Abu Sayyaf the same deeply-religious fellows who blew up the SuperFerry, it’s now been revealed?

Donde tu anda? (Donde vas?) they exclaim in Chabacano. Where are you going? To Zamboanga, of course. That should be the tourist exclamation of the year. If you’ve never been to Zamboanga, you’re missing a lot – those wonderful tamales, empanadas, bagon gata, bacalao a la Vizcaya, cocretas de patatas, galantinas, la cucuracha (those tasty crabs cooked in heavy gata or coconut milk), callos de Andalucia, and the terrific pan de Zamboanga (pan de mongo, queso, or whatever) which we used to line up for close to midnight at the bakery and devour hot – and delicious.

And, of course, for most people (not me, alas) the juicy durian. It’s a fruit beloved of GMA, my wife, and many others, but too fragrant for this old Saluyot.

Truly, Zamboanga is called Preciosa Petita, Orgullo de Mindanao – the Precious Pearl, Pride of Mindanao. Bale Zamboanga! The tourist brochures are right: ". . . the waters murmur, the flowers whisper, the breezes sing." The Shrine of Our Lady beckons as un recuerdo de la presencia de España in our land.

For that matter, it was only in this city where the Spaniards formally "surrendered" to the Filipino revolucionarios, and yielded their flag in an official ceremony. Zamboangueños reminded me yesterday that their city was, in fact, an "independent Republic" for 60 days.

I’m glad they decided to remain within our Philippine Republic, where they proudly stand. A bastion, a beacon, a fortress of our Faith, steadfast in their belief in God, in Liberty – and in the happiness of a lifestyle which is gracious, generous and good.

Do I exaggerate? Ever since I was a young man, a century ago it seems, I’ve known that every hyperbole in Zamboanga falls far short in reality.

Leal y valiente, this city was called by Spain.

May it always be so.