C1 Mapping

Then newly-created Moro Province, which included Sulu, Lanao, Cotabato, and Davao, became a center of economic and governmental activity under American military governors.

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Later on, the city was absorbed under the province of Zamboanga, specifically the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), and has since developed further as an urban economic center in the south. It is widely known today, for example, for its sardine-processing facilities.

The population of Zamboanga City is predominantly Christian. Several Indigenous Peoples—primarily Muslim, though culturally apart from each other—make up about 30 percent of the rest of the population. Among them are the Subanen, said to be the earliest settlers in the area; the Tausug, Badjao, Yakan, and Sama. The Tausug and the Badjao, in particular, often live on stilt houses prominent in coastal areas of the region.

The city’s unique, homegrown official language, Chavacano, perhaps encapsulates the unique history of the place as a melting pot of peoples. As I heard it being spoken in Zamboanga City, where it is most prevalent, I found it to have a gentle, lilting character, faintly understandable to anyone with a cursory knowledge of Spanish.

We were billeted at the huge yet comfortable Garden Orchid Hotel, located just five minutes away from the airport. Below is a rundown of some of the interesting sites we visited:

Fort Pilar, Part of the National Museum’s Regional Museum Network

The most iconic spot in the city is Fort Pilar, whose beginnings date back to 1635 when its first cornerstone was laid by a Spanish Jesuit engineer. Built and rebuilt over the centuries, it has protected Zamboanga from marauding “Moro” pirates, British, Dutch, and Portuguese attacks.