Zamboanga City, officially theCity of Zamboanga (Chavacano:Ciudad de Zamboanga;Spanish:Ciudad de Zamboanga;Subanen:Bagbenwa Sembwangan;Sama:Lungsud Samboangan;Tausug:Daira sin Sambuwangan;Filipino:Lungsod ng Zamboanga;Cebuano:Dakbayan sa Zamboanga),[8][9] is ahighly urbanized city in theZamboanga Peninsula region of thePhilippines, with a total population of 3,943,837 inhabitants. It is third-largest city by land area in the Philippines, and is also the sixth-most populous city in the archipelago; additionally, it is the second most populous inMindanao afterDavao City.[10][11] It is the commercial and industrial center of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region.[12]
According to the 2024 census, the City of Zamboanga has a population of 1,018,894 people.[13]
On October 12, 1936, Zamboanga became a chartered city under Commonwealth Act No. 39.[14][15] It was inaugurated on February 26, 1937.[16]
Zamboanga City is an independent, chartered city and was designated highly urbanized on November 22, 1983.[17]
Although geographically separated, and an independent and chartered city, Zamboanga City is grouped with the province ofZamboanga del Sur by thePhilippine Statistics Authority for statistical purposes, yet governed independently from it. And also, it is the largest city of that province and in the entireZamboanga Peninsula Region.[18]
In 2028, the city's population is projected to hit the 1,200,000 population mark, which will make the city fall under theNEDA's classification of aMetropolitan City.[19]
The name of Zamboanga is theHispanicized spelling of theSinama term for "mooring place" -samboangan (also spelledsambuangan; and inSubanen,sembwangan), from the root wordsamboang ("mooring pole"). "Samboangan" was the original name of Zamboanga City, from where the name of the peninsula is derived from.[20] "Samboangan" is well-attested in Spanish,[21] British,[22][23] French,[24][25] German,[26] and American[27] historical records from as far back as the 17th century.[21]
A commonly-repeated incorrect modernfolk etymology instead attributes the name of Zamboanga to theIndonesian wordjambangan (claimed to mean "place of flowers", but actually means "pot" or "bowl"), usually with claims that all ethnic groups in Zamboanga were "Malays". However, this name has never been attested in any historical records prior to the 1960s.[28] The city's nickname "City of Flowers" is derived from such folk etymologies.[29][30]
The Zamboanga Peninsula was settled in the late 12th or early 13th century by theSubanen people; along with the Subanen, it was also the homelands of the ancestors of theYakan, theBalanguingui, and other closely relatedSama-Bajau peoples.[31][32]
The 11th-century ChineseSong dynasty records also mention a polity named "Sanmalan" (三麻蘭) from Mindanao, which has a name similar to Zamboanga and has been tentatively identified with it by some authors (Wang, 2008; Huang, 1980). Sanmalan is said to be led by a Rajah "Chülan". His ambassador "Ali Bakti" and that ofButuan's "Likan-hsieh" is recorded to have visited the Chinese imperial court with gifts and trade goods in AD 1011. However, the correlation between Zamboanga and Sanmalan is based only on their similar-sounding names. Sanmalan is only mentioned in conjunction with Butuan (P'u-tuan) and it is unknown if Sanmalan is indeed Zamboanga. The historianWilliam Henry Scott (1989) also posits the possibility that Sanmalan instead referred to a polity of theSama-Bajau ("Samal") people.[33][34]
During the 13th century, theTausūg people began migrating to the Zamboanga Peninsula and theSulu Archipelago from their homelands in northeastern Mindanao. They became the dominant ethnic group in the archipelago after they wereIslamized in the 14th century and established theSultanate of Sulu in the 15th century. A majority of the Yakan, the Balanguingui, and the Sama-Bajau were also Islamized, though most of the Subanen remained animist (with the exception of the Kolibugan subgroup in southwestern Zamboanga).[31][35][36]
Spanish explorers, led byFerdinand Magellan, arrived in the Philippine archipelago in 1521.[37] Zamboanga was chosen in 1569 as the site of the Spanish settlement and garrison on La Caldera (now part of Barangay Recodo).[38] Spain granted the former polity in the area protectorate status against the Sulu Sultanate, its former overlord[39] and the settlement's name was hispanized into Zamboanga and made a city. Zamboanga City was one of the main strongholds inMindanao, supporting colonizing efforts in the south of the island and making way forChristian settlements. It also served as a military outpost, protecting the island against foreign invaders andMoro pirates.
In 1599, the Zamboanga fort was closed and transferred toCebú due to great concerns about attack by the English on that island, which did not occur. After having abandoned the city, the Spaniards as well as some Spanish-American soldiers fromPeru[40] and New Spain (Mexico) led by the former Governor of Panama, DonSebastián Hurtado de Corcuera, who also brought alongGenoese crusaders[41] who hadsettled in Panama, joined forces with troops fromPampanga andVisayan soldiers (fromBohol,Cebu andIloilo) and reached the shore of Zamboanga to bring peace to the island againstMoro Muslim pirates.[42]
In 1635, Spanish officers and soldiers, along with Visayan laborers, settled in the area and construction began on Fort San José (what is now known asFort Pilar) to protect the inhabitants of the area from piracy by the Moro. Specifically at April 5, 1635: it was Cebu that sent a force of 300 Spanish and 1,000 Visayan troops to settle and colonize at Zamboanga City under the command of Captain Juan de Chavez.[43] Zamboanga became the main headquarters of the Spaniards on June 23, 1635, upon approval ofKing Philip IV of Spain, and the Spanish officially founded the city.[44] Thousands of Spanish troops, headed by a governor general from Spain, took the approval to build the first Zamboanga fortress (now called Fort Pilar) in Zamboanga to forestall enemies in Mindanao like Moro pirates and other foreign invaders.[45] There were also a hundred Spanish troops sent to fortify the nearbyPresidio ofIligan.[46] During the years 1636 and 1654, the Presidio of Zamboanga received companies of 210 and 184 reinforcements ofMexican soldiers.[47] The Zamboanga fortress became the main focus of a number of battles between Moros and Spaniards during Spanish rule in the region from the 16th century to the 18th. Spain was forced to abandon Zamboanga temporarily and withdraw its soldiers toManila in 1662 after the Chinese underKoxinga threatened to invade the Spanish Philippines. Despite the official Spanish forces leaving, the Jesuits remained in Zamboanga and shepherded the civilian Christian population and treated Zamboanga much like theirreductions in Paraguay,[48] until the Spanish returned.
The Spanish returned to Zamboanga in 1718 and rebuilding of the fort began the following year. The fort would serve as defence for the Christian settlement against Moro pirates and foreign invaders for the coming years. There was deportation of mostly Spanish-American and Spanish vagrants from Manila to Zamboanga which helped advance a colonizing program against the Muslim south, further illustrating how the resistance to Spanish sovereignty in Mindanao and Borneo determined imperial policies on the islands.[49][50]
While the region was already dominated byCatholicism,Muslims kept up a protracted struggle into the 18th century against the ruling Spaniards.[51][52] A British naval squadron conducted araid on Zamboanga in January 1798, but was driven off by the city's defensive fortifications. During 1821, theUruguayan,Juan Fermín de San Martín, brother of the leader of the Argentinian Revolution,José de San Martín, was commander of the fortress-city of Zamboanga for a year.[53] At 1823, inspired by the Spanish-American Wars of Independence, the Spanish-Americans who had been sent to Zamboanga and Philippines as soldiers, joined in the revolt ofAndres Novales, and he fought for sovereignty and became the short lived Emperor of the Philippines.[54] Due to the era of theLatin American Wars of Independence, Spain feared that the large Mexican and South American population in the Philippines would incite the Filipinos to rebel, thus the Spaniards direct from Spain were imported (Peninsulares) and the Latin American class in the Philippines were displaced and were forced into a lower rank of the caste system, which they reacted negatively to.[55] In 1831, the custom house in Zamboanga was established as a port, and it became the main port for direct communication, trading some goods and other services to most of Europe,Southeast Asia andLatin America.[56] The American invaders arrived in the Philippines during the time of Spanish GovernorGeneral Valeriano Weyler, with thousands of troops to defeat the Spaniards who ruled for over three centuries.
The Spanish government sent more than 80,000 Spanish troops to the Philippines. The Spanish government completely surrendered the islands to the United States in the 1890s.[57]
Inauguration of the Municipality of Zamboanga with Datu Kalun (1901)
TheRepublic of Zamboanga was established directly on May 28, 1899, after the Zamboangueño revolutionary forces defeated the last Spanish government in Zamboanga. Fort Pilar was turned over to GeneralVicente Álvarez, who between May and November 1899 was the first president of the República de Zamboanga. He assembled a revolutionary army which was diverse and filled with Christians, Muslims, and Lumads.[58] This republic continued to exist until 1903, with Isidoro Midel as its second president under a puppet government of the United States; he was succeeded by Mariano Arquiza.[59]
Upon the firm establishment ofAmerican colonization and dissolution of the Republic in 1903, Zamboanga, as a municipality, was designated as the capital of theMoro Province, a semi-military government consisting of five districts: Zamboanga,Cotabato,Davao,Lanao andSulu. It established itself the center of commerce, trade, and government of Mindanao Island.[60] During this period, Zamboanga hosted a number of American regional governors, including GeneralJohn J. Pershing, who was military commander/governor of the Moro Province from 1909 to 1914.
In 1920, Zamboanga City ceased to be capital of the Moro Province[61] when the department was divided into provinces in which the city became under the largeprovince of Zamboanga. This encompasses the present-dayZamboanga Peninsula with the inclusion of the whole province ofBasilan.
When theCommonwealth government was established in 1935, calls to convert the municipality of Zamboanga into a city increased. On September 23, 1936, through Assemblyman Juan Alano,the National Assembly of the Philippines passed Commonwealth Act No. 39 making Zamboanga a chartered city consisting of "the present territorial jurisdiction of the municipality of Zamboanga, the municipality of Bolong, the municipal district of Taluksangay, the whole island ofBasilan and the adjacent islands, i.e., the municipality ofIsabela, the municipal district ofLamitan, and the municipal district ofMaluso."[14][15] It was later signed by PresidentManuel Quezon on October 12, 1936. The charter made Zamboanga City as the largest city in the world in terms of land area. During these times, Zamboanga was the leading commercial and industrial city of Mindanao.
When theJapanese invaded the Philippines, they were headed by Vice AdmiralRokuzo Sugiyama, accompanied by Rear Admiral Naosaburo Irifune. The Japanese landed at Zamboanga City on March 2, 1942.[62] The city became a branch hub ofUnit 731 for human experimentation conducted by Japanese doctors. Among the experiments include amputations, dissections, and vivisections on live Filipinos.[63][64]
The Japanese government in the city was overthrown by American and Filipino forces following a fierce battle on March 10–12, 1945.[59] The rebuilt general headquarters of thePhilippine Commonwealth Army andPhilippine Constabulary was stationed in Zamboanga City from March 13, 1945, to June 30, 1946, during the military operations inMindanao andSulu against the Japanese.[citation needed]
After the war, citizens on the island ofBasilan found it difficult to appear in courts, pay their taxes, or seek help from the mayor and other officials. Going from Basilan to the mainland required three or more hours offerry travel. To fix the problem, Representative Juan Alano filed a bill in Congress to separate Basilan from Zamboanga City. The island of Basilan was proclaimed a separate city through Republic Act No. 288 on July 16, 1948.[65]
On April 7, 1953, by virtue of Republic Act No. 840, the city was classified as first-class city according to its revenue.[66]
On April 29, 1955, a special law changed the landscape of the city government when Republic Act No. 1210[67] amended the City Charter that made elective the position of city mayor and the creation of an elective vice mayor and eight elective city councilors. The vice mayor is the presiding-officer of the City Council. In November 1955,Liberal Party candidateCesar Climaco with his running-mate, Tomas Ferrer won the first local elections. They were inducted into office on January 1, 1956, as determined by the Revised Election Code.[68]
On September 21, 1972, PresidentFerdinand Marcos signedProclamation No. 1081 placing the Philippines undermartial law. Zamboanga City's local government came under presidential control for the first time since 1955. Marcos extended Mayor Joaquin Enriquez's term when his tenure was about to end in 1975.
President Marcos reorganized the local government on November 14, 1975, and the city council was replaced by aSangguniang Panlungsod with the mayor as its new presiding officer and its members included the vice mayor, the chairman of theKatipunan ng mga Kabataang Barangay, the president of theAssociation of Barangay Captains, and sectoral representatives of agriculture, business and labor.[69]
When Mayor Enriquez resigned and bid for the newly createdInterim Batasang Pambansa in 1978, Vice Mayor Jose Vicente Atilano II was appointed by President Marcos to replace him.
In 1980,Cesar Climaco staged his political comeback when he was elected again to the mayoral post under his new party, the Concerned Citizens' Aggrupation. He had gone into exile to the United States in protest against Marcos' declaration of martial law.[70]
In the1984 Philippine parliamentary election, Climaco was elected a member of theRegular Batasang Pambansa. However, he declined to assume his seat until he had completed his six-year term as mayor in his consistent protest against Marcos. Climaco's protest against the dictator earned Zamboanga City the distinction of 'the beacon of democracy in Mindanao'.
On the morning of November 14, 1984, Climaco was assassinated as he was returning to his office after overseeing the response to a fire in downtown Zamboanga City.[71] A man approached from behind the mayor and shot him in the nape at point-blank range.[72]: 92
Marcos administration officials pinned the blame on a Muslim group led byRizal Alih,[72]: 4 [73] but Climaco's widow publicly expressed belief that it was Marcos' forces who were behind the murder.[73] Climaco himself was said to have remarked before his death that if he were ever assassinated, the military would blame Alih for the murder.[72]: 4 The family banned military personnel from the wake, except for a relative who happened to be in the Air Force.[73]
Climaco'sfuneral at Abong-Abong Park in Zamboanga City was estimated as ranging from fifteen thousand people to up to two hundred thousand people,[73] and he was later honored by having his name inscribed on the wall of remembrance of the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Memorial of Heroes), which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship.[74]
On November 19, 2001, the Cabatangan Government Complex in Barangay Cabatangan, the seat of theAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, wasraided by former MNLF fighters in protest of Misuari's ouster as Governor of the autonomous region in which they took residents hostage. The complex also houses the different regional government offices such as the Commission on Audit, Population Commission, Civil Service Commission, Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center, DECS Training Center and the Zamboanga Arturo Eustaquio College Department of Criminology. An air strike by the military began on November 27 in which the hostages were later released after the government agreed to escort the rebels to a safe zone in Panubigan where they were allowed to go free.[75]
On September 9, 2013, a faction of theMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under the leadership ofNur Misuari seized hostages in Zamboanga City and attempted to raise the flag of the self-proclaimedBangsamoro Republik, a state which declared itsindependence earlier in August, inTalipao,Sulu. This armed incursion was met by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which sought to free the hostages and expel the MNLF from Zamboanga City. The standoff degenerated into urban warfare, and brought parts of the city to a standstill for days.[77]
Mayor Climaco-Salazar and her administration are relocating the internal displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the crisis to transitory sites and later, permanent housings in various places around Zamboanga City.[78] Her rehabilitation plan, "Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Rehabilitation (Z3R)", envisions building back a better Zamboanga City and rehabilitating the areas affected by the crisis.[79]
The southwest and eastern sides of Zamboanga City are bounded by irregular coastlines with generally rocky terrain and occasional stretches of sandy or gravelly beaches. The coastal profile usually descends abruptly towards the sea. Where rivers enter the sea, bays have formed, and the surrounding area has filled up with alluvial soils, producing small to large coastal plains.[citation needed]
Zamboanga City has mangrove areas such as in Tagasilay and easternVitali Island. It also has the Pasonanca Watershed Forest Reserve.[80]
The overall topography of the city could be described as rolling to very steep. There are some flat lands, mostly narrow strips along the east coast. The urban center is mostly flat with a gentle slope to the interior, ranging from 0% to 3%. A portion, about 38,000 hectares, has slopes ranging from 18% to 30%. Another 26,000 hectares has slopes of less than 3%, while about 37% of the area (52,000 hectares) has slopes ranging from 30% to more than 50%. The highest registered elevation is 1,200 metres.[81]
The territorial jurisdiction of the city includes the islands of big and small Santa Cruz, Tictabon, Sacol, Manalipa, Tumalutap, Vitali, as well as other numerous islands. The total land area of the city is recorded to be 142,067.95 hectares or 1,420.6795 square kilometers and with contested land area of 3,259.07 hectares between the boundary of Limpapa andZamboanga del Norte, consolidated of the total land area 145,327.02 hectares or 1,453.2702 km2 according to the latest cadastral survey ofDENR IX year 2015.[82] This does not include the area of about 25 other islands within the territorial jurisdiction of the city – which have an aggregate area of 6,248.5 hectares as verified by the Office of the City Engineer. Putting these all together, the city's new total land area would come to 151,575.52 hectares or 1,515.75 km2.
Zamboanga City is the 5th most populous in the Philippines and the 2nd most populous inMindanao afterDavao City. The city's population had an increase of 115,435 over the five years since 2015. It had an annual population growth rate at 2.50%, higher than from in the year 2010-2015 which was 1.3%.[10] The city's population's was estimated to have hit 1 million in 2021.[91] Among the city's 98 barangays,Talon-Talon is the most populous with 4.1% share of this city's population, followed by Mampang (4.0%), Tumaga (3.6%), Tetuan (3.5%), Calarian (3.4%), San Roque and Pasonanca (both with 3.2%).[92]
With56.93% of the city's population, Roman Catholicism remains the predominant religion in the city.[93][95][96] Zamboanga City was the first to establish its own Catholic diocese in Mindanao (now the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga).
TheMetropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. It was designed by Domingo Abarro III. The first church was located at the front of Plaza Pershing, where the presentUniversidad de Zamboanga stands. The church was designated a cathedral in 1910 when the diocese of Zamboanga City was created.[97] In 1943, the cathedral was one of the edifices bombarded by Japanese soldiers during World War II.[97] In 1956, the cathedral was relocated besideAteneo de Zamboanga University, formerly known as the Jardin de Chino, where Chinese farmers grew the city's vegetables.[98]
Sadik Grand Mosque, still under construction, will become the largest mosque in Southeast Asia once completed.
Muslims have also been an integral part of Zamboanga, comprising 37.62%[96][100] of the city's population.[101][102]
The majority of Muslims in Zamboanga City adhere to Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama‘ah, following theAsh‘arī creed and theShāfi‘ī school of Islamic jurisprudence, while also maintaining a living tradition ofTasawwuf (Sufism). This mainstream Sunni community is under the religious leadership of theGrand Mufti of Darul Ifta Region 9 and Palawan, the regional Islamic juristic and advisory body.
Prominent Sunni madrasahs in the city include Sabiel al-Muhtadin Institute, Darul Makhdumeen, Salamat Islamic Institute and Sadik Islamic Institute, which continue to serve as centers of Arabic and Islamic education for Tausug, Sama, and Yakan youth.
Sufi traditions remain vibrant in the city. The Masjid Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani in Talon-Talon is a well-known spiritual center affiliated with the Naqshbandi Haqqani Ṭarīqa, under the international guidance of ShaykhMehmet Adil, while the Masjid Ar-Rayyan in Baliwasan Grande is associated with the Shādhilī Ṭarīqa under ShaykhMuhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy. These institutions host regular gatherings for dhikr (spiritual remembrance), community service, and interfaith outreach.
While Wahhabi-influenced and Shia minorities also exist in Zamboanga City, they remain small in number. However, both have a notable media and online presenc*, contributing to the diversity of Islamic discourse within the region.
Some barangays such asCampo Islam,Taluksangay, and the city’s island barangays are almost entirely Muslim, due to historical migration from the provinces ofSulu andTawi-Tawi — primarily among theTausug andSamal communities. There are also nativeSubanon Muslims, known locally as Kolibugan, and theYakan of Basilan, who have migrated to Zamboanga and established thriving communities.[103][104]
Muslim-majority barangays in Zamboanga do not celebrate Catholic fiestas, but instead observe ʻĪd al-Fiṭr (Hari Raya Puasa),ʻĪd al-Adḥā (Hari Raya Haji),Mawlid of the Prophet Muhammad, Nisf Sha'ban, Isra wal Mi'raj and Amun Jadid, which are public occasions of prayer, charity, and communal gathering.
TheZamboangueño (people) (Chavacano/Spanish:Pueblo Zamboangueño) are acreole ethnolinguistic group of people from thePhilippines originating from the Zamboanga peninsula, where Zamboanga City is also situated. The ancestors of the present inhabitants of the city are said to also have migrated to other areas in the Southwestern Mindanao. Due to migration, along with the original inhabitants of the place, theSubanon people, a number of other ethnicities have a visible presence in the city such as theSamal,Yakan,Tausug andBadjao peoples.[105][106][107][104]
According to a genetic study in 2021 by Larena et al., published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, 4 of 10Zamboangueños/Chavacanos have "West Eurasian ancestry".[108] The limited Spanish descent of the minority is likely from Spanish soldiers in the Philippines stationed in the area centuries ago during the colonial era. Spanish soldiers from Mexico and Peru were also assigned in the area before, but it is not known if they stayed in the city and had children there.[40]
Thelingua franca of the city isChavacano. Originally, the language of the area was largely theSubanon language, as the majority of the population was from theSubanon people who lived in their ancestral land of Zamboanga. Due to Spanish conquer, the natives were not able to pass their indigenous language to the next generation, who were instead forced by the colonial officers to learn Spanish instead. This led to the development of the Spanish language into what later became Chavacano. The Zamboanga variety of Chavacano has Spanish as itslexifier and with its grammar influenced by the other Austronesian languages of the Philippines, notably Subanon and others. The ancestralSubanon language is spoken by some people in the city although not many understand it due to a lack of practitioners, who have been heavily influenced under colonial rule. Revitalization attempts of the indigenous Subanon language have not yet been spearheaded by the local government. Aside from Chavacano,Filipino, andEnglish are also widely used and understood, with the latter two asofficial languages of the Philippines, and withFilipino also as thenational language and the nationallingua franca of the Philippines. TheBahasa Sug or Tausug language is the second-most spoken language in the city afterChavacano due to significant Tausug migration from the neighboring provinces of theSulu Archipelago. TheCebuano,Hiligaynon,Ilocano,Maguindanaon,Maranao,Sama, andYakan languages can also be heard within the city, most especially among their native speakers, ethnolinguistic groups, or cultural communities, and with Cebuano as the third-most spoken language in the city afterBahasa Sug.
Zamboanga City's economy consistently grew by leaps and bounds from the pre-pandemic level of P125.05 billion to a record high ofP139.47 billion in 2022.
The figures were also reflective of the city's Gross Domestic Product's (GDP) growth rates from P125.05 billion in 2018 to P130.82 billion (4.6 percent up) in 2019 but plummeted to P122.69 billion (-6.2 percent) in 2020 due to the pandemic.
However, as the City gradually reopened its economy after the pandemic, the GDP grew by 5.1 percent in the amount of P128.97 billion in 2021, and leapfrogged to 8.1 percent in 2022, bringing the city's economic value to P139.47 billion.[117]
Zamboanga City accounts for one-third of Zamboanga Peninsula's Gross Domestic Product. (GDP) Accounting over 32.6% of the region'sP427.78 Billion GDP, the largest share of any province or city in the region.[118] in 2022, Zamboanga City's economy grew by 8.1%
Zamboanga City's economy is the third largest in Mindanao, afterDavao andCagayan de Oro.
Zamboanga City is also dubbed as the Sardines Capital of the Philippines, for 11 out of 12 sardines companies in the country are produced here.[119] The canning factories are converged in the west coast of Zamboanga. Sardine fishing and processing account for about 70 percent of the city's economy.[120][121] Situated at the western tip of the Mindanao mainland, Zamboanga City is a natural docking point for vessels traversing the rich fishing grounds of theZamboanga Peninsula and theSulu Archipelago.
The production of canned sardines in this city have upgraded their production to conform to international food safety and quality standards. Companies that produce these goods are looking to enter new markets in Russia and other European countries.[122]
Most sardine fishing fleets and canning factories have located in Zamboanga City due to its proximity to the rich fishing grounds of the Sulu Sea. To date, 26 registered commercial fishing companies operating 87 sardine purse seine fleets and 569 boats of different classifications that are fishing in the Zamboanga and Sulu waters are based in Zamboanga City (BFAR IX 2015).[citation needed]
The 11 canned sardine corporations operating 12 manufacturing plants; four tin can manufacturers; and, 4 ship construction and ship repair companies. The city supplies approximately 85–90% of the country's canned sardine requirements and the canned sardines sector contributes at least US$16 million in annual export earnings to the city[123]
The Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority and Freeport (ZamboEcoZone), also known as the Zamboanga Freeport Authority (ZFA), was created by virtue of Republic Act 7903 in 1995.[124]
TheSpecial Economic Zone was enacted into law on February 23, 1995, and made operational a year later with the appointment of a chairman and administrator and the members of the Board by formerPresidentFidel V. Ramos. It is located about 23 km from the city proper. It is one of the three current Economic Freeport Zones outside Luzon.
Zamboanga City has been the new investor's destination in the country when it comes to shopping malls. Multiple national malls has set their foot in the city such asKCC Malls, CityMalls by Double Dragon andSM Supermalls. Some companies like Vista Mall, Robinsons Mall and Ayala Malls has also shown interest in opening their branch in the city.
The country's largest shopping retailer,SM Supermalls boughtMindpro Citimall in 2016 and the mall shall be converted with an SM brand.[127] The mall now known as "SM City Mindpro" was opened to the public on December 8, 2020.[128]
On February 23, 2023.SM Prime Holdings made a groundbreaking ceremony for the establishment ofSM City Zamboanga which is the 2nd SM Mall in the City andZamboanga Peninsula which is targeted to open by 2025. Once opened, it will become the 2nd largest mall in the region.[129]
Lists of national malls in Zamboanga City (Operating/Under-construction)
Seaweed production plants in Zamboanga City, along withCebu and SouthernLuzon, produce most of the world's supply ofcarrageenan. Seventy-five percent of the country'seucheuma and kappaphycusseaweed is produced mostly in the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Sulu Archipelago.[130]
Zamboanga City is a member ofEast ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a regional economic cooperation initiative between the several countries in Southeast Asia. As a result of its membership, air and sea routes have been opened between Zamboanga City andSandakan in Malaysia. The two cities have existing trade relations and have had historical cultural interactions.[131]
Old flag of ZamboangaPlaza Rizal and the Zamboanga City Hall since 1907
Zamboanga City is the third oldest city in the Philippines, with amayor–council form of government.[15]
The city government of Zamboanga was in a commission form shortly between 1912 and 1914 with Christopher Frederick Bader as the appointed mayor.[132] It then was replaced by a municipal form of government headed by a municipal mayor assisted by a municipal vice-president.
When the City Charter of Zamboanga was signed on October 12, 1936,[14][15] the municipal government was converted into a city one headed by a mayor appointed by thePresident of the Philippine Commonwealth.
With the passage of Republic Act No. 1210 on April 29, 1955, the position of mayor became elective and the post of vice mayor was created.
The former lone congressional district was further divided into two separate districts: theWest Coast, comprises from the City Proper to Barangay Limpapa is represented by Congressman Khymer Adan Olaso, while in theEast Coast, comprises from Barangay Tetuán to Barangay Licomo is represented by Congressman Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe.
The city's population had reached to 774,407 people since 2007.[133] Under Republic Act 9269, Zamboanga City is qualified to have its third district in theHouse of Representatives.[134] However, in 2008, the formation of Zamboanga City's Third District was then opposed by the local majority block of thecity council.[135]
The building where the Zamboanga City Council (Sangguniang Panglungsod ng Zamboanga) holds its sessions.
The first legislative body of Zamboanga City was established in 1914 composed of councilors who represented the different districts of barrios of then-municipality of Zamboanga.
When the City Charter of Zamboanga was signed on October 12, 1936, the municipal council was replaced by the City Council presided by the mayor and consisted of five councilors, the city treasurer and the city engineer. All members are appointed by thePresident of the Philippine Commonwealth.
With the passage of Republic Act No. 1210 on April 29, 1955, the position of mayor became elective and the post of vice mayor was created. The council also became elective and its membership was increased to eight presided by the vice mayor.
During theMarcos regime, the city council was renamed to Sangguniang Panglungsod and its membership shuffled.[citation needed] The mayor became the presiding-officer while the vice mayor became a regular member. Other representatives such as the agriculture, business and labor sectoral representatives; chairman of the Kabataan Barangay Federation and the president of the Association of Barangay Captains was added to the council. All members of the council except for the mayor and the vice mayor are all appointed by the President.
After Marcos was deposed, a new Local Government Code was enacted in 1991 and the mayor was restored to the executive branch.[citation needed] The city council organization existed since.
The current local Sangguniang Panglungsod is composed of 19 members:
the Vice Mayor as its presiding officer elected citywide;
House Bill 1455 entitled "An Act Amending Sections 14 (J) and 29 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, Otherwise Known as The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980", calls for the creation of four additional Regional Trial Court branches in the Province ofZamboanga del Sur, and the Cities of Pagadian and Zamboanga City with an overall total of nineteen branches.[136]
Out of the 19 branches, ten seats shall be for Zamboanga City, and the remaining seats forPagadian City, Molave, San Miguel, Ipil, and Aurora.
Zamboanga City hosts one a large number of military, police and coast guard bases in the country. The Edwin Andrews Air Base hosts theAir Force unit in the city is located at theZamboanga International Airport complex.[137][138] TheCamp General Basilio Navarro in Upper Calarian, is the main operating base of theWestern Mindanao Command (WestMinCom).[139][140] WesMinCom is one of the unified commands of theArmed Forces of the Philippines that serves the Western Mindanao. The Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao is located near the Camp General Basilio Navarro, while a coast guard station is located inside thePort of Zamboanga.[141][142] Zamboanga City also hostsBureau of Corrections' San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, which is one of the oldest penitentiaries in the country.[143]
TheZamboanga International Airport is located in Barangay Canelar, and has a 2,610-metre primary runway and can serve international flights and bigger planes such as theC-17 Globemaster III,Antonov An-124,Airbus A330 andBoeing 747.[144][145] The government has already earmarked more than 240 million pesos to complete the rehabilitation of the existing facilities of the airport,[146] which was ranked the tenth-busiest in the Philippines in 2008.[147]
The city's new airport is being proposed in Barangays Mercedes and Talabaan, which will replace the existing one in Barangay Canelar. The current airport site is also visioned to be converted to abusiness district.[148]
The primary modes of transportation within the city are serviced by taxis,jeepneys,tricycles and bajaj/piaggios[149] Regular and air-conditioned buses of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies serve the long-haul routes from Zamboanga City to other areas in Mindanao and in the Visayas. Other smaller bus companies ply the routes to neighboring municipalities in the Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay areas. Since June 25, 2018, taxis were launched with initial 13 units, growing to 50 units. By 2019, there are 100 taxi units plying around Zamboanga City to any point in Region 9, and the operators say they will surely be adding more until reaching the maximum of 200 taxi units.
Zamboanga City has nineteen seaports and wharves, twelve of them are privately owned and the rest are owned by the government. This includes some ports ofBasilan which are registered as a part of Zamboanga City port management. The biggest and most modern seaport is the government-operated main port in Zamboanga City, which can accommodate 20 ships at any given time. There are 25 shipping companies whose vessels regularly dock at the port of Zamboanga. The city also has fastcraft services toSandakan,Malaysia, and one shipping cargo company fromVietnam is also serving the routes from and to Zamboanga City to deliver goods from Vietnam.[150]
In 2002, the Port of Zamboanga City, including the area ports of Basilan, registered 5.57 million passenger movement, surpassingBatangas by 1.3 million passengers, and Manila by over 1.59 million passengers.[151]
On May 28, 2009, the PHP700 million port expansion project, funded by the national government was inaugurated by PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo.[152]
SR Township is based on a 90-hectare area in Boalan, currently in their first phase of the project dedicating 50 hectares of land which includes the construction of the Biggest Mosque in the Philippines known as the "Grand Sadik Mosque". Also part of phase 1 is the establishment of a mall, convention center and a hotel.[153]
The township of Andaluz by Vista Estates, located in Boalan's diversion road, is a 32-hectare township that promises to replicate the lifestyle of Seville, Spain. The Township hosts a subdivision, a leisure and commercial district which prides itself as the future "Central Business District" of Zamboanga Peninsula.
Andaluz is also the first Township donned by Vista Estates in Mindanao.[154]
The telecommunication towers as can be seen over the downtown.
Major telecommunications firm,Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, maintains operations in the city.Mabuhay Satellite Corporation andDITO has set up a facility in Zamboanga City in order to improve existing communications infrastructure.[155][156] InfiniVAN Inc, with its partnership with Eastern Telecommunications andGlobe Telecom, owns the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) in which they have Zamboanga City as one of their landing stations.[157]
Conrado Alcantara and Sons Holdings (Conal) constructed a coal-fired power plant with an initial capacity of 105 megawatt on a 60-hectare land inside theZamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority. The plant was originally to open in 2014, with the constructors expecting to meet the demand of the city's electricity by that year.[158][failed verification][159] However, the project was delayed and had begun construction by the end of 2017. The plant is expected to be fully operational by 2020.[159][160]
Zamboanga City relies heavily on surface water from the Tumaga River for its water supply. The Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD) is serving only 48% of the total population of the total water production, 38% is accounted water. Given the projected population and the fact that the city is a highly urbanising one, it is likely that future water requirements will not be satisfied unless other sources such as rivers and springs be tapped to augment water supply sources.[161]
ZCWD has 24 production wells. These are located in the following strategic areas within the city that are producing 1,304 m3 daily.[162]
There are several medical centres and hospitals in Zamboanga. The Zamboanga Peninsula Medical Center is the city's newest hospital which was opened in 2015. It is regarded as one of the largest and most modern in the region likened to theSt. Luke's Medical Center. The government-operatedZamboanga City Medical Center was founded in 1918 as the Zamboanga City General Hospital. The Brent Hospital and Colleges, Inc. was founded on February 2, 1914, byCharles Henry Brent, the firstProtestant Episcopal missionary bishop in the Philippines. Today it operates a school within its compound, offering nursing and allied health courses.
The Zamboanga CityRed Cross chapter was established on June 17, 1946, known originally as the Zamboanga City Chapter. The original Zamboanga City Chapter comprised the city of Zamboanga and the three provinces ofBasilan,Zamboanga del Norte andZamboanga del Sur.[163]
West Metro Medical Center is a secondary-level private hospital in Zamboanga City, Philippines. As of 2015, the hospital has a capacity of 110 beds. Ongoing construction of an annex is to increase bed capacity to 190, making it the largest private hospital in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Archipelago.
In 2006, theMilitary Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship,USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), anchored off the coast of Zamboanga City, to provide medical, dental and veterinary care for the people of the city.[164]
Convention centers that host several events and congregations include the Garden Orchid Hotel's Convention Center, Palacio del Sur, Centro Latino, Astoria Regency, and Patio Palmeras.[165]KCC Mall de Zamboanga also has its convention halls that is located at its East Wing.
Reflecting its creole heritage, Zamboangeno cuisine draws influences from many regions of the Philippines and beyond.
Dishes unique to Zamboanga City include:
Curacha Alavar: steamed or boiledspanner crabs (curacha) cooked with garlic, ginger, and salt, and doused in a sauce blend of coconut milk (gata),crab fat (taba ng talangka), and various spices calledAlavar. A specialty of Alavar Seafood Restaurant.
Chupa kulo: cookedmangrove snails (bagungon) simmered in a sauce blend of coconut milk, squash, ferns (pako), and various spices. A specialty ofSanta Cruz Island.
Paella zamboangueño:
Knickerbocker:
Additionally, Tausug and Sama cuisine is ubiquitous throughout the city.
Zamboanga City has 26 radio stations (9 AM & 17 FM). There are also 17 regular television stations and three cable television stations. Several local publications operate in the various parts of the city and nearby provinces and regions, such asThe Daily Zamboanga Times,The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper,Voz de Mindanao,Zamboanga Peninsula Journal,Zamboanga Star,Zamboanga Today, 'Diario Verdad,The Zamboanga Post, andZamboanga Forum.
Pulverized Red Organ Pipe Corals gives thatpinkish tint on Santa Cruz's Beach.
TheDepartment of Tourism has selected Zamboanga City as a flagship tourism destination in Zamboanga Peninsula.[166] Domestic and foreign tourist arrivals increased 8 percent to 439,160 in 2005, according to data from the regional tourism office. The same report notes that Filipinos accounted for 80 percent of the tourist arrivals. Moreover, 50 percent of those tourists visited the city before.[167]
Zamboanga City's famous Pink Sand Beach ofSanta Cruz was recognized by theNational Geographic as one of the "World's 21 Best Beaches" in 2018.[168] A surge in tourist arrivals was recorded in 2018 that hit almost 100,000. A day-trip to the island includes a hop to Little Santa Cruz's long white sand bar and a tour of the island's lagoon known for its rich ecosystem.
Another rising tourist hub is the newly opened11 Islands (commonly calledOnçe Islas), a group of islands with white-sand beaches and sand bars located in the city's east coast.
Despite the warnings and seasonal advisories, growth in terms of arrivals tells otherwise. The negative impressions shows no effect on the Tourist's perception of the place in general.
The wholeZamboanga Peninsula Region recorded 723,455 tourist arrivals in 2018 of which 11,190 are foreigners, 10,523 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and 701,742 were domestic tourists according to the Department of Tourism.[169]
Roseller T. Lim – the first Zamboangueño who became a Philippine senator from December 30, 1955, to December 30, 1963. Lim was known as the "Great Filibuster", after hefilibustered for more than 18 hours in an attempt to prevent the election of Ferdinand Marcos aspresident of the Senate.[170][171]
Hidilyn Diaz – a Filipinaweightlifter andairwoman. She won the silver medal in the2016 Summer Olympics' women's 53-kg weight division.[172] In Tokyo on July 26, 2021, Diaz won the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal at the2020 Summer Olympics for women's weightlifting, setting the Olympic record for the 55 kg category
Chef Miggy Cabel Moreno - Celebrated Filipino Tausug chef and restaurateur recognized for championing the culinary heritage of Southern Mindanao, specificallyTausug cuisine.[178]
^Challenger Expedition 1872-1876 (1895).Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76 Under the Command of Captain George S. Nares ... and the Late Captain Frank Tourle Thomson, R.N. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 823–828.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Blair, Emma Helen; Robertson, James Alexander (1905).The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898. Vol. 25. Cleveland, Ohio: Arthur H. Clark Company. pp. 150–177.
^"Jesuits In The Philippines (1581-1768)" Page 325 "The acting governor at the time, Juan Cerezo de Salamanca, saw the merits of this proposal as soon as it was presented to him, and he decided to put it into execution at once. Towards the end of March 1635, two forces of 300 Spanish and 1,000 Visayan troops set sail from Cebu under the command of Captain Juan de Chavez. But instead of proceeding to Jolo as in previous years, they went ashore at what is now the site of the city of Zamboanga, and there proceeded to fortify themselves. The date, a memorable one, was 6 April 1635.
^Image–Object–Performance: Mediality and Communication in Cultural Contact Zones of Colonial Latin America and the Philippines, ed. Astrid Windus and Eberhard Crailsheim (Munster: Waxmann Verlag, 2013)
^"Station 98836 Zamboanga".Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived fromthe original on October 17, 2017. RetrievedOctober 8, 2018.
^ab"Profile of Region 9".Department of Trade and Industry. Archived fromthe original on June 12, 2018. RetrievedJuly 25, 2018.Roman Catholicism is the major religion practiced in the region. The other major religions are Islam, and Born-Again Christianity.
^"History".Subanen Tribe. Archived fromthe original on May 12, 2018. RetrievedMay 12, 2018.
^Jose, Coleen (June 7, 2014)."The Badjao Sea People of Zamboanga".The Coral Triangle. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. RetrievedMay 4, 2018.
^abRaymond Tan Shu Kiah (June 19, 2000).[Speeches by Raymond Tan Shu Kiah] (Speech). The Seminar on Twin City – Sandakan and Zamboanga.Virtual Office of Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah. Renaissance Sandakan Hotel. Archived fromthe original on April 14, 2012. RetrievedMarch 27, 2014.
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