Zambales | |
|---|---|
      (from top: left to right) Zambales coastline,Zambales Provincial Capitol,Subic Bay,Zambales Mountains, Subic Bay Economic Zone andOlongapo City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Chromite Capital of the Philippines[1] | |
| Anthem:Himno ng ZambalesEnglish: Zambales Hymn Marcha ZambaleñoEnglish: March of the Zambaleans | |
 Location within the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:15°20′N120°10′E / 15.33°N 120.17°E /15.33; 120.17 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Central Luzon |
| Founded | 1578 |
| Capital | Iba |
| Largest city | Olongapo |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Hermogenes E. Ebdane, Jr. (PFP) |
| • Vice Governor | Jacqueline Rose F. Khonghun (Lakas-CMD) |
| • Legislature | Zambales Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,645.83 km2 (1,407.66 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 35th out of 81 |
| (excluding Olongapo City) | |
| Highest elevation | 2,037 m (6,683 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 909,932(includingOlongapo City) |
| • Rank | 46th out of 81 |
| Demonyms |
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| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 1
|
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays |
|
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Zambales(shared withOlongapo City) |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| • Languages | |
| • Major religions | |
| • Ecclesiastical dioceses | Diocese of Iba (Roman Catholic) Diocese of Zambales (Aglipayan Church) |
| • Patron saint | Our Lady of Poon Bato andSaint Augustine of Hippo |
| • Feast day | January 24 and August 28 respectively |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)47 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-ZMB |
| Website | www.zambales.gov.ph |
Zambales, officially theProvince of Zambales (Sambal:Probinsya nin Zambales;Ilocano:Probinsia ti Zambales;Pangasinan:Luyag na Zambales;Kapampangan:Lalawigan ning Zambales;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Zambales), is aprovince in thePhilippines located in theCentral Luzonregion. Its capital isIba, which is located in the middle of the province.Olongapo is the largest city of the province wherein it is geographically located but politically independent.
Zambales bordersPangasinan to the north and northeast,Tarlac to the east,Pampanga to the southeast,Bataan to the south and theSouth China Sea to the west. With a total land area of 3,830.83 square kilometres (1,479.09 sq mi) (including the independent city ofOlongapo), Zambales is the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon afterNueva Ecija. The province is noted for itsmangoes, which are abundant from January to April.
Zambales does not have a functional airport; the closest functional airport isClark International Airport inAngeles City in the neighbouring province of Pampanga.Subic Bay International Airport, which is located inCubi Point (geographically and politically located insideMorong,Bataan) in theSubic Bay Freeport Zone is no longer functional for domestic and international flights.[4]
The Freeport Zone (SBFZ) is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos, parks, malls, beach-side huts, cottages and resorts, as well as historical sites.
The name of the province is derived from "Zambales", the Hispanized name of theSambal people. The Sambal were the original dominantethnic group of the region.[5]
TheSpanish first explored the area in 1572, led byJuan de Salcedo.[6] Off Cape Bolinao (now part of Pangasinan), he and his men liberated a Zambal chieftain and his followers from a Chinese pirate ship. This act gained the natives' goodwill. Shortly thereafter, the province was organized. Among the earliest towns founded wereMasinloc (1607),Subic (1607),Iba (1611),Santa Cruz (1612), andBotolan (1736).[7] Zambales was originally derived from 2 parts: the southern area fromPampanga and the northern area fromPangasinan.
During the Spanish period, a 1774 map was made, which clearly named Scarborough Shoals asPanacot Shoal, a feature under complete sovereignty of Spanish Philippines, specifically of Zambales. The shoal's current name was chosen by Captain Philip D'Auvergne, whoseEast India CompanyEast IndiamanScarborough briefly grounded on one of the rocks on September 12, 1784, before sailing on to China. When the Philippines was granted independence in the 19th century and 20th century, Scarborough Shoal was passed by the colonial governments to the sovereign Republic of the Philippines.[8][9] By the end of the 1700s, Zambales had 1,136 native families and 73Spanish Filipino families.[10]: 539 [11]: 31, 54, 113
Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the last three towns above during its history before finally settling in Iba, due to its strategic location. Seven of the province's original northern towns, which includedBolinao,Infanta, San Isidro, nowBurgos,Anda,Bani,Agno andAlaminos were later transferred under the jurisdiction ofPangasinan because of their distance from the capital.[6] The first civil governor of Zambales during the colonial American era wasPotenciano Lesaca from 1901 to 1903.
Under a 1947 Military Bases Agreement,[12] the Philippines granted the United States a 99-year lease on several U.S. bases, includingU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay.[13] A later amendment in 1966 reduced the original 99-year term of the agreement to 25 years.[14] A renewal of the agreement in 1979[15] allowed the U.S. to continue operating the bases until November 1991,[16] when the Philippine Senate rejected a bill for the renewal of U.S. bases in the Philippines.[14]
The beginning months of the 1970s marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Zambales.[17][18] During hisbid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused[19][20] the Philippine economy took a sudden downwards turn known as the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which in turn led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.[21][22]: "43" [23][24]
With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines underMartial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.[25] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record ofhuman rights abuses,[26][27] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[28] During the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, Zambales was one of the most militarized areas.[29][30] Among the Zambales activists who were killed by the Marcos regime during this time were Ellecer Cortes,[31] Dennis Deveraturda,[32] andButch Landrito - all of whom were later recognized at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial for resisting the Marcos regime's assault on democracy.[33]
In Olongapo, the continuation of the Vietnam war through this period meant the arrival of a constantly growing number of U.S. Sailors to Subic Naval Base, and along with it,the rapid growth of prostitution.[34] The policies of the Marcos administration encouraged the growth of the sex-industry[35]: 128 because it increased the flow of higher value currency into the Philippine economy.[36]: 13 The economy of this part of Zambales evolved from a largely agricultural orientation at the end of the 1960s towards one built around sex industry related businesses such as bars by the mid-1970s.[35][36]
In 1986, the province was one of the main supporters of thePeople Power Revolution in Manila, which topped the 21-year dictatorship and installedCorazon Aquino as president, bringing back democracy to the country.[37]
The province was heavily affected by the1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Due to this, the economy of the province weakened for some time, but regained vitality a few years after the government ordered the revitalization of the province and established growth in its southern towns, which later became a significant economic zone in the country by 1995.[38][39]
The 2012Scarborough Shoal standoff led to a situation where access to the shoal was restricted by the People's Republic of China.[40] However, in 2016, following meetings between the Philippine president Duterte and his PRC counterparts, the PRC allowed Filipino fishermen to access the shoals for fishing.[41]
In 2018, it was revealed that for every 3,000 peso worth of fish catch by Sambal fisherfolks, China siphoned them in exchange for 'two bottles of mineral water' worth 20 pesos.[42] The revelations led to public unrest against China and the Duterte-administered Philippine government. Filipino presidentRodrigo Duterte fired back against his fellow Filipinos, including those from Zambales, saying that China's acts were 'fine' as they were 'only barter'.[43][44][45] On June 14, 2018, China's destruction of Scarborough Shoal's reefs surged to an extent which they became visible via Google Earth and Philippine satellites, as confirmed by theUniversity of the Philippines Diliman.[46]
Zambales lies on the western shores ofLuzon island along theSouth China Sea. Its shoreline is rugged and features many coves and inlets. TheZambales Mountains in the eastern length of the province occupies about 60% of the total land area of Zambales.Subic Bay, at the southern end of the province, provides a natural harbor, and was the location of theU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay until its closure in 1992.[6]
The summit andcrater lake ofMount Pinatubo lies withinBotolan municipality in Zambales, near thetripoint of Zambales,Pampanga andTarlac provinces.[47] This volcano, once considereddormant,erupted violently in June 1991. The former summit of the volcano was obliterated by the massive eruption and replaced by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) widecaldera, within whichLake Pinatubo is situated. With an average depth of 800 m (2,600 ft), Lake Pinatubo is the deepest lake in the Philippines. The highest point of the caldera rim is 1,485 m (4,872 ft) above sea level, some 260 m (850 ft) lower than the pre-eruption summit. A vast portion of the Zambales province acquired desert-like features in 1991,[6] after being buried by more than 20 feet (6.1 m) oflahar.
Zambales has two pronounced seasons: dry from October to June, and wet from July to September.
Zambales comprises 13municipalities and onehighly urbanized city, which are divided into twolegislative districts.[48]Olongapo City is a highly urbanized city and administers itself autonomously from the province. Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) a Philippine-claimed territory, is a designated part of the province.
The northern half of the province typically comprises the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, and Palauig. The central half of the province consists of the municipalities of Iba (the capital), Botolan, Cabangan, and San Felipe. The southern half of the province is composed of the municipalities of San Narciso, San Marcelino, San Antonio, Castillejos, Subic, and the highly urbanized city of Olongapo.
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The 13 municipalities and 1 city of the province comprise 247barangays, withSanta Rita inOlongapo City as the most populous in 2010, andOwaog-Nibloc inBotolan as the least. If cities are excluded,Calapacuan inSubic has the highest population as of 2010.[50]
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| (excluding Olongapo City) Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[49][50][50] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The population of Zambales in the 2020 census was 649,615 people,[51] with a density of 180 inhabitants per square kilometre or 470 inhabitants per square mile. WhenOlongapo City is included for geographical purposes, the province's population is 909,932 people, with a density of215/km2 (557/sq mi).
TheAetas ofMount Pinatubo were the earliest inhabitants of what is now the province of Zambales.[6] They were later displaced[6] by theSambal, anAustronesian people after whom the province is named. Many Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries that have been handed down through the generations.
TheTagalogs, theIlocanos, theSambal, theKapampangans, and thePangasinans today constitute the five largestethnic groups in Zambales; these identities may and do, however, overlap with one another due tointermarriage[52] and other factors. The less populated valley of the province was settled by settlers from theIlocos and theTagalog regions, leading to the assimilation of Sambals to Ilocano & Tagalog settlers & modern decline in the Sambal cultural identity and language.[5][53][54][55][56] Most of the people of southern Zambales are migrants from different parts of the country, owing the influx of job opportunities brought on by theU.S Subic Naval Base (San Antonio andSubic) during theAmerican regime of the country. Many people found jobs and permanently settled there. The presence of the Americans greatly influenced the culture and way of life of the inhabitants.
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The people of Zambales are predominantlyRoman Catholic (78.22%) under the jurisdiction of theDiocese of Iba. A sizeable portion of the population also belongs to theAglipayan Church (6.12%) under the jurisdiction of theDiocese of Zambales andIglesia ni Cristo (6%) the province has subdivided into 2 Ecclesiastical Districts of the Church has numerous locales dominates in cities and municipalities even in remote barrios . The remaining are divided with otherChristian groups such asBorn-again Christians,United Methodist Church,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Jehovah's Witnesses,Seventh-day Adventist,United Church of Christ in the Philippines as well as Non Christians which is usually represented byMuslims.
Town fiestas honoringpatron saints are practiced in eachparish.
Sambal,Tagalog, andIlocano are the three main languages of Zambales.[6] Ilocano has 115,337native speakers, Sambal has 114,637, and Tagalog has 250,637 (plus 24,995non-native speakers).[58] Sambal residents in Iba have switched their language from Sambal to Ilocano & Tagalog, while Castillejos has shifted from Ilocano to Tagalog, and Cabangan from Ilocano and Sambal to Tagalog.[53] Sambal & Sambalic languages as a whole are most closely related to Kapampangan. More than 119,126 spoke other languages as theirparent tongue, such asKapampangan andPangasinan (also spoken by Sambals on the Zambales-Pangasinan boundary), including non-Philippine languages such asEnglish andHokkien Chinese.[58] Other Sambalic languages spoken in Zambales areBotolan,Ambala, andMag-antsi. About 75 percent of the population speaks and understands English to varying degrees of fluency, androad signs are mostly written in that language.
Zambales is considered first-class when it achieved its annual revenue growth of P2.09 billion from 2020 to 2022 with economy grew by 5% in 2023, which was slower than the 11.2% growth in 2022. Tourism plays a large role in the economy of Zambales. Local and foreign tourist flock its many beaches creating many job opportunities and contributing to the economy. Most of the province is still agricultural but there are considerable industrial & commercial zones that provide jobs not just for residents of Zambales but also for neighboring provinces. Mining has recently been booming in Zambales where there is an abundant deposit of Nickel and other minerals.[6]
Zambales is basically an agricultural province. The chief products arerice,mangoes,corn,vegetables, androot crops. Major industries includefarming,fishing, andmining.
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There are a number of higher educational institutions in the province. The President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU), the first state university in the province can be found in Iba. It has alsosatellite campuses in the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Botolan, San Marcelino, and Castillejos. St. Joseph College-Olongapo, a college run by the Roman Catholic Church can be found in Olongapo City. The Columban College, run by the Catholic Church can be found also in Olongapo. The Magsaysay Memorial College is also run by the Roman Catholic Church and can be found in San Narciso.
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The miners told Salonga that Zambales was known before as the chromite capital of the Philippines, but with big developments in China today, magnetite iron ore has become more important than chromite.
Geographic data related toZambales atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Zambales | |
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 Province ofZambales | |
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