Region 9: Zamboanga Peninsula

Provinces
Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Sur
Zamboanga Sibugay
Cities
Zamboanga
Dapitan
Dipolog
Pagadian
Isabela
Location/Composition
The Region 9 or Zamboanga Peninsula,
as it is known now, was formerly
Western
Mindanao
is
in
the
southernmost portion of the country. It is
bounded by: Sulu Sea on the north; Illana
Bay and Moro Gulf on the south; Misamis
Occidental, Lanao del Norte and Panguil
Bay on the east; and the Celebes Sea on
the west.
Physiography
The Zamboanga Peninsula is surrounded
by bodies of water; the region relied on
fishing as one of its major industries.

Zamboanga
del
norte
is
a province of
the Philippines located
in
the Zamboanga
Peninsula region in Mindanao.
Its capital is Dipolog City and the
province borders Zamboanga del
Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay to
the south and Misamis Occidental
to the east.
The Sulu
Sea lies
to
the
northwest of Zamboanga del
Norte. Zamboanga del Norte is
the
largest
province
of Zamboanga Peninsula in terms
of land area.

The ZAMBOANGA Peninsula was known

as Sibugay or Sibuguey during the
coming of the Spanish conquistadors.
And later on was changed into
Zamboanga from the capital town of the
province which derived it's name from
the
Malay
word
Sambangan
meaning: a place where wild flowers
grow.
ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE hilly &
mountainous with plains along the
coastlines.
NO ACTIVE VOLCANOES
Commerce and Industry
Zamboanga del Norte's main crops are
coconut, corn, palay, banan, cassava,
and vegetables. Its known mineral
deposits are gold, chromite, manganese,
asbestos and silica. Fishing and farming
are the primary economic activities.
Leading
industries
include
coconut
production as well as rice, corn and
banana production. The region is the
third highest in fish production in the
country.
Agriculture and Fisheries
Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte is
renowned for pioneering the production
of in-glass or bottled sardines in the
country.
Region 9 ranks third in terms of
seaweeds
production
contributing
roughly 12% of the total national output.

Total of 104 big dried fish

processors in the region
TOURIST/ATTRACTIONS
DAKAK in Dipolog - The very popular
Dakak Beach is most known for its
beautifully shaped cove and powdery
white sand.
Pulacan Falls in Labangan -These
natural wonders are popular with tourists
because of their beauty and majestic
power.

Libuton Cave -the Libuton Cave in the

municipality of Manukan, Zamboanga del
Norte is one of the ecotourism sites being
developed and promoted by the DipologDapitan-Polanco-Katipunan-RoxasManukan (DDPKaRoMa) Alliance.

FESTIVALS
KINABAYO FESTIVAL, (June 12 to July
25 of every year )
- held in Dapitan City and Zamboanga del
Norte; colorful pageant re-enacting the
Spanish-Moorish wars.
HUDYAKA ZANORTE FESTIVAL
-Hudyaka which means revelry in Bisaya
is an annual festival that is attended by
contingents from the whole Zamboanga
del Norte province.
Dipolog Pgsalabuk Festival
-Pgsalabuk is a Subano term that means
togetherness. This is the biggest
festival of Dipolog City celebrating unity
Buklog Festival - thanksgiving festival
of the Subanen
ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR
-is a province of the Philippines located in
the Zamboanga Peninsula region in
Mindanao. Pagadian City is the capital.
Zamboanga del Sur is subdivided into 26
municipalities and 1 component city.
These divisions are further subdivided
into 681 barangays.
The name of Zamboanga was derived
from the Malay word "Jambangan",
meaning a pot or place of flowers.
The
original
inhabitants
of
the
Zamboanga
peninsula
were
the
Subanons. The next group of settlers to
arrive were Muslim migrants from the
neighboring
provinces.
The
Maguindanaoans and Kalibugans were
farmers; the Tausugs, Samals, and

Badjaos were fishermen; and the

Maranaos were traders and artisans. Mat
weaving was the major occupation of the
Muslim settlers.
Languages and Dialects
-The most commonly spoken language is
Cebuano. Also spoken, although in small
percentage, are Zamboangueo, Tagalog,
English,
Hiligaynon,
Maguindanao,
Iranun, Subanun, and Ilocano.

Chavacano:
Spanish-based
Creole language (derived from
the Spanish word "chabacano",
meaning "poor taste," "vulgar,"
"common," "of low quality)

Cebuano (Bisaya)

Zamboangueo

Magindanaon

Sama
Subanon
(Tuboy-Salog;
Kanluranin/Siocon; Lapuyan

Agriculture and Fisheries

Raising of chicken is the
primary poultry raising activity.
(Zamboanga del Sur contributed
most.)
Other agricultural activities:

Ornamental
&
flower
gardening
(excluding
orchid)
are
more
common.

High
percentage
increases in mushroom
culture
&
sericulture/silk/cocoon
activity

Tourist/Attractions
-PITOGO ISLAND IN PITOGO
-Pulacan Waterfalls in Labangan
-LAKEWOOD in pagadian city -The
lake got its name when Gen. Leonard
Wood, the governor of the Moro Province
in 1904, ordered Capt. Cornelius Smith to
explore the inner territories of Mindanao
starting from Iligan to Misamis. They
stumbled upon the lake, which the
natives called Danao. Capt. Smith

renamed it Lake Leonard Wood, which

eventually became Lakewood.
-Lake Dasay -Lake Dasay is the second
largest mountain lake, after Lake Wood,
in the province of Zamboanga del Sur,
Philippines. With an elevation of about
230 meters, it covers a 40-hectare area
surrounded by forestland and is located
in the town of San Miguel.
-Manga Falls in barangay Manga
-Mt. Susong dalaga in barangay
Lourdes -Susong Dalaga is a semiperfect cone with good forest cover
-Lourdes Waterfalls-Also located at
barangay Lourdes, about 32 kms. from
Pagadian proper.

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY
-is a province of the Philippines located in
the Zamboanga
Peninsula region in
Mindanao. Its capital is Ipil and it borders
Zamboanga del Norte to the north,
Zamboanga del Sur to the east and
Zamboanga City to the southwest
Zamboanga Sibugay was formerly part of
Zamboanga del Sur. Attempts to divide
Zamboanga del Sur into separate
provinces date as far back as the 1960s.
Several bills were filed in the Philippine
Congress, but remained unacted. The
new province was finally created by
Republic Act No. 8973 passed on
November 7, 2000 and signed into law by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on
February 24, 2001. Zamboanga del Sur
Third District Representative George
Hofer was elected as its first governor in
2001.
Economy
The leading industries are in the areas of
semi-processed rubber, rice and corn
milling, ordinary food processing, wood
and rattan furniture making, dried fish &
squid processing, and home-made food
processing.
New
industries
include

concrete products, garments, wax and

candle factories, lime making, and other
home and cottage industries.
Major crops produced include rice, corn,
coconuts, rubber, fruit trees, vegetables,
tobacco, coffee, cacao, and root crops.
Livestock and poultry productions are
predominantly small-scale and backyard
operations. Coal mining in large and
small scale and precious metal mining in
small scale category are likewise present
in some areas of the province.
Tourist/ attractions
-Sibuguey Bay -Sibuguey Bay is a large
bay of Moro Gulf, off the southwestern
coast of Mindanao Island, in the southern
Philippines. The bay and Moro Gulf are
part of the Celebes Sea.
-Tantanan Bay-It is the largest fish
sanctuary
found in the
province.
Tantanan Bay is located within the
municipality of Alicia, encompassing an
area of five hectares.

-Pulo Laum
Pulo Laum is a barangay of the philippine
municipality Olutanga in the province
Zamboanga Sibugay in Zamboanga
Peninsula which is part of the Mindanao
group of islands.
Pulo Laum belongs to the barangays of
Municipality Olutanga which are in the
outlying area.
In the Island of Olutanga, hundreds of
venomous sea snakes called walowalo can become a mans best friend.
-Buluan Island, Floating Cottage,
Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
-Litayun Island municipality of Alicia
-Moalboal Cave in the municipality of
Titay.
ZAMBOANGA CITY
In 2006, Zamboanga City was re-labeled
from "City of Flowers" to "Asia's Latin

City". The new label is the brainchild of

Mayor. Celso L. Lobregat believing that
this was a more relevant and significant
label given the fact that the people of
Zamboanga speak Chavacano,
Historically, the City of Zamboanga has
always been sentimentally referred to as
"The City of Flowers." It's ancient
founders, the Subanons, named it
"Jambangan" in their native language,
meaning "a place of flowers." According
to legend, the place was resplendent
with flowers and full of their everchanging blooming colors.
FIESTA
Kinabayo Festival
-The city of Dapitan is due to celebrate
its Kinabayo Festival in tribute to the
celebration of its Patron St. James or
Seor Santiago through a combining
religious, cultural and sports events.
The Kinabayo Festival will kick off this
July 16 and will culminate on July 31 with
different events taking place
within Dapitan City The Shrine City of
the Philippines.
One of the highlight events is
the Kinabayo Festival Street Dancing
Competition and the search for Miss
Dapitan. Kinabayo Festival is a free
interpretation contest open to all
interested groups based within the city.
The interpretative dance must pervade
the Sinug with the use of San Fransico
leaves as a form of adoration to the
Citys Patron Saint. Kinabayo dance step
called prancing and the musical piece
Gozos ni Sr. Santiago are strongly
advised to be used during the dance
ritual.
Megayon
Festival- is
a
colorful
thanksgiving festival for rich harvest of
crops in Tigbao, Zamboanga del sur,
Mindanao, participated in by thousands
of participants from the Subanean ethnic
group. The festival also portrays unity
and solidarity as it showcases, through
street and ethnic dance, the living

tradition and
province.

diverse

culture

of

the

PAGSALABUK FESTIVAL
CELEBRATED FROM MAY 20 TO
JULY 1 EVERY YEAR
The term
Pagsalabuk is of ethnic origin
that means gathering that
came from the early tribal
settlers called the Subanos or
river people who were part of the
second wave of Malay migrations
to the Philippines.
ISABELA CITY
-is a 4th class city and the capital of the
province of Basilan, Philippines. It is also
colloquially known as "Isabela de Basilan"
to differentiate the city's name from the
province of Isabela in Luzon island.
While
administratively
the
island
province of Basilan is part of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM), Isabela City itself is in not part
of this region and is placed under the
Zamboanga Peninsula region.
Religion
According to statistics compiled by the
Philippine
government,
the
most
dominant religion in the city is
Christianity with 73% of the population
adhering to the faith. The majority of
Christians are Roman Catholics with
minorities of Protestants, Iglesia Ni Cristo
and
Jesus
Miracle
Crusade.
The
remaining 27% percent belongs to other
non-Christian faiths such as Islam and
Buddhism.
Catholics - The city contains the first
Catholic diocese in Mindanao, today's
Archdiocese of Zamboanga which was
created in 1910 and elevated to an
archbishopric in 1958.
Protestants - With the inception of the
American era, Other religions were
introduced. Seventh Day Adventists,
Church of Latter day Saints, Iglesia Ni
Cristo and United Church of Christ in the
Philippines are included.

Muslims - The Muslims have been an

integral part of Zamboanga City since the
beginning. Before any other religions
were practiced in Zamboanga City, the
Muslim religion already had a firm hold of
the area.
It is estimated that approximately 22% of
the people in Zamboanga City are
Muslims. Some barangays of Zamboanga
City are populated by 100% Muslim.
These barangays with Muslim majority
population, do not celebrate "Fiestas".
Instead, they celebrate Hari Raya
Ethnic Composition
About a third of the regions population is
composed of ethnic people. These
groups, usually erroneously classified
under the general heading of Muslims,
are actually distinct from each other in
culture. They are generally divided into
the Tausugs, Yakans, Badjaos, Samals,
and the Subanons of Zamboanga del
Norte,
Zamboanga
del
Sur,
and
Zamboanga Sibugay.
YAKAN
Basilan's
earliest
settlers
was
traditionally believed to be the Orang
Dampuans originating from the islands of
Eastern Indonesia, who were the
ancestors of the native Yakans. They are
variously called the Orang Dyaks or the
Tagihamas.
-Yakans
are
peace-loving
people,
originally pagans until the spread of
Islam in the island. Yakan men and
women are distinguished by skin-tight
trousers and bulky waist sashes which
serve as protection from bladed weapons
or as hummocks in the hills at night
-These days, Yakans are engaged in both
dry and wet agriculture. They grow
upland rice, corn, coconut, and root
crops. Hunting continues but is mainly for
amusement.
They boast of their intricately
designed hand-woven cloth which no
other tribe in the country can imitate.

Subanens
The Subanens are considered the
aborigines of Zamboanga, settling in the
city before the Spaniards occupied it. The
term Subanen, derived from Suba (river),
means People of the River. The Subanens
form a single distinctive cultural and
linguistic group and are mostly farmers
who grow upland rice, root, and tree
crops.
Badjaos
Often referred to as the Philippine sea
gypsies, the Badjaos, until recently,
spent their lives on their small boats
which frequent the waters around the
numerous
islands
of
the
Sulu
Archipelago.
Today, about two-thirds of the
Tawi-Tawi Badjaos still use boats as
permanent living quarters. Some of their
villages are in fact flotillas.
The Badjaos are of two groups: the
southern Badjaos of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi,
who call themselves a single bangsa or
ethnic group; and the northern Badjaos
(the Basilan and Zamboanga groups).
Though water people, they go on land
and are buried on land. They make
frequent trips to their cemeteries to seek
favors from spirits of their deceased
ancestors and relatives.
Samas
The Samas are a grouping of tribes that
generally inhabit the shorelines of
northern and southern Sulu, Tawi-Tawi,
Basilan, as well as the Zamboanga
Peninsula and nearby islands.
They are peace-loving people
whose means of livelihood is fishing.
Their staple food is the cassava or puto
as it is locally called. They also eat fruits
and vegetables, showing a partiality to
mangoes.
Their principal musical instrument is the
gabbang or nose flute
Tausugs

The Tausugs, considered the most

politically dominant group in the Sulu
Archipelago, inhabit the island of Jolo and
are dispersed into several communities
in the smaller islands of Tawi-Tawi,
Basilan, and Southern Palawan.
They have a rich culture, an amalgam of
different cultures and foreign influence
that dates back to as early as the 13th
century.
when Sulu was trading with China, India,
the East Indies, Arabia, and Japan.
They formed the Sultanate of Sulu in the
15th century. Jolo, which has been the
seat of power, is predominantly Tausug.
Fishing is one occupation many
Tausugs are engaged in. They also plant
upland rice inter-cropped with cassava,
coconut, abaca, and coffee.

TOURIST AND ATTRACTION

Built as a tribute to a famous Yakan
leader, it is a triangular park located in
the heart of Lamitan City's bustling
downtown.
Datu Kalun Shrine, Lamitan.
which showcases the Lami-lamihan
Festival. It also serves as the information
center for Lamitan City.
Kaum Purnah Mosque in municipality
of Isabela in Basilan
an old and imposing mosque, the sight of
which greets visitors on ferries as they
sail the channel into Isabela.
Santa Isabel Cathedral, Isabela City,
an art deco cathedral with a mosaic altar
reminiscent
of
Roman-Byzantine
cathedrals, named in honor of the patron
saint of Isabela.
Basilan Provincial Capitol, site of
Fort Isabela II. The original fort was
bombed and destroyed towards the
end of World War II, having been
used by the occupying Japanese
forces as a munitions dump. A newer
Capitol Building was built on the
spot where the old Basilan City Hall

stood after it was burned in the

early 1990s. The new building is a
celebration of Muslim and Christian
influences which shaped modern-day
Basilan, and still occupies the
highest point of the city proper.
Natural Tourist Attractions
The region is blessed with numerous
tourist
attractions.
Besides
many
enchanting islands and islets, there are
cultural and historical shrines as well as
exotic scenic spots and pristine beaches.
Among these are Santa Cruz Island,
Vista del Mar, Zamboanga Golf and
Country Club, and Dakak Beach
Resort.
Vintas (slim boats) with colorful sails
and a number of beautiful mosques are
just a few of its ethnic attractions. Fort
Pilar in Zamboanga City, a walled
fortification built by the Spaniards and
the Shrine of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the
Philippine national hero, in Dapitan City,
are a must-see for historical buffs.
Vintas
The vinta (locally
known
as lepalepa or sakayan) is a traditional boat
found
in
the Philippine island
of Mindanao. These boats are made
by Bajau and Moros living in the Sulu
Archipelago, Zamboanga peninsula, and
southern Mindanao. It has a sail with
assorted vertical colors that represents
the colorful culture and history of the
Muslim community. These boats are used
for inter-island transport of people and
goods.
Sta. Cruz Island
Known for its pinkish sand beach
which gets its unique hue from coral bits
washed up from the sea bottom. The
island is ideal for swimming, skin/scuba
diving, beachcombing, and sunbathing.
Vista del Mar
The beach itself is lacking in its
content
and
visual
appeal,
but

nevertheless remains popular with city

residents and continues to attract
throngs of people into its warm shallow
waters.
Zamboanga Golf and Country Club
The lack of sand bunker hazards
is noticeable, as is the abundance of
trees. The front nine of this course is
relatively flatter and straighter than the
back nine, which is more of a challenge.
Enjoy the view of the Basilan Strait as
you play in this 18-hole golfing paradise.
Dakak Beach Resort
The closest place to paradise one
could ever experience, with its beauty
and serenity. Dakak started operating on
1988, was conveniently positioned in the

southern part of the Philippines and

surrounded by mountains in its west.
Situated at Taguilon, Dapitan City,
Zamboanga del Norte, Dakak tactfully
eludes the typhoon belt, making it
anideal
all-season
destination
for
travelers
Shrine of Dr. Jose P. Rizal
Rizal House
Sala of House
Kitchen
Rizals Bedroom.
Dormitory and School

Prepared by:

JESSICA
MOSCARDON
BEED-4

PRIAS-