Come here for the best source of crustaceans in the Philippines, and for continued adventure. Zamboanga del Sur comprises four bays, three rivers, three lakes, and plenty of nature. People here speak mainly Cebuano, but you’ll hear a bit of English and Chavacano as well. The land’s first settlers were the “river folk”—called Subanons or Subanens. For a new food trip, try eating one of the local Tausug favorites: tiula itum. It’s a ginger and turmeric infused black soup served hot and spicy. It’s made from beef or chicken and gets its dark color from the burned coconut meat. Satti is another delicacy: small strips of sautéed meat on a stick.
The name of Zamboanga is the Hispanicized spelling of the Sinama term for “mooring place” – samboangan (also spelled sambuangan; and in Subanen, sembwangan), from the root word samboang (“mooring pole”). “Samboangan” was the original name of Zamboanga City, from where the name of the peninsula is derived from. “Samboangan” is well-attested in Spanish, British, French, German, and American historical records from as far back as the 17th century.
This is commonly contested by folk etymologies which instead attribute the name of Zamboanga to the Indonesian word jambangan (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.
Zamboanga del Sur, officially the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Pagadian. Don’t miss the Magayen Festival in September, a week-long gathering, celebrating unity in diversity and good harvest. Here you can enjoy unique cultural dances from each ethnic group, learn about their traditional costumes, or buy showcased arts and crafts.
FORT PILAR
Release your historical savvy self and explore the connections of Zamboanga City’s past and present via Fort Pilar. Find out the untoward fate of the “Griffin” ship during the 18th century and learn the vibrant international trading industry during this certain period through the archeological finds. Fort Pilar is now an outdoor Roman Catholic Marian shrine and a regional branch of the National Museum of the Philippines. The Real Fuerte de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, also Fort Pilar, is a 17th-century military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial government in Zamboanga City.
