Region 9:

Zamboanga Peninsula

Zamboanga del Norte - Dipolog

Zamboanga del Sur - Pagadian

Zamboanga Sibugay - Ipil

Zamboanga City

Isabela City

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.

ZAMBOANGA RANGE –

forms the backbone of the

Zamboanga Peninsula

stretching from Mt. Dabiak in

Zamboanga del Norte and

arching to Zamboanga City in

the Southwest.

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

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.

*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

Provincial Capitol of Dipolog City.

The very popular Dakak Beach

is most known for its

beautifully shaped cove and

powdery white sand.

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 Dipolog-Dapitan-Polanco-Katipunan-Roxas-Manukan (DDPKaRoMa) Alliance.

Hudyaka which

means revelry in

Bisaya is an annual

festival that is

attended by

contingents from

the whole

Zamboanga del

Norte province.

Dipolog P’gsalabuk Festival P’gsalabuk is a Subano term that means “togetherness”. This is the biggest festival of Dipolog City celebrating unity

Buklog Festival - thanksgiving festival of the

Subanen

is a province of the Philippines located in the ZamboangaPeninsula region in Mindanao. PagadianCity 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 Zamboangapeninsula 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 Maranaoswere traders and artisans. Mat weaving was the major occupation of the Muslim settlers.

The most commonly spoken language is Cebuano. Also spoken, although in small percentage, are Zamboangueño, Tagalog, English, Hiligaynon, Maguindanao, Iranun, Subanun, and Ilocano.

• 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

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 is the second largest mountain lake, after Lake Wood, in the province of Zamboangadel 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.

Mt. Susong dalaga in barangay Lourdes

Susong Dalaga is a semi-perfect cone with good forest cover

Lourdes WaterfallsAlso located at barangayLourdes, about 32 kms. from Pagadianproper.

is a province of the Philippines located in the ZamboangaPeninsula 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.

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 BayIt 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 ZamboangaPeninsula which is part of the Mindanao group of islands. Pulo Laum belongs to the barangays of Municipality Olutangawhich are in the outlying area.

In the Island of Olutanga, hundreds of venomous sea snakes called “walo-walo” can become a man’s best friend.

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 ever-changing blooming colors.

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 ZamboangaPeninsula region.

Ethnic Composition

About a third of the region’s

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.

Basilan's earliest settlers was traditionally believed to be the OrangDampuans 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

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.

Datu Kalun Shrine, Lamitan.

Built as a tribute to a famous Yakanleader, it is a triangular park located in the heart of Lamitan City's bustling downtown.

Museo ng 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 Basilanan 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.

THE END!