Zamboanga del Sur

Etymology

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.

History

Early history

The original inhabitants of the Zamboanga Peninsula were the Subanen, who settled along the riverbanks in inland areas; and the various Sama-Bajau and Yakan ethnic groups who settled in coastal areas. Tausūg settlers from northeastern Mindanao also migrated to the region in the 13th century.

The region was additionally settled by migrants (mostly from the Visayas islands) after World War II. Together with the original settlers, these pioneers helped develop Zamboanga del Sur into the abundant and culturally diverse province, making it a melting pot of cultures..

American colonial era

Historically, Zamboanga was the capital of the Moro Province in western Mindanao, which comprised five districts: Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Lanao, and Zamboanga. In 1940, these districts became individual provinces. Zamboanga City became the capital of Zamboanga province.

Philippine independence

Soon after World War II, the provincial capital was transferred to Dipolog. Molave was created as the provincial capital in 1948.

Foundation

On June 6, 1952, through Republic Act No. 711, Zamboanga del Sur was carved out from the former Zamboanga province that encompassed the entire peninsula in southwestern Mindanao. As the 52nd province of the Philippines, it originally consisted of 11 towns with the City of Zamboanga and the Island of Basilan, which were later expanded into 42 municipalities with the City of Pagadian as the capital.

This happened in the midst of the postwar period, a time when Mindanao was peaceful and increasingly progressive. Ethnic tensions were minimal, and there was essentially no presence of secessionists groups in Mindanao. Tensions in Mindanao mostly began to rise only as the 1970s approached, as a result of social and economic tensions which affected the whole country.

The Marcos era

Main article: Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, Ilaga, Jabidah massacre, Moro conflict

The late 1960s in Mindanao saw a rise in land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas, and from the Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups such as the Ilaga. starting from the largely political Muslim Independence Movement and Bangsamoro Liberation Organization, and eventually the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Additionally, an economic crisis in late 1969, violent crackdowns on student protests in 1970, and 1971, and eventually the declaration of Martial Law all led to the radicalization of many students. Many of them left schools in Manila and joined New People's Army units in their home provinces, bringing the New People's Army rebellion to Mindanao for the first time.

The September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14-year period historically remembered for its human rights abuses, often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. In Zamboanga del Sur, these were often attributed to military-endorsed Militias, which included the Ilaga and a number of armed cult groups, which were used to enhance the military's numbers as it fought various resisntance movements.

The year 1982 was a particularly bloody year for Zamboanga del Sur under the Marcos dictatorship, as two massacres happened in the province that year. On February 12, 1982, members of the Ilaga killed 12 persons in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, allegedly to avenge the death of their leader, who they believed had been killed by the NPA. And on May 25, 1982, three people were killed and eight people were injured when the administration's airplanes dropped bombs on Barangay Dimalinao of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur, allegedly as reprisal for the killing of 23 soldiers by supposed rebels two days earlier. Days later, two more men from the community were picked up and killed, and a few months later, the residence of Bayog's Jesuit parish priest was strafed after he had written letters decrying the torture and harassment of the indigenous Subanon people from his parish, whom government had tagged as communist supporters.

Contemporary

Separation of Zamboanga Sibugay

Political developments in February 2001 saw another major change in the territorial jurisdiction of Zamboanga del Sur. Its inhabitants voted to create a new province out of the third congressional district, named Zamboanga Sibugay.

Geography

Zamboanga del Sur covers a total area of 4,499.46 km2 occupying the southern section of the Zamboanga peninsula in western Mindanao. It is located at longitude 122° 30"" and latitude 7° 15"" north. When Zamboanga City is included for statistical purposes, the province's land area is 591416 ha. The province is bordered on the north by Zamboanga del Norte, west by Zamboanga Sibugay, northeast by Misamis Occidental, east by Lanao del Norte, southeast by Illana Bay, and south by the Moro Gulf.

Topography

Stretching northward from Sibugay in the southwest and running along the northern boundary to Salug Valley in the east is the province’s mountainous countryside. The coastal plains extend regularly from south to west then spread into wide flat lands when reaching the coastal plains of the Baganian peninsula in the southeast.

The longest river in Region IX, the Sibugay River gets its water from the mountains of Zamboanga del Sur most specifically in Bayog and Lakewood, from where it flows into Sibuguey Bay which is now part of Zamboanga Sibugay. Other notable rivers are the Kumalarang River, the Dinas River with its headwaters in the Mount Timolan Protected Landscape, and Salug River in Molave.

Climate

The province has a relatively high mean annual rainfall: 1599 to. Temperature is relatively warm and constant throughout the year: 22 to.

Administrative divisions

Zamboanga del Sur comprises 26 municipalities, 1 component city and 1 highly urbanized city organized into two congressional districts and further subdivided into 681 barangays.

Traditionally grouped with Zamboanga del Sur is the highly urbanized city of Zamboanga, which is administratively independent from the province.

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Demographics

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

The population of Zamboanga del Sur in the 2024 census was 1,045,126 people, with a density of {{sigfig|1,045,126/4,499.46|2}} PD/km2. When Zamboanga City is included for statistical purposes, the province's population is 2,063,975 people, with a density of .

Religion

Most of the inhabitants in Zamboanga del Sur are Roman Catholics. Other Christian groups are Baptists, Methodists, Aglipayans, Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist and other Evangelical Christians. There is a large Muslim minority.

Languages

The most commonly spoken first language in the province is Cebuano, while Chavacano is the majority language in and around Zamboanga City. Filipino and English are also widely used and understood as the national and official language (Filipino) and co-official language (English) of the Philippines, with the former used as a lingua franca for and between various non-local ethnic groups or recent migrants and their families. Minority languages include Maguindanaon, Subanen, Tausug, Maranao, and Iranun as well as Hiligaynon, Ibanag, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan and Waray.

Economy

The economy is predominantly agricultural. Products include coco oil, livestock feed milling, rice/corn milling, including the processing of fruits, gifts and housewares made from indigenous materials like handmade paper, roots, rattan, buri, and bamboo; wood-based manufacture of furniture and furniture components from wood, rattan, and bamboo; marine and aquaculture including support services; construction services and manufacture of marble, concrete, and wooden construction materials. There are also mining areas in the province, such as those found in the municipality of Bayog managed by TVI, a Canadian-based mining firm which concentrates on gold mining, and the Cebu Ore Mining which is handling the Ore-Copper-Steel mines. There are also small-scale mines in the municipality of Dumingag.

Government

Governor:

• Victor J. Yu (PDP-Laban)

Vice Governor:

• Roseller L. Ariosa (UNA)

Representatives:

• 1st District - Divina Grace C. Yu (PDP-Laban)
• 2nd District - Leonardo L. Babasa Jr. (PDP-Laban)

Board Members:

• 1st District:
  • Baldomero Fernandez (PDP-Laban)
  • Rogelio Saniel (UNA)
  • Cesar Dacal Jr. (PDP-Laban)
  • Francisvic Villamero (PDP-Laban)
  • Almando Sanoria (NUP)
• 2nd District:
  • Juan Regala (PDP-Laban)
  • Basilio Vidad (PDP-Laban)
  • Raul Famor (PDP-Laban)
  • Ronaldo Poloyapoy (PDP-Laban)
  • Jennifer Mariano (PDP-Laban)
• Ex-Officio:
  • ABC President:
  • PCL President: Teomila Nobleza (PDP-Laban)
  • SK Federation President: Vergel Pilar

Notable people

Within the province jurisdiction

• Felip Jhon Suson a.k.a. Ken - member of Filipino pop boy band, SB19 (Lakewood)
• Antonio Cerilles - former Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during the term of President Joseph Estrada; (from 1998 to 2001); Governor of Zamboanga del Sur from 2010 to 2019 (Pagadian)
• Mateo Olivar - Catholic church worker of the Diocese of Pagadian assassinated during the Marcos dictatorship and one of the first to be formally acknowledged as a martyr of the religious sector's resistance against the Marcos dictatorship at the Philippines’ Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Pagadian)
• Enrique Ona - former Secretary of Health (2010 - December 19, 2014); former executive director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (Pagadian)
• Francese Therese Pinlac - is a member of MNL48's Team L. She was also a member of TGC Senbatsu before being promoted as an official member of MNL48, the official sister group of the highest-selling JPOP phenomenon, AKB48 (Pagadian)
• Divina Grace Yu - current Governor of Zamboanga Del Sur from 2025-present
• Victor Yu - former Governor of Zamboanga del Sur from 2019–2025 (Pagadian)

Outside the province jurisdiction (highly-urbanized city of [[Zamboanga City|Zamboanga]])

Main article: Category:People from Zamboanga City, Zamboanga City#Notable personalities

References

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