Zamboanga city has a population of 180,000 people with 98 barangays. From Cagayan de oro by plane takes about 35 min, a fast way of travelling 330 odd km, or you could take the scenic root with a 12 hour land travel on a fully air-conditioned bus. The trip has 4 major stopovers including the destination: Iligan City, Pagadian City, Buug and lastly Zamboanga City. the fare is about $19.
Zamboanga as a place with an untouched nature, famous for its rich culture, preserved history and sumptuous delicacies that to me would be hard to explore due to the city’s negative image as a conflict area with unstable peace and order, which of course was tainted by malicious press releases in the past, aside from that I was amazed at the city hall’s architecture. The meticulous hands of its carpenters showed a perfect craftsmanship. The city hall was built in 1905 and was completed two years after. It served as the seat of government for American Governors assigned in the Zamboanga Peninsula and until now, it was preserved and used as the office of the mayor. It is also considered as the historical landmark tourist attraction in the city.
The southwest and eastern sides of Zamboanga are bounded by irregular coastlines with beautiful rocky terrain and occasional stretches of sandy or gravelly beaches.
Zamboanga City hosts one of the largest number of military, police and coast guard bases in the country.
Seaweed production plants in Zamboanga, along with Cebú and Southern Luzon, produce most of the world’s supply of carrageenan. Seventy-five percent of the country’s eucheuma and kappaphycus seaweed is produced mostly in the Zamboanga peninsula and the Sulu archipelago.
Zamboanga is noted as the Sardines Capital of the Philippines with 9 out of 12 sardines companies in the country operating in the city. Exporting a staggering 19,000 tonnes of canned sardines worth approximately $21 million dollars. The canning factories are converged in the west coast of Zamboanga. Sardine fishing and processing account for about 70 percent of the city’s economy with a natural docking point for vessels traversing the rich fishing grounds of the Zamboanga peninsula and the Sulu archipelago. Zamboanga’s eight canneries, which employ around 15,000 workers, process 1,000 tonnes of sardines daily, have upgraded their production to conform to international food safety and quality standards to enter new markets in European countries.
There a some nice landmarks and tourist places to see in Zambonga,
Sta. Cruz Island
Fort Pilar
Great Santa Cruz Island
Pasonanca Park
Paseo del Mar
Pettit Barracks
Climaco Freedom Park
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