Sulu Students Tour Asia's Latin City

Some 80 grade school Muslim students and teachers, led by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan arrive in Zamboanga City for an educational tour Wednesday, May 14, 2008 where the children met and spoke with Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, who briefed the visitors about the historic past of Zamboanga, now branded as Asia's Latin City. The children also toured the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Pasonanca mountain park in Zamboanga City. The tour, dubbed as Lakbay-Bata, is a joint project between the Sulu Provincial Government and the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States' Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 14, 2008) – Some 80 Muslim grade school students and teachers from Sulu province in the southern Philippines toured Zamboanga City in Mindanao as part of a program aimed at educating the children about the region’s historical past.

The students, accompanied by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, met with the local Mayor Celso Lobregat who briefed them about Zamboanga and its past. “This is program aims to provide the children about our rich culture and history and will make them more patriotic and responsible as young citizens of this country,” Tan said.

Tan said the tour is a joint project between the Sulu Provincial Government, the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region, the Philippine and US military forces.

Lobregat welcomed the children and even sang them a song. “We are happy that Governor Sakur Tan brought all of you to our beautiful Zamboanga, Asia’s Latin City and we are sure that you will enjoy your stay in Zamboanga,” Lobregat told some 60 students and 20 teachers at the City Hall.

The branding of Zamboanga as Asia's Latin City was spearheaded by the League of Cities, the World Bank and the involvement of the different local sectors. Its dialect is a mixture of Spanish and other Filipino tongues.

Chavacano is spoken by a majority of the people here, in Basilan and other parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The growth of Chavacano in Zamboanga can be traced to a concentration of Spanish nationals in Zamboanga at the height of the Spaniards colonization efforts in Mindanao that lasted for centuries until the late 1800.

Local officials said this would give the city a positive shift since it carries an international appeal and anchored on the rich Castilian influence and history of Zamboanga City, once called the City of Flowers because of its beautiful landscapes and flower gardens.

The branding of Zamboanga will provide the city with a competitive global outlook instead of just comparing it with other cities in Mindanao, according to Lobregat.

Zamboanga City had been under Spanish rule in the past and was also used as a base for American soldiers. The city is also popularly known as "Zamboanga Hermosa."

While Sulu was a known international trade center for Chinese traders in the past and Zamboanga served as an economic gateway to Mindanao and the central Philippines.

The area around Zamboanga Peninsula has been occupied by indigenous people as early as 30,000 years ago. The first inhabitants were the Subanons and Lutaos and later, the Islamized ethnic groups of Samals, Bajaus, Tausugs, and Yakans. (Jun Delgado)