Historical marker unveiled in Zamboanga

THE NATIONAL Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a historical marker in Zamboanga City documenting the passage of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 in the coastal village of Cawit.

Top: Mayor Beng Climaco poses with NHIP and DOT officials following the unveiling of a historical marker in Barangay Cawit. (Kathy Wee Sit)

Magellan led a voyage in 1519 and was concluded by a Spanish navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1522. The Magellan-Elcano expedition was the earliest known to circumnavigate the globe and this expedition reached the Philippines in 1521.

NHCP OIC Executive Director Carmanda Arevalo and Mayor Beng Climaco, together with Tourism Undersecretary Myra Abubakar and Councilor Josephine Pareja led the unveiling of the marker at the Cawit Elementary School before the New Year celebration.

The marker, depicting the arrival of Magellan, was one of three historical markers the NHCP has for Zamboanga City. Two other sites Subanin, a noted Subanen territory, and Manalipa Island will also have its own markers, according to Climaco.

She said the markers are part of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines, a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the country, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan. 

When the NHCP traced this voyage in the Philippines, they found out that, it traveled to Zamboanga City, specifically in Cawit, Subanin and Manalipa and based on the chronicles of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta, they traded Cinnamon with the locals in Cawit. 

Pigafetta joined the expedition to the Spice Islands led by Magellan under the flag of the emperor Charles V and after Magellan’s death in the Battle of Mactan, the subsequent voyage around the world.

Climaco thanked the NHIP for including Zamboanga City in the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines. “We have a long and colorful history and Zamboanga and its people are proud to be part of this historical commemorations,” she said.

Zamboanga was chosen in 1569 as the site of the Spanish settlement and garrison on La Caldera (now part of Barangay Recodo). Zamboanga City was one of the main strongholds in Mindanao, supporting colonizing efforts in the south of the island and making way for Christian settlements. It also served as a military outpost, protecting the island against foreign invaders and pirates.

In 1599, the Zamboanga fort was closed and transferred to Cebu due to great concerns about an attack by the English on that island, which did not occur. After having abandoned the city, the Spaniards as well as some Latin-American mercenaries from Peru and Mexico, joined forces with troops from Pampanga and Visayan soldiers from Bohol, Cebu and Iloilo, and reached the shore of Zamboanga to bring peace to the island against pirates. 

In 1635, Spanish officers and soldiers, along with Visayan laborers, settled in the area and construction began on Fort San Jose or what is now known as Fort Pilar to protect the inhabitants of the area from piracy.

Zamboanga became the main headquarters of the Spaniards on June 23, 1635, upon approval of King Philip IV of Spain, and the Spanish officially founded the city. Thousands of Spanish troops, headed by a governor general from Spain, took the approval to build the first Zamboanga fortress or Fort Pilar to forestall enemies in Mindanao. There were also a hundred Spanish troops sent to fortify the nearby Presidio of Iligan. 

The Zamboanga fortress became the main focus of a number of battles between Moros and Spaniards during Spanish rule in the region from the 16th century to the 18th. Spain was forced to abandon Zamboanga temporarily and withdraw its soldiers to Manila in 1662 after the Chinese under Koxinga threatened to invade the Spanish Philippines.

Zamboanga became a chartered city under Commonwealth Act No. 39 and it was inaugurated on February 26, 1937. (Zamboanga Post)