Zambo unveils another historical marker

ZAMBOANGA CITY has added another historical marker in the island-barangay of Manalipa documenting the documenting the passage of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

The Manalipa historical marker. (Image: City Govt.)

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Department of Tourism led the unveiling of the marker which was attended by local officials. 

In a statement from the local government Facebook page, it said: “Mula sa katubigan ng Cauit (Cawit, Lungsod ng Zamboanga) at Subanin (tinatayang bahagi ngayon ng Lungsod ng Zamboanga), narating ng ekspedisyon ang katubigan ng pulo ng Monoripa (Manalipa, Lungsod ng Zamboanga), Oktubre 1521.” 

“Naisulat ni Antonio Pigafetta, tagapagtala ng ekspedisyon, na ang mga bangka rito ay sya ring tirahan ng mga tao (tinatawag ngayong Bangkang Lepa). Naglayag sila pahilagang-kanluran ( Tangway ng Zamboanga) at sunod na narating ang katubigan ng Sulltanato ng Maguindanao.  Ang panandang pangkasaysayang ito ay pinasinayaan bilang ambag sa paggunita sa ika- 500 anibersaryo ng unang pagikot sa daigdig.” 

Last December, Mayor Beng Climaco also led representatives from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Department of Tourism in the unveiling of a similar marker in Barangay Cawit. 

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.

A third historical marker is expected to be unveiled soon in a Subanin territory in Zamboanga. 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, it found out that Magellan traveled to Zamboanga City, specifically in Cawit, Subanin and Manalipa and based on the chronicles of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta where 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)