Zamboanga del Sur Day in the Phlippines Date in the current year: September 17, 2024

Zamboanga del Sur is a Philippine province situated in Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao. It shares the peninsula with two other provinces, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, and also borders the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte.

In ancient times, the Zamboanga Peninsula was home to indigenous ethnic groups, with the Subanen and Maguindanaon people being the most prominent. By the 15th century, it had come under the Malay sphere of influence, and in the early 16th century, the peninsula became part of the newly formed Sultanate of Maguindanao.

The Spaniards arrived in the region in 1569, establishing their first settlement and military garrison in Zamboanga. It became a key Spanish stronghold in Mindanao and played a significant role in the conflict of the colonizers with the Moro people, who resisted the Spanish conquest. However, the original fort was closed and transferred to Cebu in 1599.

The name “Zamboanga” is the hispanicized version of the word samboangan, which means “mooring place” in one of the indigenous languages. The name was originally given to Zamboanga City, founded by the Spanish in 1635, and eventually came to be associated with the entire peninsula.

During the Philippine Revolution, freedom fighters created the Republic of Zamboanga. It proclaimed its independence from Spain on May 28, 1899, with Zamboanga City as its capital. However, it was occupied by American forces in a matter of months and became a U.S. protectorate. In 1903, the republic was dissolved and incorporated into the newly formed Moro Province, consisting of five districts: Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Lanao, and Zamboanga.

In 1914, the Moro Province was reorganized into the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, which included seven provinces, one of which was Zamboanga. After the department’s dissolution in 1920, Zamboanga became an independent province, with its first provincial elections held in 1922. During World War II, most of the Zamboanga Peninsula, like the rest of the Philippines, was occupied by the Japanese. Joint U.S. and Philippine forces liberated the peninsula in 1945.

The proposal to divide Zamboanga into two provinces, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, was initiated by Congressman Roseller T. Lim. The Philippine House of Representatives passed the corresponding law on June 6, 1952, leading to the creation of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.

Zamboanga del Norte celebrates its founding anniversary on June 6, while Zamboanga del Sur Day has been celebrated on September 17 every year since 1953. Since 2011, the celebration has also been known as Megayon Festival. The name of the festival is translated as “unity” from the language of the Subanen people. It was created to celebrate the unity of the various ethnic and religious groups inhabiting Zamboanga del Sur.