Life in Zambo

I used to attend Pilar College in high school. It's situated right in front of RT Lim Boulevard. Looking back, every morning was filled with fog, but during the afternoon, we'd be able to see across the sea at the islands. At the time, nobody really knew what they were, just that they were close enough and that the sand were light enough to be seen across the sea. Our family, including anybody from our extended family, have never been to those islands. In the past few years, the local government officially made it possible to visit one of the islands for recreation, while the smaller one was turned into a naval base. We decided to finally go see the Pink Sand beach before my brother goes back overseas. On a Sunday, and appropriately enough, on Father's Day, our family, my aunt's family, and as well as a family friend and his two daughters were all at Paseo del Mar, where the Sta. Cruz Island Ferry Terminal is found.

I've lived in Zamboanga City for most of my life, but I haven't really gotten around to viewing the sights and sounds. Thinking back, I used to just hop on my motorcycle and ride through the still undeveloped parts of Pasonanca and Lunzuran. The unpaved, dusty roads and unexplored areas excited me. When I went to visit those areas again, it wasn't what I expected. I, for one, never expected that people would actually start to live in those uneven patches of land. So, for the past week, I went on a mission to find Zamboanga . Zamboanga has gotten so much bad rap the past few years that I think people have started to forget that Zamboanga isn't all that bad. If it was so bad, the population would have already dropped. I went to find ten places in Zamboanga City where you don't have to actually splurge to have a good time, or appreciate Zamboanga City.

The author with the Yakan children With today's modern society, and Man's hurry to progress, many of our cultural heritages have been forgotten. Our forefathers, in their obsession to catch up with modern times, have neglected to pass on what we could have counted as part of history. But this ethnic tribe has not. The Yakan people originally come from the Basilan province. During the trying times of the '70s, some of the population opted to move to the safer Zamboanga City, bringing along with them traditions and culture as a means of making a livelihood. Although some of them may have moved on to become more progressive, a small village in Zamboanga City has preserved their culture, which is now known as the Yakan Village. This small group of people earn their livelihood by showing guests the traditional dance, Pangalay , which is also practised by other Muslim tribes, and by selling handwoven goods. Considering the amount of effort put into it and what it symb...

Summer's over for the most of us, so I'll be going around Zamboanga to find out more about life in the now. For the next few days, I'll be checking out some spots, right here in Zamboanga, some known, some found right in front of your eyes, just unacknowledged. Maybe go on a little cultural trip that can only be found in Zamboanga. If you haven't yet, follow me on Facebook , Twitter , Tumblr or Instagram . You may or may not find more interesting stuff on there than here.