Photowalk: Zamboanga City on Foot

This is a compilation of all the photos I took in Zamboanga City over the years, every time I was out and walked around the city until my feet hurt.

I was born and raised in Mindanao, and lived in 3 different cities in it. My work allows me to regularly travel and immerse around 4 regions in Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula. I also get to interact with people from different backgrounds.

In many ways, Zamboanga city left a unique impression on me. From my perspective, these photos show how I know and see this city.

Architecture

I will never forget the first time I stepped on Zamboanga City, it was at the airport, its design was like no other I’ve ever seen before. Later on I realized that it was a visual initiation of what the entire city looks and feels like. The unique building designs go on and on as you see more of the city.

Spanish and Tausug inspired designs of offices, commercial buildings, and schools. Brick walkways, spanish texts and signages, buildings adorned with what seemed like Tausug textile patterns. I mean, even if nobody tells you about Zamboanga City’s history, its buildings and architecture will glaringly tell you about it.

Food

After seeing Zamboanga City’s oozing character and history shown in its architecture. I was not even surprised anymore that some of their most celebrated restaurants and food businesses are all about authentic Tausug, Chavacano, and local fusion cuisines.

What was more surprising for me is the strong eagerness of the locals to offer their delicacies to outsiders. I suspect this eagerness comes from their knowledge and appreciation of the local food in the city. For example, the Chavacanos are very familiar and extremely proud of the Tausugs’ food, proud enough to promote them to just about anyone. And this goes vice versa.

Peoples

I see that Zamboanga City is a melting pot of people from neighboring regions and islands. Chavacanos, Tausugs, Sama, Cebuanos, Chinese, many others. I witnessed how these ethnic groups all coexist in the same space and time. Different cultures represented in the city’s architecture, businesses, food scene, schools, and tourism.

A city that holds this much diversity, and somehow makes it work without crumbling down. What local citizen of it wouldn’t be proud?

When I think of Zamboanga, I think about all my friends and people I met there. Whether they are Chavacano, Tausug, Chinese, or Cebuano, they all have one thing in common. It is their huge sense of pride for Zamboanga City. The way they would talk tirelessly about it, go out of their ways to take you around the city and make you experience the sights, food, tourist spots, communities. I often wonder where this intense pride comes from.

But then again I thought, Zamboanga is a city that holds too much diversity, and somehow makes it work without crumbling down. What local citizen of it would not be proud?

Photo Essay Series

This story is part of our photo essay series, it tells personal perspectives of locals about the places in the six regions of Mindanao. A place can mean different things to different people. We celebrate all kinds of perspectives in this series.