From Orchid City To Shrine City - Zamboanga Del Norte
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
About half of the province land area is devoted to agriculture. Corn, coconut, and rice are major crops. The province being rich in marine and mineral sources, its fish production has accelerated through the development of fishponds. Commercial fishing has likewise steadily increased through the years, with the yellow fin tuna as the primary species.
The 2nd largest island in the Philippines is Mindanao, which is the southern most part of the archipelago. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east; Celebes Sea to the south and to the west is Sulu Sea. The island of Mindanao is marked by a peninsulas and the largest of all is the ZAMBOANGA Peninsula.
It is a semi circular peninsula extending southwesterly towards the Sulu Archipelago and Borneo. The peninsula has an area of 14,500 sq. km. (5,600 sq. mile).
The ZAMBOANGA Peninsula was known as Sibugay or Sibuguey during the coming of the Spanish conquistadors. And later on was changed into Zamboanga from the capital town of the province which derived it's name from the Malay word Jambangan meaning a place where wild flowers grow. The Spanish colonialization of Mindanao was done by sending missionaries and one of the sites was Jambangan. As the years went by, the mispronunciation of Bisaya (North Borneo dialect) and Spanish words turned into what is now today Zamboanga. On June 23, 1635 the town was officially called Zamboanga. The boundary of the town of Zamboanga comprised half of the peninsula then. The entire peninsula was later called Zamboanga Peninsula although the easternmost part of the peninsula belong to the Province of Misamis.
Before the Philippines was ceded to the United States of America (Treaty of Paris), the peninsula was partly to the south where ZAMBOANGA city proper is the Provincia Mora and towards the North where Dipolog City is a part of the Provincia Misamis. Dapitan district which includes Dipolog was part of Provincia Misamis.
Each province has a governor and the whole Department of Mindanao and Sulu has also a governor. From 1903 to 1913 Zamboanga City was the capital of the Provincia Mora which comprise five district, namely ; Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Zamboanga and Sulu .
In 1903, Judge William Howard Taft, President of the Second Philippine Commission (Later on became the President of the United States of America) decreed Dapitan to be separated form Cagayan de Oro and annex to Provincia Mora, which later on 1913 became part of the Province of Zamboanga .
One day in the year 1910 the Provincial Governor of Zamboanga, Mr. Helper visited Dipolog on his way to Dapitan on horseback. He was asked by the Dipolog town people that Dipolog be separated from Dapitan. This was the beginning of the crusade to make Dipolog a Municipality.
On September 15,1911, the governing body of the Provincia Mora, the legislative council passed Act. No.272 converting the Municipality of Zamboanga into a city. The ceremony was held on January 1, 1912 with the appointment of American Christopher F. Bader as the first City Mayor.
Also at almost the same time created the provinces of Davao, Lanao, Sulu, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Surigao, Butuan (a subprovince of Surigao), Agusan (a sub province of Davao), Malaybalay (now Bukidnon) and Misamis. Misamis was part of the Department of Cebu, Agusan and Surigao was District of Caraga during the Spanish era.
General John J. Pershing, Governor of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu granted the petition to elevate Dipolog into a town. On July 1, 1913, amidst a solemn inspiring ceremony John J. Pershing pronounced Dipolog as a Municipality from the balcony of the brand new Dipolog Municipal Hall and the appointment of Pascual T. Martinez as the first Municipal Mayor (called president at that time).
In 1942 during the Second World War, Acting Governor Felipe B. Azcuna transferred the seat of the provincial government from ZAMBOANGA City to DIPOLOG. Thus making DIPOLOG the capital-in-fact of the ZAMBOANGA Province.
On June 6, 1952, a bill fathered by Roseller Lim became the republic act 711. It created the Province of Zamboanga del Sur with Pagadian as its capital and Province of Zamboanga del Norte and with Dipolog as the capital town.
Dubbed as the Twin-City Province, Zamboanga del Norte has been made famous by the beauty and charm of the Orchid City of Dipolog and the historical, rustic quaintness of the Shrine City of Dapitan.
Decrying Spanish authority over his beloved country, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Philippine National Hero, lived in exile in faraway Dapitan City, then only a sleepy town in Mindanao. Here, he spent fruitfully his last four years in exile, from 1892 to 1896, to practice medicine, pursue scientific studies, keep with his artistic and literary endeavors, and widen his knowledge of languages. In Dapitan, Dr. Rizal found a school and a hospital, and became a farmer to prove to the people that farming is as good a profession as medicine.
The original estate of Dr. Rizal in Dapitan has been declared a national shrine and is being administered by the National Historical Institute. Hence, the city monicker, Shrine City of the Philippines. By the year 2020, Dapitan is poised to become the Dr. Jose Rizal Heritage Center of the Philippines, owing to the wealth of Rizal memorabilia and memorable places associated with the country beloved hero.
Zamboanga del Norte today is equally famous for Dakak Park and Beach Resort, the province foremost natural attraction. The very popular Dakak Beach is most known for its beautifully shaped cove and powdery white sand, and as a diving mecca in Mindanao. Pristine blue waters, excellent dive sites with an abundance of coral reefs, and a magnificent sunset horizon characterize this tropical eden. Dakak Park and Beach Resort boasts 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals, and a 750-meter private white-sand beach.
GEOGRAPHY
Zamboanga del Norte is situated in Northern Mindanao. It is bounded on the north and west by the Sulu Sea, on the east by Misamis Occidental, and on the south by Zamboanga del Sur.
The province occupies a total land area of 6,618 square kilometers. It has an average elevation of 243.8 meters, with Mt. Dabiak in Katipunan as the highest peak at 2,600 meters. Other parts, near the coastlines, are plains. The province irregular coastline runs 400 kilometers from north to south.
POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS
The province has 25 towns and twin city (Dipolog and Dapitan), which are clustered into three districts.
CLIMATE
Zamboanga del Norte has a mild and moderate climate due to evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. Its southern portion has a longer dry season.
LANGUAGES/DIALECTS
The main dialect is Cebuano/Visayan. English and Filipino (Tagalog) are also spoken, indicative of a high level of literacy. The original and native Subanen dialect lives on, especially in the highlands.
POPULATION
As of 2007 census count, the province of Zamboanga del Norte had a total population of 907,238, the second largest in the region, after Zamboanga del Sur.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
About half of the province land area is devoted to agriculture. Corn, coconut, and rice are major crops. The province being rich in marine and mineral sources, its fish production has accelerated through the development of fishponds. Commercial fishing has likewise steadily increased through the years, with the yellow fin tuna as the primary species.
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