This year marks the 77th Year of Zamboanga as a chartered city. To commemorate the event, City Hall Office, City Tourism Office and other NGO's set a lineup of exciting activties for the entire month. Highlights of activities includes the Dia di Senador RT Lim, Birds Festival, and a City Wide Sale by Major Shopping Malls in Zamboanga City. Another big event is the 2nd Zamboanga International Film Festival and the opening of the brand new Cinematech by the Film Development Council of the Philippines fronting LTO office. I'm particulary excited for the annual Cheerdance Competition and the Food Festival. This year's theme is Build Back Better Zamboanga. Check out the official tarp design courtesy of truly yours :) Click for full view.

View the poster version here.

Opening the 75th Dia de Zamboanga week-long celebration is the annual Open-Cheerdance Competition. Held at the City Coliseum last February 22, 2012, the competition is one of the sought-after events participated by different schools and universities. This year, 5 teams battled out to show their best stunts, choreography and gimmicks. At the end of the day, CET Hawks Pep Squad of WMSU bagged 1st place with CME Sailor Squad of ZSCMST and PCA Huskies of Pilar College, placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Here's a photostory of the event's highlights. More photos after the jump.


The ZNHS Main Squad was up first


Showing some latin flavor in a cultural setting


Raising the banner of ZNHS Main, representing the only high school pep squad to join this year's competition


Second to perform are the Hawks of WMSU-CET, shouting "Ciudad de Zamboanga! Setenta y Cinco Años!"


Hawks soaring high


Clean, precise and high-energy performance delivered by the Hawks.


Guys linked the colored beads representing the different cultures in Zamboanga


The Hawks ending their performance with a solemn portait, showing the religious side of Zamboanga with the oversize rosary.


Keeping up with the competition are the Juggernauts of WMSU-BSN, opening their performance with dynamic stunts and choreography


Juggernaut flyers sweeping everything on their path with their in-sync and sharp performance.


Delivering more intricate stunts


Showing the 75 years as a Asia's Latin City through dance


PCA Huskies of Pilar College is up next, keeping the energy high opening their routine with a bang


Huskies showing their prowess with linked scales


Showing their trademark move - jump landing on splits


All guys up in the air with a toe touch


Depicting a scenery of Zamboanga with colorful sails and the Lady of Pillar, the city's patron saint.


Last but not the least, the Sailor Squad of ZSCMST-PME (Fisheries).


Sailors became krumpers as they infuse cheerdance with hard-hitting hiphop moves


Entertaining the audience as they switch it up showing their feminine side


The girls showcasing the City of Flowers, streetdance style


Paying homage to their chosen career, the guys show some military swag to the beat of the drumline


The Sailors squad wraps up the day with a hair-raising salute. The audience roared with this simple gesture


Mr. Jay Silva, host of this year's competition


Mayor Celso Lobregat announces the third Place: Huskies of Pilar College, former champion of the competition


Second Place: Sailors Squad of ZSCMST-PME.


Sailors pointing out to Hawks while waiting for the winner to be announced.


And this year's new champion are the HAWKS of WMSU-CET. Their energetic moves, intricate and high-precision stunts, and over-all excellent performance brought them to the top.


Hawks giving an encore performance of their winning routine


Towering with honor and pride, the Hawks soar once again


The champs showing off the product of their perseverance, hardwork and sheer talent


The team lifts up a member cheering in joy for victory


The day ends with flying colors.

Here's a video of the winning routine by the Hawks courtesy of carlomoratalla:



It's one heck of a show and we were really entertained with all the performances of the participating teams. The heat between the squads are getting higher and the competition is far from over. Next year, we are expecting comebacks from the non-winning teams as they try to win back the title. A relatively new squad gave us a fresh sight on the field and im hoping there will be more of this stuff next year. As of now, let the Hawks celebrate and remember the essence of this event, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the city. Adelante Zamboanga!

This year I had the opportunity to shoot during the street dance parade for our city's Hermosa Festival. It is one of the highlights of the fiesta where students are on their colorful outfits, joyously dancing to the lively beat. Even though the weather is gloomy, the vibrant array of graceful dancers didn't stop to pay tribute to the miraculous shrine of La Virgen del Pilar. Every movement and detail tells different stories about our city and every story is of great significance in our existence today. Along side the street dancers are huge floats made of flowers depicting the beautiful scapes and sceneries that Zamboanga is truly proud of. Here are some of my photos of the said event together with some story about Zamboanga.


Colores y Bailes. A festival without colors is like a flower without fragrance. Colors and Dances come together to show our celebration of life. Hermosa means "beauty", and this festival is all about the beauty. The beauty of our city, its culture, people and heritage.


Adelante. The war cry of Zamboanga which means "to go forward". Amidst all the negative image of the city, together we move forward and push through all the obstacles and become frontliners of peace and development. We do it with the guidance of our faith and harmony amongst our brothers and sisters.


Bellas y Personas. What makes Zamboanga special is the diversity of its culture and people. It is the melting pot of Western Mindanao where people live together in harmony despite of differences in customs and beliefs. We believe that respect begets respect, and love begets love (amor con amor se paga).


Hardin de Flores. Zamboanga was once dubbed as the City of Flowers. Accordingly, the place grew the most number of species of endemic flowers, the most biodiverse in the region. Before it became Zamboanga, Subanons were the first settlers of this ancient place called Jambangan ("Flowers arraged in a Vase"). In the early years of Zamboanga as a city, the streets were once filled with bougainvillea vines and the plaza were filled with a kaleidoscope of floral life.


La Abundancia del Mar. Zamboanga is also known as the Sardines capital with 8 out of 11 sardines companies located in the region. The seas of Zamboanga are rich with natural resources such as seaweeds and aquatic life. Aside from the food that it supplies, it also supports livelihood among the people sustaining almost 20,000 workers in this industry alone.


Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar. The gloomy weather cannot stop the people from shouting out these phrases. Zamboanga's patronness, our Lady of the Pillar, was introduced during the establishment of the Real Fuerza del San Jose in 1635, built during the Spanish period. Hermosa Festival is one of the oldest festival in the country.


La Herencia Latina. Zamboanga is known to be Asia's Latin City for its highly influenced hispanic roots. During the building of the fort, Zamboanga had a transformation. The Spaniards introduced Christianity to the locals. They also learned to speak spanish and therefore creating a creole language known as Chabacano de Zamboanga. The Latin heritage can also be seen in the architecture, food, clothing, music, dance and more.


Mariposa. Where there are flowers, there are butterlflies. A Butterfly is a symbol of transformation and beauty. Like flowers, they come in different colors and sizes. They both represent the Hermosa festival which is a festival of the celebration the beauty of life. Zamboanga is like a butterfly undergoing metamorphosis adapting to change and developing into a better beautiful place to live in.


Vamos a Zamboanga! Let us not be ignorant about the rich culture that Zamboanga has to offer. It is a peaceful place that is worthy of recognition and many people missed its wonderful festivities. There are places to be visited, delicacies to be tasted, music to be heard, sceneries to be seen, stories to be heard and experiences just waiting for you to be discovered.