Regatta highlights Zamboanga La Hermosa Festival

By Al Jacinto, GMANews.TV ZAMBOANGA CITY – More than a thousand spectators flocked Sunday to a beach in Zamboanga City to watch the annual sailboat race called Regatta de Zamboanga. The race was part of the Zamboanga La Hermosa Festival being celebrated from Oct. 1 to 12 by tens of thousands of Catholics who come here to join the mardi gras in honor of the century-old Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Pillar, believed by many to be miraculous. Dozens of wooden boats, fitted with colorful sails called vintas, raced at sea off Santa Cruz Island as crowds cheered wildly. Local festival songs and music played during the entire race. The winners were given awards and cash prizes. "This is good and we are having fun watching all these racers trying to out do each other. The mood is festive and there are so many visitors," one visitor, Samuel Cruz, said. Mayor Celso Lobregat was also spotted with some council members at the beach along R.T. Lim Boulevard. Lobregat was busy promoting Zamboanga as Asia's Latin City. The basis for branding Zamboanga as a Latin city is the existence of Chavacano, a derivative of the Spanish language that in turn is an outgrowth of Latin, the ancient Roman tongue. Chavacano is spoken by a majority of the people here, as well as in Basilan island and other parts of the Zamboanga peninsula. The vocabulary of Chavacano is more than 70 percent pure Spanish in nature and origin. The remaining percentage of words come from local languages. The growth of Chavacano in Zamboanga can be traced to a concentration of Spanish nationals in Zamboanga at the height of the Spaniards' colonization efforts in Mindanao that lasted for centuries until the late 1800. Lobregat said the branding of Zamboanga as Asia's Latin City is spearheaded by the League of Cities, the World Bank and the involvement of the different local sectors. Local officials said this would give the city a positive shift since it carries an international appeal and anchored on the rich Castilian influence and history of Zamboanga City. The branding of Zamboanga as a Latin city will provide it with a competitive global outlook instead of just comparing it with other cities in Mindanao, accodring to the mayor. Zamboanga City had been under Spanish rule in the past and was also used as a base for American soldiers. The city is also popularly known as "Zamboanga Hermosa." - GMANews.TV