Zamboanguita (; ;

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Municipio de Zamboanguita''), officially the Municipality of Zamboanguita, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Negros Oriental,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,569 people. Zamboanguita was established in 1866. Modest compared to the 6th largest city in the Philippines with 98 barangays, Zamboanguita has only 10 barangays.

Etymology

A town rooted in history and replete with natural resources, Zamboanguita derived its name from an incident involving a coguita (octopus). Long before the Spaniards set foot in Negros Island, fishermen from as far as Mindanao would visit the yet unnamed town and benefit from the bounty of its rich fishing grounds – from its small tugnos (juvenile gobies) to the large iho (shark) in nearby Apo Island. One day, a group of Moro fishermen fishing in the area found a coguita caught in their fishing net, which they then separated from their fish catch as it had tentacles and had no gills. The leader of the Moro group then ordered one of his men to go to the beach, find a tree and “isab-ong ang coguita” (hang the octopus).” Since then, every time an octopus was caught, it was hung on that particular tree. The local people eventually started calling the place “Sab-ongan ug coguita.” When the Spaniards descended on the town, they called the town “Zamboangaguita” and later on it was shortened to “Zamboanguita”. On the other hand, local stories that circulated among the town folks mentioned that Zamboanguita, with its Spanish

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of -ita, (meaning "little Zamboanga") acquired its name from its neighbor down south across the sea,

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (; ; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Bagbenwa Sembwangan''; Sama–Bajaw languages, Sama: ''Lungsud Samboangan''; ; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city i ...

Geography

from

Dumaguete Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...

, Zamboanguita is at the southern tip of the province of Negros Oriental and across from the island province of Siquijor. To the west of Zamboanguita is the municipality of Siaton, and to the north/east is the municipality of Dauin.

Barangays

Zamboanguita is politically subdivided into 10

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Tourism

* Fiesta: San Isidro Labrador, May 15

Government

It is part of the 3rd District of Negros Oriental. Current elected officials of Zamboanguita (2022): * Mayor: Jonah Pat L. Aviles * Vice Mayor: Felipe Tuban Elmido Sr. * Councilors: ** ELMIDO, JUNIOR ** TAAN, RICKY ** PARTOSA, HELEN ** PINILI, MARIO ** TRINIDAD, FLOR ** TRINIDAD, REINERIA ** BANUA, KIKING ** DELMO, CLINT CHARLES

Education

The public schools in the town of Zamboanguita are administered by two school districts under th
Schools Division of Negros Oriental
Elementary schools: * Basak Elementary School — Basak * Benito Gadiana Elementary School — Sitio Kapandis, Mayabon * Calango Elementary School — Calango * Felix M. Tio Memorial Elementary School — Sitio Dumandan, Mayabon * Gregorio Elmaga Memorial Elementary School — Nasig-id * Kaladias Elementary School — Sitio Kaladias, Najandig * Lutoban Elementary School — Lutoban * Malongcay Elementary School — Malongcay Diot * Maluay Central Elementary School — Maluay * Mayabon Elementary School — Mayabon * Moises Bangay Alanano Elementary School — Sitio Kalanggaman, Mayabon * Nabago Elementary School — Nabago * Salngan Elementary School — Sitio Salngan, Mayabon * Zamboanguita Central Elementary School — Magsaysay Street, Poblacion High schools: * Gregorio Elmaga Memorial High School — Nasig-id * Jose Marie Locsin Memorial High School — Sitio Salngan, Mayabon * Kaladias High School — Sitio Kaladias, Najandig * Santiago Delmo Memorial High School — Maluay * Zamboanguita Science High School — Del Pilar Street, Poblacion Private schools: * Decor Carmeli Academy — Acupanda Street, Poblacion

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control Municipalities of Negros Oriental