History Week

National History Week is being celebrated from September 15 to 21 and organizers from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Historical Institute (NHI) have prepared a series of activities to elicit the people’s awareness on the importance of history with the theme “Kasaysayan ng Bayan: Kagalingan ng Mamamayan”.

A country that has no remembrance of the past is a tragic thing for in knowing our past can we better live in the present and prepare for the future. Commonly discussed in history are important events, people and places that make the country stand out in the outside world, such as Aguinaldo’s Declaration of Independence, Jose Rizal’s martyrdom, Intramuros and Maynila to name the most popular ones. Historians draw public interest on the development of many other communities throughout the country and their respective contributions that make up the country’s rich history but cannot avoid talking of major events in Manila that catalyzed progress and change in the rest of the country.

During the Spanish times, the development of the country as a whole was due in large part to the growth of trade and commerce in the center which was Manila. Because of the galleon trade that flourished from 1521 to 1898, the foreign merchants of various nationalities quickly grew in number. Our Spanish rulers did not allow the Spanish Europeans to reside in the city, however, many foreign merchants like the British, French and American managed to circumvent the rules. Proof of this is the establishment of The Manila Club, a favorite hangout located at present in Makati. It was established by British resident traders in Manila way back in 1832 and they paid taxes to the Spanish colonial government. 

These activities hastened the development of Manila, the center of trade, as an important channel in the international commercial system in which Asia and the Americas provided raw materials to growing industries in Europe and North America. Thus, in 1834, the Spanish government formally opened free trade and opened the port of Manila to foreign commerce. The flourishing trade brought more riches to the Crown and hence, the rulers thought they could multiply their revenues if more ports were opened, at the same time, more areas aside from Manila will be developed. Historical notes say the government was not really concerned about developing the country but in how the colony can further finance its other exploits and interests within and abroad. 

 Notable of these ports that were opened to foreign trade is Zamboanga which was created by the Royal Order in September 20, 1855. Before this, the ports in Zamboanga, then called Real Fuerza de San Jose, were dominated by pirates; in the 1600s until 1848, from 800 to 1500 individuals were said to have been kidnapped by the Moros. In 1734, the fort was renamed Real Fuerza de Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragosa, in honor of the miraculous Lady of the Pilar. The situation there somehow improved when the crown opened a new port to foreign trade a century later. This allowed the pirates to export their products and made their activities somehow legitimate. At present, the fort is now called Fort Pilar. 

 Much of the development in Zamboanga, the City of Flowers, is attributed to a well-embedded Spanish culture that is evident in the local dialect, Chavacano, which also portrays the local religion and its Spanish heritage. History tells us how great cities came to be and how the people grew into progressive communities like Zamboanga.