American colonial era Prior to its creation as a province, Zamboanga del Norte formed the northern portion of the
historical province of Zamboanga. The early history of Zamboanga del Norte is shared with that of
Zamboanga City, which had been the center of the entire
Mindanao area, most notably during the American era. When Zamboanga City became a chartered city on October 12, 1936, it encompassed the southern tip of the
Zamboanga Peninsula and the island of
Basilan, making it the largest city in the world in terms of land area.
Philippine independence Foundation Through
Republic Act No. 711 issued on June 6, 1952, Zamboanga province was divided into two independent provinces, which included Zamboanga del Sur.
Martial law era The late 1960s in Mindanao saw a rise in land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas, and from the
Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups such as the
Ilaga. starting from the largely political
Muslim Independence Movement and
Bangsamoro Liberation Organization, and eventually the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14-year period historically remembered for
its human rights abuses, often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. Zamboanga del Norte was the site of at least one major assassination during the Marcos Martial law era - the gunning down of Human Rights lawyers
Jacobo Amatong and
Zorro Aguilar by two soldiers of
the Marcos government, who were never caught. In the underground, a prominent figure who was killed was underground acupuncturist and paramedic Leo Alto, who spent much of his time helping the
Subanon communities in Zamboanga del Norte to fight for their ancestral lands. Alto and a Subanon companion were killed by the
Philippine Constabulary in
Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte on August 1, 1975. Alto, and lawyers Amatong and Aguilar have since been honored by having their names inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines’
Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought against
Ferdinand Marcos and his
martial law regime.
Baliguian,
Godod,
Gutalac,
Kalawit,
Labason,
Leon B. Postigo,
Liloy (its proposed capital),
Salug,
Sibuco,
Siocon,
Sirawai, and
Tampilisan. However, the bill ultimately did not pass the 17th congress. In 2023, a new House Bill 9311 proposed a creation of a new province,
Zamboanga Occidental. The proposed province is supposed to include 12 municipalities: Leon B. Postigo, Salug, Godod, Liloy, Tampilisan, Kalawit, Labason, Gutalac, Baliguian, Siocon, Sirawai, and Sibuco. ==Geography==