Ancient era During the ancient era, the Zamboanga peninsula was a vast territory home to various ethnic groups, the largest of which was the
Subanen people. Later, the southern coastal areas of the region came under the influence of the
Javanese Majapahit Empire, though it was never formally conquered.
Rajahnate of Sanmalan The 11th-century Chinese
Song dynasty records also mention a polity named "
Sanmalan" (三麻蘭) from Mindanao, which has a name similar to Zamboanga and has been tentatively identified with it by some authors (Wang, 2008; Huang, 1980). Sanmalan is said to be led by a Rajah "Chülan". His ambassador "Ali Bakti" and that of
Butuan's "Likan-hsieh" is recorded to have visited the Chinese imperial court with gifts and trade goods in AD 1011. However, the correlation between Zamboanga and Sanmalan is based only on their similar-sounding names. Sanmalan is only mentioned in conjunction with Butuan (P'u-tuan) and it is unknown if Sanmalan is indeed Zamboanga. The historian
William Henry Scott (1989) also posits the possibility that Sanmalan instead referred to a polity of the
Sama-Bajau ("Samal") people. During the 13th century, the
Tausūg people began migrating to the Zamboanga Peninsula and the
Sulu Archipelago from their homelands in northeastern Mindanao. They became the dominant ethnic group in the archipelago after they were
Islamized in the 14th century and established the
Sultanate of Sulu in the 15th century. A majority of the Yakan, the Balanguingui, and the Sama-Bajau were also Islamized, though most of the Subanen remained animist (with the exception of the Kolibugan subgroup in southwestern Zamboanga).
Sultanate of Maguindanao era In the 14th century, the
Sultanate of Sulu ruled the southwestern sections of the peninsula. By the late 15th century and early 16th century,
Malay missionaries further spread Islam in the southern Philippines.
Sharif Kabungsuwan, a Johore-born missionary of
Malay and
Arab descent established the
Sultanate of Maguindanao, which the entire island of
Mindanao is named after. The sultanate also occupied the entire island except present-day Caraga region, stretching from the Zamboanga Peninsula to Davao Oriental, while the Sultanate of Sulu lost its territories in Zamboanga. Maguindanao's sultans provided Mindanao fierce armed resistance against the Spanish occupation, especially under the lead of
Muhammad Kudarat. They soon allied themselves with the Sulu sultanate. The Muslim natives of the region were collectively known as
Moros by the Spanish, meaning "Moor", though the Iberian Moors and the Philippine Muslims had little cultural connection outside of following
Islam. A large chunk of the
Spanish–Moro conflict, the war between the Spanish and Mindanao's Muslim natives took place in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Spanish rule In 1569, Zamboanga was chosen as the site of the Spanish settlement and garrison on La Caldera (now called Barrio Recodo). Zamboanga was one of the main strongholds in Mindanao, supporting colonizing efforts in the south of the island and making way for Christian settlements. It also served as a military outpost, protecting the island against foreign invaders and Moro pirates and their Chinese allies. The province, named and centered on
Zamboanga City was partly founded by Peruvian soldiers brought by
Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera. The Zamboanga Peninsula played a central role in the
Spanish–Moro conflict. It was the site of constant battling between Spanish soldiers and Moro pirate raids. While the Spanish successfully established churches in the region, they suffered heavily at the hands of Moro raiders, and had to repeatedly withdraw from the region. While the Spanish achieved a tactical victory by launching several attacks against the
Sultanate of Sulu, constant fighting and attacks persisted, giving the Moros a psychological victory.
Province of Zamboanga After the United States annexed the
Spanish East Indies in 1898, the peninsula hosted a briefly independent state called the
Republic of Zamboanga. It was incorporated by the
Insular Government into the
Moro Province, which consisted of the central and western parts of
Mindanao and the
Sulu Archipelago. The name and status of Moro Province were changed to the
Department of Mindanao and Sulu on August 16, 1916, causing Zamboanga to become a separate province. In 1942, the Zamboanga Peninsula along with the rest of the Philippine Islands was
occupied by the
Empire of Japan at the beginning of the
Second World War. The Peninsula was liberated in 1945 by joint
American and
Philippine Commonwealth forces fighting against the
Imperial Japanese Army. On June 6, 1952, the province was
partitioned into
Zamboanga del Norte and
Zamboanga del Sur, while the chartered city of
Zamboanga became part of Zamboanga del Sur.
Region Together with the
Sulu Archipelago, the provinces that formerly made up Zamboanga Province were re-organised into Region IX by order of Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of
President Ferdinand Marcos, that was signed on September 24, 1972. From 1975 to 1989, the old Region IX (Western Mindanao) was further divided into two sub-regions by Presidential Decree No. 8233 dated August 21, 1975. Sub-Region IX-A consisted of
Basilan,
Sulu and
Tawi-Tawi with
Jolo, Sulu, as the sub-regional center, while Sub-Region IX-B consisted of the provinces of
Zamboanga del Norte,
Zamboanga del Sur and
Zamboanga Sibugay, with the chartered city of
Zamboanga City as the sub-regional centre.
Present In 2001,
Zamboanga Sibugay, was created from the province of Zamboanga del Sur with
Ipil as the seat of government with the virtue of Republic Act No. 8973. In the same year, the residents of
Basilan opted to join the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in a plebiscite. However, the citizens of the capital,
Isabela, did not want to join so the city remained a part of this region as a result of Executive Order No. 36. Isabela also opted out of inclusion to the
Bangsamoro region during the
2019 plebiscite. After a 2024 ruling which invalidated Sulu's inclusion to the Bangsamoro region, the
Commission on Elections en banc proposed of the province's re-admission to the Zamboanga Peninsula, the region it belonged prior to its inclusion in the ARMM back in 1989. Sulu reverted to Zamboanga Peninsula by virtue of Executive Order No. 91, signed by President
Bongbong Marcos on July 30, 2025.
Regional center issue In 1978, Presidential Decree No. 1555 transferred Region IX's regional center from
Jolo, Sulu to
Zamboanga City. Executive Order (EO) No. 429 was issued in 1990 by President
Corazon Aquino which provided for the reorganization of the administrative regions in Mindanao. It declared that Western Mindanao would comprise Zamboanga City, Lanao del Norte,
Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan, and the cities comprising those provinces. It also declared that
Pagadian shall serve as the new regional center. In 1996, President
Fidel Ramos issued EO No. 325 which reorganized the Regional Development Councils. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of EO No. 325 provided that Zamboanga City is the regional center of Western Mindanao. In 2001, President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed EO No. 36 which reorganized and renamed Western Mindanao to Zamboanga Peninsula. It was silent on the issue of regional government centers. In 2004, Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 75 directed the transfer of regional offices from Zamboanga City to Pagadian citing EO No. 429 as its legal basis. However, it provided that the regional offices of the departments of Trade and Industry, Tourism, and Labor and Employment will remain in Zamboanga City, but shall establish a presence in Pagadian. On December 22, 2010, MC No. 11 was issued imposing a moratorium on the transfer of regional offices to Pagadian. The Circular cited the high economic and social costs that the employees were experiencing in maintaining two residences and in fully transferring to Pagadian. It further directed all regional offices that are already in Pagadian to continue their operations. On June 30, 2020, MC No. 78 was issued, repealing MC No. 11 and lifting the moratorium on the transfer of the remaining regional offices to Pagadian. The Circular affirmed that Pagadian is the regional government center while Zamboanga City is the commercial and industrial center of Region IX. On April 19, 2023, under MC No. 18, another moratorium was imposed on the transfer of regional offices to Pagadian pending further study of its implications. The regional offices that are already in Pagadian shall continue to operate thereat. == Geography ==