The latest news in Zamboanga City (formerly “City of Flowers”) is that the Heritage Conservation Society is backing the “Asia’s Latin City” motto that Mayor Celso Lobregat has decided to use to rebrand Zamboanga.
Chavacano, our native tongue, is a mix of Spanish and Visayan words. (A long long time ago, the Spanish made their base in our city.) We say “Buenas” for “Hello”, “Gracias” for “Thank You”. We can roughly understand Spanish text. And most people who hear me speak in Chavacano think I’m speaking Spanish. So perhaps there’s a bit of a truth in Zamboanga’s being “Asia’s Latin City”. I have many misgivings, though, since I consider myself as nothing Latin and purely Filipino, but if it’s successful in bringing pride and attention to my Zamboanga, then I am not one to argue on semantics.
I did a bit of research on other places with Spanish origins. North Carolina holds a similarity with Zamboanga, being a place that’s hosted Spaniards once upon a time. (If you’re living in that state, I’ve heard North Carolina health insurance is pretty popular.) Others are Guam, the Mariana Islands, parts of Italy, Sicily, and many others.
I wonder if the Spaniards made as much an impression on their language as they did to Zamboanga?
