Zamboanga City: Hopeful and optimistic!

While understandably all roads lead to Davao City, especially for that huge thanksgiving party that his supporters have prepared for President-elect Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, last weekend, however our new motorcycle club called “The Road Brothers” which was inducted with the other new motorcycle clubs during the 22nd annual convention of the Federation of Motorcycle Clubs at the Plaza Independencia by no less than Mayor Duterte went to Zamboanga for a road trip to Southern Mindanao.

Last Friday evening we took the ferry, “Our Lady of Good Voyage” of Medallion Transport from the Port of Cebu to Dipolog City. This was upon the invitation of my nephew, Geo Tan who is married to Karlie the daughter of my elder brother architect Bing Avila who comes from Zamboanga City. This was one long 300-kilometer trip from Dipolog City to Zamboanga City. I was quite surprised to learn that the vessel we took was filled to the rafters with passengers and to think there wasn’t any huge fiestas that anyone was celebrating in Mindanao. The cargo hold was filled with vehicles we had some difficulty placing our motorcycles in the cargo hold.

Indeed the reason why motorcycle riders from Cebu always go on long distance rides to Mindanao is due to their great well-paved roads. The road to Ipil was only marred by at least a kilometer of roads under repair by the DPWH. The rains hit us as we approached Ipil. Coming from a very sweltering and long summer months, I really welcomed the rains.

We arrived in Zamboanga City with heavy traffic congestion in the last 10-kilometers as we entered this city of flowers. This means, business is brisk despite the infamous Zamboanga siege two years ago. Just like the town of Ipil, which the Abu Sayyaf burned in the mid90s. It is now a booming town and with the election of President Duterte there is a fresh optimism in the air, the same kind of optimism that I saw in Cagayan de Oro three days after the May 9 elections.

Last Sunday, Mrs. Pilar Tan with her brother Dr. George and Dr. Filipinas Rojo invited us for lunch at the Lantaka Hotel, which has a stunning view of the Zamboanga coastline and harbor. Perhaps the only thing missing that I remember that I saw in the past (I had my honeymoon in Zamboanga way back in 1977) are those colorful Moro Vintas were no longer there. I recall that Philippine Airlines promoted Zamboanga City in those days when Tourism in the country had not yet boomed. Zamboanga City was PAL’s top tourism destination with Baguio City. More so that there was the brisk business of the Barter Trade Zone. Now that place is now a ghost town.

For lunch, we had an honored guest in the person of Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz who is now two years as Archbishop of Zamboanga. Looking across the Lantaka Hotel, one could see the beautiful island of Basilan. This reminded Bishop dela Cruz of the 13 years he was assigned as Bishop of Basilan, where he had a verbal tiff with the infamous Abu Sayyaf Abu Sabaya who vowed to have him killed. Well Bishop dela Cruz is still very much around, while Abu Sabaya is no longer alive. Later we toured “ground zero” where the rebels of Nur Misuari held for nearly three weeks. One building still had the bullet scars of that battle with the Philippine Marines.

Incidentally we also went to the newly opened KCC Shopping Mall, the first mall in Zamboanga City, which is enjoying brisk business because the big named malls, like SM or Ayala Shopping malls did not open any shopping malls in Zamboanga City. During our conversations with Mgrs. Dela Cruz in Lantaka Hotel we learned much about business in Zamboanga City, which was interrupted by the military siege, but with that incident behind them… business has since returned to normal. In short there is business to be had in this part of Mindanao, but the Manila based conglomerates are not here… nor have foreign investors come. But that could change with the coming of the Duterte presidency.

Meanwhile in Cebu, a new Federal Republic Movement has been created. I was represented in that meeting by my nephew Atty. Mark Avila as I was still in Zamboanga City. This movement was triggered by the Forum on Federalism when former Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. was in Cebu a week ago. Cebu will raise the banner for a Federal Philippines to support the call of President-elect Duterte so that this political shift will create a new Philippines that will have an equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth.

If Pres. Digong Duterte creates the Mindanao Railway from Davao City to Zamboanga it would certainly trigger an infrastructure development reminiscent of America’s move to the West depicted in the movie “How the West was Won.” Last Sunday night we drove up to Morok Mountains with a terrific view of Zamboanga City, which showed the island of Basilan. If peace does come to Mindanao, Zamboanga will earn its peace dividends! * Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com.