ZAMBALES

People and Culture

The Aetas of Mount Pinatubo were the earliest inhabitants of what is now the province of Zambales. They were later displaced by the Sambal, an Austronesian people. Most Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries. Respect for older persons are still being observed. Feast day of Patron Saints are still being practiced and hospitable Zambalenos, Sambal or otherwise, are very accommodating when it comes to feasts. Most of the people of southern Zambales are migrants from different parts of the country.

They migrated due to the job opportunities brought by the U.S Subic Naval Base (San Antonio and Subic) during the American time. Many people had their job and permanently reside there. American greatly influenced the habitants, from their taste of food, clothing and style. Zambales is mainly populated by four major ethnic groups: Sambals, Ilocanos Tagalogs, and Aetas. Filipino is spoken in every town and around 75 percent of the population speak and understand English. Road signs are written in English. Today, the Ilocanos predominate in the province.

Geography

The province has a few lowlands along the narrow coast where the town centers are located. The northern part is basically swampy. Mountain ranges containing most mineral deposits as well as some volcanoes are found in the eastern portion.

Political Subdivision

Zambales has 13 towns and one city, with Iba as the provincial capital.

Population

Zambales has a population of 561,554.

Language/Dialect

Tagalog is the predominant dialect followed by Ilocano and Zambal. English is widely spoken. Climate There are two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year. Major Industries Zambales is basically an agricultural province. The chief products are rice, corn, vegetables, and rootcrops.

Major industries

Include farming, fishing, and mining. The Olongapo area, once the site of the biggest U.S. naval base in Asia, is fast developing into an industrial and tourism zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

History

The area now occupied by Zambales was first explored by the Spanish in 1572 through Juan de Salcedo. Among the earliest towns founded were Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612). Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the three towns during its history before settling down currently to Iba, due to its strategic location. The province's name came from the word zambal, which is a Hispanized term for Sambali. Zambal refers to the language spoken by the early Austronesian inhabitants of the place.

A contending version states that the name was derived from the word samba, meaning worship, because the Spanish supposedly found the native inhabitants to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors. Zambales was one of the earliest provinces created during the Spanish rule. As founded in the 16th century, it was composed of the area extending from Cape Bolinao in the north to Subic on the south. Due to their inaccessibility from the capital, seven towns in the northern portion of Zambales - from Bolinao to Infanta and including Alaminos - were later ceded to Pangasinan, forming that province’s western part. Zambales is the home province of the seventh president of the Philippine Republic, Ramon Magsaysay, who hailed from Castillejos.