Friday, September 07, 2007 Asia's Latin City, best brand for Zamboanga: Spanish journalist By Sheila E. Covarrubias
A SPANISH journalist who is in Zamboanga City to promote a radio program expressed admiration at the Asia's Latin City branding and promised to help promote Zamboanga through a media campaign in her country.
Begoņa Lucena, a popular TV newscaster in Spain, said Zamboanga is the best city that has similarities with her country. "Chabacano is very alive here and the culture and so many other things are very similar to Spanish and very Latin," she said.
"It is the best brand that the mayor can choose. I'm sure it is going to be very successful," she said revealed in a press conference during her courtesy call on Mayor Celso Lobregat at City Hall Thursday morning.
The new branding, she said, makes Zamboanga City unique from the other cities in Asia.
And to help promote the Asia's Latin City branding, Lucena promised to dedicate one week of the radio program Filipinas Ahora Mismo to Zamboanga City in October in time for the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival.
The program, heard over the state owned radio station in Zamboanga, Laoag, Manila, Naga and Ilo-ilo and other parts of the world through the internet, will feature Zamboanga City--its culture, arts, music, literature, food and everything that is Zamboanga.
Lucena said she can muster a big audience for the program and expressed optimism that it can help promote Zamboanga as a peaceful and beautiful city that is worth visiting.
The Asia's Latin City branding features the uniqueness of Zamboanga being the only city in the Philippines and entire Asia where majority of the population speaks chabacano, a Spanish derivative language.
Lucena is in the city along with Chaco Molina, executive director of Fundacion Santiago. Accompanying them to City Hall was Honorary Consul to Spain Ditos Lobregat.
