Thursday, October 04, 2007 Mayor sells ‘Asia’s Latin City’ in teachers’ confab
UNFAZED by criticisms from various sectors, Mayor Celso Lobregat has doubled efforts to promote Zamboanga’s new branding as “Asia’s Latin City.”
“Zamboanga City is Asia’s Latin City because it is the only city in the Philippines and in Asia where majority of the population speaks Chabacano, the Spanish derivative language,” Lobregat told participants of the 10th Annual Regional Biology Teachers Association of the Philippines (Biota) Convention and Scientific sessions during the confab opening Wednesday.
The convention, held October 3 and 4 at the Zamboanga State Polytechnic College, was being participated by Biology teachers from all over Western Mindanao to tackle on environmental concerns, trends, and issues.
Zamboanga, he said, is aptly Asia’s Latin City because of its rich and colorful history and culture that form part of the imprints of the Spanish three century rule.
In the Roman times, Latin was the international language but as the Roman empire declined, other languages evolved out of the Latin language and one of these was Spanish, the mayor said.
In fact, a study made by Hermenegildo Malcampo, a professor from the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), revealed that about 1,400 Chabacano words originated from the Latin language.
“History is there, we cannot erase this from the books, it is part of our culture and part of our tradition,” Lobregat emphasized.
Meanwhile, the mayor welcomed to Zamboanga the participants of the two-day Biota convention, which is anchored on the theme “Environmental concern, trends and Issues -- empowering biology teachers.”
He also cited the urgent need to continuously pursue biological diversity and consequently preserve the environment and protect the ecosystems. “It is now a common concern of social scientists, chemists and biologists to protect our environment,” said Lobregat. (Sheila E. Covarrubias)
