Zambales

The Spanish first explored the area in 1572, led by Juan de Salcedo.[6] Off Cape Bolinao (now part of Pangasinan), he and his men liberated a Zambal chieftain and his followers from a Chinese pirate ship. This act gained the natives' goodwill. Shortly thereafter, the province was organized. Among the earliest towns founded were Subic (1572), Botolan (1572), Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612).[7]

During the Spanish period, a 1774 map was made, which clearly named Scarborough Shoals as Panacot Shoal, a feature under complete sovereignty of Spanish Philippines, specifically of Zambales. The shoal's current name was chosen by Captain Philip D'Auvergne, whose East India Company East Indiaman Scarborough briefly grounded on one of the rocks on September 12, 1784, before sailing on to China. When the Philippines was granted independence in the 19th century and 20th century, Scarborough Shoal was passed by the colonial governments to the sovereign Republic of the Philippines.[8][9]

Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the last three towns above during its history before finally settling in Iba, due to its strategic location. Seven of the province's original northern towns, which included Bolinao, Infanta, San Isidro, now Burgos, Anda, Bani, Agno and Alaminos were later transferred under the jurisdiction of Pangasinan because of their distance from the capital.[6] The first civil governor of Zambales during the colonial American era was Potenciano Lesaca from 1901 to 1903.

During the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, Zambales was one of the most militarized areas.[10][11]

The province was one of the main supporters of the People Power Revolution in Manila, which topped the 21-year dictatorship and installed Corazon Aquino as president, bringing back democracy to the country.[12]

The province was heavily affected by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Due to this, the economy of the province weakened for some time, but regained vitality a few years after the government ordered the revitalization of the province and established growth in its southern towns, which later became a significant economic zone in the country by 1995.[13][14]

The 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff led to a situation where access to the shoal was restricted by the People's Republic of China.[15] However, in 2016, following meetings between the Philippine president Duterte and his PRC counterparts, the PRC allowed Filipino fishermen to access the shoals for fishing.[16]

In 2018, it was revealed that for every 3,000 peso worth of fish catch by Sambal fisherfolks, China siphoned them in exchange for 'two bottles of mineral water' worth 20 pesos.[17] The revelations led to public unrest against China and the Duterte-administered Philippine government. Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte fired back against his fellow Filipinos, including those from Zambales, saying that China's acts were 'fine' as they were 'only barter'.[18][19][20] On June 14, 2018, China's destruction of Scarborough Shoal's reefs surged to an extent which they became visible via Google Earth and Philippine satellites, as confirmed by the University of the Philippines Diliman.[21]

Zambales has two pronounced seasons: dry from October to June, and wet from July to September.

Zambales comprises 13 municipalities and 1 highly urbanized city, which are divided into two legislative districts.[23] Olongapo City is a highly urbanized city and administers itself autonomously from the province. Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) a Philippine-claimed territory, is a designated part of the province.

Political map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 3 [disputed] Luzon Is. Disputed territory — Scarborough shoal, locally known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo Masinloc, is designated under Masinloc municipality. Internationally disputed. Claimed by the People's Republic of China, Philippines, and Republic of China (Taiwan). De facto controlled by the People's Republic of China since 2012.

6 Botolan 7 Cabangan 2 Candelaria 12 Castillejos 5 Iba 3 Masinloc 14 Olongapo 4 Palauig 11 San Antonio 8 San Felipe 10 San Marcelino 9 San Narciso 1 Santa Cruz 13 Subic

The 13 municipalities and 1 city of the province comprise a total of 247 barangays, with Santa Rita in Olongapo City as the most populous in 2010, and Owaog-Nibloc in Botolan as the least. If cities are excluded, Calapacuan in Subic has the highest population as of 2010.[25]

The Aetas of Mount Pinatubo were the earliest inhabitants of what is now the province of Zambales.[6] They were later displaced[6] by the Sambal, an Austronesian people after whom the province is named. Many Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries that have been handed down through the generations.

The Tagalogs, the Ilocanos, the Sambal, the Kapampangans, and the Pangasinans today constitute the five largest ethnic groups in Zambales; these identities may and do, however, overlap with one another due to intermarriage[26] and other factors. Most of the people of southern Zambales are migrants from different parts of the country owing the influx of job opportunities brought on by the U.S Subic Naval Base (San Antonio and Subic) during the American regime of the country. Many people found jobs and permanently settled there. The presence of the Americans greatly influenced the culture and way of life of the inhabitants.

Our Lady of Poon Bato Patroness of the Province of Zambales.

The people of Zambales are predominantly Roman Catholic (78.22%) under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Iba. A sizeable portion of the population also belongs to the Aglipayan Church (6.12%) under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Zambales and Iglesia ni Cristo (4.89%). The remaining are divided with other Christian groups such as Born-again Christians, United Methodist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist, United Church of Christ in the Philippines as well as Non Christians which is usually represented by Muslims.

Town fiestas honoring patron saints are practiced in each parish.

Sambal, Tagalog, and Ilocano are the three main languages of Zambales.[6] Ilocano has 115,337 native speakers, Sambal has 114,637, and Tagalog has 250,637 (plus 24,995 non-native speakers).[28] More than 119,126 spoke other languages as their parent tongue, such as Kapampangan and Pangasinan, including non-Philippine languages such as English and Hokkien Chinese.[28] About 75 percent of the population speaks and understands English to varying degrees of fluency, and road signs are mostly written in that language.

President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU)

The President Ramon Magsaysay State University, commonly referred to as PRMSU, is a state university/government-funded higher education institution in Iba, established in 1910. The university is named after former President Ramon Magsaysay, a native of the province. Its main campus is situated in the capital town of Iba, while satellite campuses are located in Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Botolan, San Marcelino, and Castillejos. The university also offers nursing courses at the Mondriaan Aura College in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Business Administration at the Wesleyan College of Manila under a consortium program.

Columban College, Olongapo

The Columban College, is a private-catholic educational institution in Zambales that was established in 1961. the college was founded by the missionaries from Ireland under the Missionary Society of St. Columban until they turn over the institution to the Diocese of Iba. the institution's main campus is situated at the heart of Olongapo City, other campuses situated at Bo. Barretto, Olongapo which focuses on the southern part of Zambales, and Santa Cruz, Zambales which focuses on the northern part of Zambales. they value Christian Character like any other Catholic Schools as a Christ-centered but competing institution. they offer academic programs within their reach.