Friday, December 27, 2019- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) Regional Office 9 staffs visited the different Historical sites of Zamboanga City for their Technical Exchange Visit. The visit aims to foster open exchange of ideas and sharing of lessons learned and to impart community spirit among NNC employees toward improved organizational performance for better service to the citizenry. Headed by Nimfa D. Ekong, Officer-in-Change, Nutrition Program Coordinator with staffs, Felimon Modillas, Administrative Aide (AA) III, Gabriel Tubigon, Nutrition Officer (NO) II, Zhalimar Jakaria-Patulada, NO I, Angelica Pajulas, NO I, and Annie Rose Magno, AA VI, the team toured some remarkable places of Zamboanga City.
At first, the NNC-RO 9 team had lunch at Hacienda de Palmeras Hotel and Restaurant in Zamboanga City, then proceeded to the Butterfly Sanctuary located at Pasonanca Park also known as La Jardin de Maria Clara Lobregat. The sanctuary is filled with Paper Kite butterflies which are noticeable with their two ruling colors on their wings- black and white that looks very attractive as they flee to the flowers inside the sanctuary.
Having been fascinated with the beauty of these butterflies and learned some facts about them, the team headed to Fort Pilar National Museum. Presently, the museum is still under renovation but opened an exhibit area for the public. It was divided into two exhibits; one that shows the photographs of the remarkable Filipinas in the country while the other features the art exhibits of the Filipino visual artist Bert Monterona entitled “Kalinaw hindi Digmaan” (All Out Peace Not War). The exhibit presents his tapestry paintings painted in a Mandaya Handwoven skirt (dagmay) that features his advocacies such as promoting sustainable living, protecting the environment, campaigning against war and building a culture of peace.
Lastly, NNC 9 staffs visited the well-known Fort Pilar Shrine of Zamboanga. It was built by the Spaniards in 1635 and was named in honor of Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar (Our Lady of Pillar), the patroness of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga City. It was a 17th century military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial government in Zamboanga against pirates and raiders of the sultans of Mindanao and Jolo. Up to this time, Fort Pilar serves as an open-air shrine of the patroness.
As the NNC 9 staffs visited these historical sites, they appreciated more the beauty of Zamboanga City, not only because of its attractive places but because of the history that lies behind these sites. Zamboanga City is called the “Asia’s Latin City” because of its historical sites and culture that is a testament of the Spanish time. Through this tour, the team was able to meet other Zamboangeños/Chavacanos and other people of different cultures and understand more of their beliefs and traditions that will help the team in giving better service to the people of Zamboanga.
