Editing Zamboanga (province) (section)

==History==
{{more citations needed|section|date=July 2022}}

===Creation===
[[File:Zamboanga province map 1918.JPG|thumb|Map of Zamboanga province in 1918]]
During the time of the United States' purchase of the Philippines (1898), the [[Republic of Zamboanga]] had its own independence and jurisdiction on what is now Zamboanga City. After the dissolution of the republic, Zamboanga was eventually consolidated into one major administrative area by the American government of the Philippines, consisting of an enormous region that was the Mindanao island's western peninsula, [[Basilan|Basilan Island]], and the entire Sulu archipelago, with the ancient namesake town/fort of Zamboanga as the seat of its government, and was called the [[Moro Province]] of the Philippines.

The Moro Province, in 1914 was replaced by the [[Department of Mindanao and Sulu]]. It was divided into Zamboanga, [[Sulu (province)|Sulu]], [[Cotabato]], [[Davao Region|Davao]], [[Agusan (province)|Agusan]] and [[Surigao (province)|Surigao]]. The town of Zamboanga as its capital. Luis Lim<ref>Father of Congressman [[Roseller T. Lim]]</ref> was appointed as the first governor of Zamboanga.

In 1920, the [[Department of Mindanao and Sulu]] was officially dissolved and Zamboanga became an independent province. In 1922, elections were held for the first elected provincial officials of Zamboanga. Florentino Saguin was elected as first elected governor.

At that time, the province was composed of five municipalities:
*[[Dipolog]]
*[[Dapitan]]
*[[Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte|Lubungan]]
*[[Isabela, Basilan|Isabela]]
*Zamboanga

Zamboanga was also sub-divided into 12 municipal districts:
*[[Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay|Bangaan]]
*[[Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur|Dinas]]
*[[Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay|Kabasalan]]
*[[Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur|Kumalarang]]
*[[Lamitan City|Lamitan]]
*[[Maluso, Basilan|Maluso]]
*[[Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur|Margosatubig]]
*[[Sibutad|Panganuran]]
*[[Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte|Sibuko]]
*[[Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte|Sindangan]]
*[[Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte|Sirawai]]
*[[List of barangays in Zamboanga City|Taluksangay]]

===World War II===
When the [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|Japanese invaded the Philippines]], Zamboanga acting Governor Felipe Azcuna moved the capital from Zamboanga City to [[Dipolog]]. After the defeat of the American-Filipino forces in [[Corregidor]], most of the province went under Japanese control.

After the war, on June 16, 1948, [[Molave, Zamboanga del Sur|Molave]] was designated as Zamboanga's capital by the virtue of Republic Act No. 286<ref>{{cite web|title=REPUBLIC ACT NO. 286 AN ACT CREATING THE MUNICIPALITY OF MOLAVE IN THE PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA AND MAKING SAID MUNICIPALITY THE CAPITAL OF THE PROVINCE|url=http://philippinelaw.info/statutes/ra286.html|work=PhilippineLaw.info|access-date=19 September 2013}}</ref> signed by President [[Elpidio Quirino]].

===Division===
On June 6, 1952, the Republic Act 711,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno711.html|title=PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES AND CODES; CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY|last=Firm|first=Ronald Echalas Diaz, Chan Robles & Associates Law|website=www.chanrobles.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-15}}</ref> authored by Zamboanga [[Roseller T. Lim|Congressman Roseller Lim]] was passed by the [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|Philippine House of Representatives]] to divide the province of Zamboanga to [[Zamboanga del Norte]] and [[Zamboanga del Sur]], while the chartered City of Zamboanga and Basilan became part of Zamboanga del Sur . The bill was signed by President [[Elpidio Quirino]] in a ceremony held at the [[Malacañan Palace]].

The towns of [[Dapitan]], Dipolog, [[Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte|Rizal]], [[Piñan, Zamboanga del Norte|New Piñan]], [[Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte|Polanco]], [[Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte|Katipunan]], [[Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte|Manukan]], [[Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte|Sindangan]], [[Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte|Liloy]], [[Labason, Zamboanga del Norte|Labason]] and [[Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte|Siocon]] are composed of the province of Zamboanga del Norte. The City of [[Zamboanga City|Zamboanga]] & Island of [[Basilan]] and towns of Molave, [[Pagadian City|Pagadian]], [[Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur|Labangan]], [[Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur|Margosatubig]], [[Dimataling, Zamboanga del Sur|Dimataling]], [[Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur|Dinas]], [[Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay|Ipil]], [[Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay|Buug]], [[Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay|Malangas]], [[Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay|Kabasalan]] and [[Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur|Aurora]] are under Zamboanga del Sur.

The town of [[Dipolog]] was designated capital of Zamboanga del Norte and the town of [[Pagadian City|Pagadian]] as Zamboanga del Sur's capital.

In 2001, a brand new Zamboanga province, [[Zamboanga Sibugay]], was created from the province of Zamboanga del Sur with [[Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay|Ipil]] as its provincial capital.

===Governors===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Governor
! Portrait
! Term
! Notes
! Ref.
|-
|colspan=5 align="center"|'''DISTRICT OF ZAMBOANGA'''
|-
|Luis Lim|| ||July 23, 1914&ndash;1917||Lim was the first appointed civil governor of the province.||<ref name="govzn">{{cite web|title=DISTINGUISHED GOVERNORS OF THE PROVINCE|url=http://www.zanorte.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=28&limit=1&limitstart=5|publisher=Old website of the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Norte (ZaNorte)|access-date=2007-04-21 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032432/http://www.zanorte.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=28&limit=1&limitstart=5|archive-date=2013-12-03}}</ref>
|-
|Agustin Alvarez||[[File:Agustín Luceo Álvarez's passport application.jpg|100px]]||1917&ndash;1920||Alvarez succeeded Lim in 1917 as governor and reelected in 1928.<br />In 1940, he was elected [[List of Mayors of Zamboanga City|Zamboanga City Mayor]].||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|colspan=5 align="center"|'''PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA'''
|-
|Agustin Alvarez||[[File:Agustín Luceo Álvarez's passport application.jpg|100px]]||1920&ndash;1922|| ||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Florentino Adasa Saguin||[[File:Honorable Florentino A. Saguin (Delegates from the Philippines).jpg|100px]]||1922&ndash;1925||Saguin was the first elected governor of the province.<br />He later represented Zamboanga in the [[1934 Philippine Constitutional Convention election|1934 Constitutional Convention]].||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Jose Dalman Aseniero|| ||1925&ndash;1928||Aseniero formerly served as Municipal President of Dapitan before elected Governor.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Agustin Alvarez||[[File:Agustín Luceo Álvarez's passport application.jpg|100px]]||1928&ndash;1931|| ||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|[[Carlos Camins|Carlos Hernandez Camins]]|| ||1931&ndash;1934|| ||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Felipe Ramos|| ||1934&ndash;1937||Ramos previously served as Municipal President of Zamboanga City from 1925 to 1934 before being elected Governor.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|[[Matias Ranillo Sr.|Matias Castillon Ranillo]]||[[File:Matias Ranillo Sr.jpg|100px]]||1937&ndash;1940||Ranillo was later elected representative of [[Legislative district of Zamboanga|Zamboanga's Lone District]] in 1941.<br />When war broke out, he was appointed as the province's military governor.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Felipe B. Azcuna|| ||1940&ndash;1941||Azcuna was a member of the Provincial Board before elected as governor. He was reelected governor in 1948.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|colspan=5 align="center"|'''WORLD WAR II'''
|-
|Lazaro Alfabeto|| ||1945&ndash;1946||Alfabeto was appointed governor after Zamboanga was liberated.||
|-
|Leoncio Sagario Hamoy|| ||1946&ndash;1948||Hamoy was appointed Provincial Fiscal before becoming governor.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Felipe B. Azcuna|| ||1948&ndash;December 30, 1949||Azcuna would become Zamboanga del Norte's first governor when the province becomes divided in 1952.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|Serapio Datoc|| ||December 30, 1949&ndash;June 6, 1952||Datoc served as Zamboanga's last governor<br />When the province was divided, Datoc became Zamboanga del Sur's first governor.||<ref name="govzn" />
|-
|}