Ladies and gentlemen buenas dias! We are here today to celebrate “The Hermosa Festival, also known as Zamboanga La Hermosa Festival, popularly known as Fiesta Pilar, is a month-long festival held annually here in Zamboanga City. It is one of the oldest festivals in the country and the most awaited event in the region.
With roots tracing back to the Spanish colonization era, the festival honors the city's guardian, Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). The reverence began in the 17th century when a humble chapel was erected in her name in a fortified stone structure.
Zamboanga is often called "Asia's Latin City", partly because the Chavacano language, a Spanish-based creole, is common and partly because is shares other Spanish traditions; it even has the same patron saint as
