This study assesses the implications of transferring the Region IX - Zamboanga Peninsula government or administrative center from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City. Designating regional centers of the national government is a strategy initiated in 1972 as part of the field service area pattern for government agencies prescribed by the former Commission on Reorganization. The 1972 reorganization plan originally designated Zamboanga City as the regional administrative center in Region IX. In 1990, Executive Order No. 429 reorganized the Mindanao administrative regions and designated Pagadian City as the regional center of the government in Region IX, while recognizing Zamboanga City as the commercial and industrial center. Designating Pagadian City as the regional administrative center requires government agencies to relocate their offices there. However, the implementation of the policy has faced resistance and delays, compounded by shifts in the geographic composition of Region IX—most recently the transfer of Sulu province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao to Region IX following a Supreme Court decision—and by national policy changes such as intermittent moratoriums on the transfer.
The study employed a mixed methods approach and gathered primary data through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and an online survey of key regional offices (primarily Regional Development Council (RDC) members in Region IX) and their employees. The study also reviewed related documents and analyzed existing secondary socioeconomic data on the region. Data-gathering and field visits revealed that 90 percent of regional agencies have already transferred to Pagadian City. However, eight RDC member offices have remained in Zamboanga City or have established a secondary office in Pagadian City while retaining their Zamboanga City office.
Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data was structured around five themes: (1) governance and administrative efficiency, (2) socioeconomic development, (3) political and institutional dynamics, (4) stakeholder interaction and behavioral change, and (5) regional integration and synergy. This structure provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the administrative, socioeconomic, and political effects of the transfer. Results indicate that while service delivery efficiency has been largely maintained through adaptive mechanisms such as digital coordination and decentralized offices, the transfer has imposed significant adjustment costs on personnel. Economically, Zamboanga City remains the dominant commercial hub, but Pagadian City has demonstrated growing fiscal capacity and emerging potential as a secondary growth center.
The study concludes that Pagadian City should remain the permanent regional administrative center of Region IX, with a clear transition framework of at least five to ten years for completing pending relocations and infrastructure improvements to ensure stability, equity, and balanced development. This approach prevents costly disruptions, promotes regional integration, and supports economic growth across the region while maintaining Zamboanga City as a commercial and industrial hub.
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