17 - Zamboanga, Philippines

On the tip of Mindanao's western peninsula.

Zamboanga City brings its best foot forward during the popular Fiesta Pilar, celebrated in honor of the city's patron saint, La Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza, Spain. A statue honoring the saint is prominently embossed above the façade on the eastern wall of the meter-thick walled fort called El Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza (also called El Real Fuerza de San José in its early days). This Spanish military fort was built on June 23, 1635, by the Spanish Jesuit priest Fr. Melchor de Vera in defense against pirates and slave raiders. Zamboanga City is one of the oldest cities in the country and is the most Hispanized. It is also one of the largest cities in the world in terms of area, with over 1,480 km², including its 28 surrounding islands. Its recorded population in 2007 was 774,407.

19 - Quezon, Negros, Philippines

Main town on the island's E coast. It, like many other places named Quezon in the country, is named for Manuel Quezon, who was the first, or the second, or the third President of the Philippines, depending on who you ask (but who died in the USA in 1944, in exile during the Japanese occupation). All this was before the US granted the Philippines true independence on (how convenient) July 4, 1946.