Quick Answer: Chavacano, also known as Chabacano, is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Other currently existing varieties are found in Cavite City and Ternate, located in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia. The 2020 Census of Population and Housing counted 106,000 households generally speaking Chavacano. The individual most commonly credited for the spread of this Spanish creole is Don Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera, then governor of Panama. He settled Zamboanga City by recruiting Peruvian soldiers and colonists to establish a Spanish presence there.