Fr Zabala was born on 15 January 1965 in La Paz, Bolivia. He carried out his novitiate at Santa Eulalia, Peru, made his first religious profession on 12 February 1985 and perpetual profession on 31 January 1992 in La Paz. On 24 September 1994, he was ordained a priest in La Paz-El Alto.
He had been Vicar of the "Paul VI" Theologate community of Cochabamba in 1998-99, Director of the "Don Bosco" Institute of the same city from 1999 to 2005, and Vicar of the "Don Bosco Institute" of La Paz since 2017.
For the BOL Province he had also been Secretary (1997-99), Councilor (1999-2002 and 2017 – to present), Vicar (2002-2005), and Delegate for Provincial Services-Educational Centres (2004-2005).
He had also previously held the position of Provincial of the BOL Province in 2005-2011.
