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Fort Santiago: A Citadel of Colorful History

Compiled and edited by: Princess Hernandez

The Fort Santiago Gate (Credits: Juliana Kate Advincula)

Profile by Juliana Kate Advincula Looking for a place to date, roam around, or relax? Let’s go and visit Fort Santiago, located at Intramuros, Manila! This might be one of the perfect spots inside the walled city as it is prominent for its remarkable history and calming ambiance. According to the Republic of the Philippines (Intramuros Administration), today, it serves as a landmark and a national shrine (Dy, 2020). Numerous historical occurrences from the pre-Hispanic and colonial periods, as well as the people's fight for independence, have been documented by Fort Santiago. As soon as you enter the site, you will already notice the vast greenery by Plaza Moriones. Moreover, the area has dealt with numerous wars; hence, you will see the physical damage to the structures around it. However, given the several devastated buildings, some were restored, and some have stood the test of time. Furthermore, it contains relics from the Spanish era and medieval dungeons that will offer visitors a realistic impression of life during the Philippine revolution. It also houses a museum of Dr. Jose Rizal, also known as Rizal Shrine, which increases the point of interest for people who wish to visit this renowned landmark. 

Rizal's statue in Fort Santiago (Credits: Vivien Florence Limon, taken on August 17, 2022)

Brief History by Amberdawn Rosario One of Manila's first cornerbacks, Fort Santiago, was constructed by the Spanish in 1571 on the site of Rajah Soliman's palisaded fortress made of logs and earth on the Maynila native village (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The colonizers understood the strategic importance of the land tongue where the Pasig River entered Manila Bay (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). Following the designation of Fort Santiago as a Shrine of Freedom, restoration work started. It now serves as a memorial to the WWII casualties and the Filipino people's sacrifices in the fight for freedom (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). Chinese pirates led by Limahong destroyed the old fort, constructed of wood and earth, in 1574 (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). Between 1589 and 1592, it was reconstructed using carved stones and mud cement, but a violent earthquake in 1645 severely damaged the majority of the building once more (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The Spaniards rebuilt the stronghold between 1658 and 1663 (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The British invaded in 1762 and used Fort Santiago as their capital during their reign until 1764 (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). In 1778, the Americans arrived and renovated the fort, which later served as the command center for the U.S. Army's Philippines Division (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). In 1942, during World War II, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and used the fort as a military outpost and prison (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). It is alleged that they held and tortured 2,500 and 3,000 Americans and Filipinos at the location (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The U.S. Liberation Forces also attacked the Japanese in 1945, severely damaging the fort. It then operated as a U.S. depot. Later, Transportation Corps. In 1946, the U.S. Military handed the bastion over to the Philippine government, and in 1950, it was designated as a Shrine of Freedom (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The fort was renovated a year later by the National Park Development Committee before being given to the Intramuros Administration in 1992 (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). Additionally, the stone fort, constructed between 1589 and 1592 but devastated by the earthquake of 1645, was later expanded and repaired (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). The fort served as the headquarters for the Spanish, British, American, and Japanese occupation troops and a detention facility for soldiers, civilians, and minors (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.). One of the top tourist attractions in our area is Intramuros, which is significant to our nation's history. The Walled City is the name of the neighborhood, which is the oldest. When Spain colonized the Philippines, it served as the country's capital (Guides to The Philippines, n.d.).

Rizal's Prison Cell in Fort Santiago (Credits to: Vivien Florence Limon, taken on August 17, 2022)

Current Situation by Razdale Baroña The site has now become the memorial ground for the people who fought for the freedom of the country and the victims of World War II (Dy, 2020). Currently, Fort Santiago is still existing and it is now a very known tourist spot in the Philippines. The infrastructure was restored after being declared the Shrine of Freedom in 1950 (Dy, 2020). A ticket booth and security booth can be seen at the site's entrance. A Visitors' Center is also located in the 10 Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier chambers (Dy, 2020). Other places on the site, like Almacenes Reales, Plaza Moriones, Baluartillo de San Francisco, Moat, Fort Santiago Gate, Reducto de San Francisco Javier, Baluarte de San Miguel, Medio Baluarte de San Francisco, Plaza de Armas, Baluarte de Santa Barbara, etc. are still being taken care of (Dy, 2020). Museo ni Rizal, where the building’s right wing is Rizal’s prison cell, is also made to commemorate Jose Rizal (Dy, 2020).

One of the Fort Santiago dungeons (Credits: Juliana Kate Advincula, taken on August 1, 2022)

Significance to History by Vivienne Florence Limon As a fortress erected under Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi to create the new city of Manila, this defense stronghold has become one of the fortifications within Manila's walled city, identified as Intramuros (Fernando, 2020). Hence, with all of the previous events in mind, knowing about the history of Fort Santiago is such a significant impact on the Filipinos to have respect and insights about what happened in the past as the place where it happened is still standing up until now. It serves as an existing reminder of the past glories and downfalls of the Philippines, whether it be in the reconstructed architecture, the people imprisoned within its cells, the horrendous matters that took place within its walls, or the victories that originated from it. Its existence significantly highlights all the efforts and deeds, whether peaceful or violent, made to successfully achieve the freedom the Filipinos enjoy today; hence, it is widely revered and visited by many people to appreciate its beauty and colorful history.

Gallery

A picture of the statues of the prisoners then in Fort Santiago (Credits to: Razdale Baroña, taken on March 12, 2020)

Plaza Moriones (Credits: Amberdawn Rosario, taken on December 7, 2019)

Some barrack ruins in Fort Santiago (Credits: Princess Hernandez, taken on January 10, 2023)

References

Dy, I. (2020). Republic of the Philippines Intramuros Administration. Intramuros Administration. https://intramuros.gov.ph/fs/.

Fernando, C., (2020). Fort Santiago: Guide for Travelers to Explore Beyond Its Gates After Dark. Zen Rooms. https://www.zenrooms.com/blog/fort-santiago/

Guides to The Philippines. (n.d.). Fort Santiago. https://guidetothephilippines.ph/destinations-and-attractions/fort-santiago-1

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Wearing The Right Lenses

Observation

History is mysterious and treacherous in its own way. Michel-Rolph Trouillot asserted that power affects the formation of historical narratives in a broader sense and predates the actual story, helps make it, and shapes how it is interpreted (Miles, 2019). He also argued that historical narratives that consist of "bundles of silences" are produced and reinforced by unequal hierarchies and that these silences can be found not only in academic histories but also in sources, archives, and, more broadly, in how the past is remembered, told in stories, and determined its historical significance by societies (Miles, 2019). And with those statements, I initially thought of history being usually written and recounted by those that prevailed. I have watched some movies and read books involving those who manipulated history to rewrite history to their advantage, portraying themselves as heroes and the defeated as losers. And more often than not, what they recorded for history is not always the whole and absolute truth.

Credits: Carlos Latuff

Insight

Unlike their Creator God, human beings are not omniscient, omnipresent, or everlasting. Because of their mortality limitations, they cannot recapture nor reimagine their history with complete certainty and accuracy. And because of that flaw, power and victory significantly affect how history is portrayed and remembered. This led to many silenced stories by countless people, of whom most are less known and unknown, their victories credited to the well-renowned. Hence, the scarcity of data, historians' assumptions, and the inherent difficulties of causal explanation make historical reconstruction risky (Duberman, 1965). An example is Empress Nara of China’s Qing Dynasty, the second empress of Emperor Qianlong. After terribly falling out with her husband, she supposedly cut her hair despite knowing it was a grave taboo (Lee et al., 2015). People were only allowed to cut their hair to mourn deaths; hence, her doing meant cursing the emperor and empress dowager to die (Liu, 2018). There is still uncertainty about the reason for her actions as her documents are so few, creating the suspicion that Qianlong erased her records and portraits to make her cease to exist but in name (Lee et al., 2015). Historical dramas have taken creative liberties to imagine what she would have been like. However, their portrayals of her did not seem implausible. The past should be imagined reasonably, especially since historians are forbidden to imagine unreasonable things in connection to the past to avoid misleading people, which I have learned in reading the articles. However, there are some obstacles to that.

Many governments use disinformation to fuel propaganda (Baets, 2019). Genuine historians and others who write and speak about the past have also been falsely accused (Baets, 2019), which can lead to ordinary people and even fellow historians being confused as to whether or not their historical sources are misleading or even fake. The writings of historians who lived under dictatorships have typically been rejected as "false history” (Baets, 2019). Such baseless accusations, which frequently go hand-in-hand with or even constitute governmental propaganda and censorship, seek to silence historians (Baets, 2019). False self-accusation is a step further. During the Great Terror in the USSR and abroad, forced confessions, where historians had to accuse themselves of real or imagined crimes falsely, were the norm (Baets, 2019). And since the government controls it, others have been led astray and left to fend for themselves, imagining or fighting for what the past must have been. And often, certain prejudices are created due to the lack of actual evidence and trusted historians, which leads to massive disinformation and harm.

Credits to the owner

Learning

History is taught in schools as though it is only helpful for remembering names and dates (Lalwani, 2022). Still, true learning should involve thinking about historical errors and how to avoid making them again (Lalwani, 2022). Teaching our children to spot the difference will help them prevent fake history and news and emphasize the significance of a responsible and informed citizenry (Levin, 2016). Otto Frank said, “there are no walls, no bolts, no locks that anyone can put on your mind,” which is a profound truth that the masses can keep in mind amid unequal hierarchies and circulating fake history. Education plays an essential role in teaching people what should be and not be trusted and removing or at least minimizing false beliefs (Loftus, 2001), hence why some governments exert great efforts in educating rightly or wrongly. Nevertheless, people can choose what they believe regarding history; whether or not their primary and secondary sources are trustworthy and original, it is still their choice to stand by those matters. It is only a matter of believing what is genuinely right, with or without bias.

Credits to The University of Arizona

References

Baets, A. D. (2019, May 9). Fake news about the past is a crime against history. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190429100401197

Duberman, M. (1965). The Limitations of History. The Antioch Review, 25(2), 283-296. https://doi.org/10.2307/4610686

Lalwani, R. (2022, November 3). History is written by the victors. The Michigan Daily. https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/history-is-written-by-the-victors/

Lee, L. X. H., Lau, C., Stefanowska, A. D. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911. Routledge. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=y_4vCgAAQBAJ&dq=empress+nara+research&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Levin, K. M. (2016, December 6). The Remedy for the Spread of Fake News? History Teachers. The Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/remedy-spread-fake-news-history-teachers-180961310/

Liu, H. (2018, September 29). Hair Razing. The World of Chinese. https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2018/09/hair-razing/#

Loftus, E. F. (2001). Imagining the past. The Psychologist, 14(11), 584-587. https://www.academia.edu/2657184/Imagining_the_past

Miles, J. (2019). Historical silences and the enduring power of counter-storytelling. Taylor Francis Online, 49(3), 253-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2019.1633735

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me: *playing minecraft, about to check out an underwater city*

drowned zombie with trident:

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ASCENDANT CITY-DEPTH 

by Sungwhooan Lee

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Cosimo Galluzzi  -   http://poolsofchrome.tumblr.com  -  https://twitter.com/csmgllz?lang=es  -  https://www.instagram.com/cosimogalluzzi  -  https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/cosimo  -  https://www.facebook.com/csmgllz

[ellieenderling]

Why should ensemble be appreciated

They never get the credits for their work, even though they work as hard as all the leads do

They remember all those musical numbers it’s amazing

There are so many vocal ranges so when they sing together it’s MAGNIFICENT

They make the show look so bright and colourful

I’ve seen so many young people from ensemble looking up to leads and dreaming of becoming them; and then in a few years they actually become truly amazing leads 

They have to do so many costume changes  

They are always so nice and ready to help everyone

“Okay, we have 30 people in ensemble. 29 girls and 1 boy. wHy Is ThIs HaPpEnInG” 

They have to act so many roles in one play

They lose their scripts and by the end of tech week there is two and a half working copies…

… but after the show closes they seem to find way more copies that they’ve lost (like HOW)

They all cry after the show is done, but I mean everyone does

THEY ARE GREAT AND MUST BE LOVED, thank you

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Please send help.

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Rainbow Notebooks Kyahhhhhh!!!!!

Hardcover / Softcover Notebooks

Cognitive Surplus on Etsy

See our #Etsy or #Stationery tags

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To all the judgy people there........

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The Kid and The 2 Apples

One day there was this kid who had gotten 2 apples as a prize from helping out in their neighbor’s apple farm. After thanking his good neighbor, he dashed home so he can eat his apples with his mom. 

“Mom! I got 2 apples from Mr. Green today. He says he’s pleased with my work.” The boy blurted out, causing the mom to laugh.

“Really, son? Good job! Are you gonna eat your apples now?” Mom asked.

“Yes, Mom! And I’ll share them with you!” The boy remarked. The mom was touched by her son’s words.

The kid then bit on the 1st apple, happily relishing the crunchy and juicy fruit. The mom thought that after he bit into the 1st apple, he’ll give the other one to her right away, but she was wrong. Her little boy bit into the 2nd apple also! This surprised her a bit.

“Son, why did you bite the other apple as well? What about me? I thought we were gonna share!” The mom said with her voice higher than usual so that her son might be intimidated. But the little boy just kept eating. After swallowing what he ate, he told his mom,

“Mom, I bit into both apples to determine which was sweeter, so you could enjoy eating it,” He handed the 1st apple to Mom, “Here, this one’s sweeter. Take it, Mom.” 

The mom took the apple from her son and hugged him, touched by his kindness. She vowed never to judge her son right away without knowing his reasons. 

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Fate and Destiny doesn't really determine your future, your choices do

unknown

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Mocha708  -  https://twitter.com/mocha708  -  https://ja-jp.facebook.com/people/Mocha-Cotton/100013147182049  -  http://alice-books.com/item/list/all?circle_id=4475  -  http://mocha708.wixsite.com/mocha708  -  https://mocha.booth.pm

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Uniquely Breath-taking

by Mark Bowen

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They aren’t looking at the camera, but who cares? They are Cute!!!!

Just adopted these 3 and Cricket is getting eye removal surgery on Monday so wanted to get a family picture beforehand!

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Sometimes, letting go of someone you love in order for that person to not be burdened is a sacrifice only love can do

Donya Soledad Montecarlos, I Love You Since 1892

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"How could you know happiness if you haven't known sadness?"

—unknown

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A cute golden retriever with wings haha