FORT SAN PEDRO
Fort San Pedro is well-known to be the smallest and oldest fortified place for military of defense in the country. This structure was built on May 8, 1565, Tuesday under the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Leagspi, 11 days after his arrival in Cebu. The indigenous Cebuanos were the ones who actually build the fort. The original structure of Fort San Pedro was built only of wood. The structure has upper and lower decks. The following is the report made by Professor Marcelino Maceda, describing the structure of the original fort.
“The fort was triangular in shape, with two sides facing the sea and the third fronting the land. The two sides facing the sea were defended with artillery, and the third side with a strong palisade made of wood. The fort served as a nucleus of the established settlement in the Philippines.
The three bastions were named La Concepion (Southwest), Iganacio de Loyola (Southeast) and San Miguel (Northeast).
The circumference is 1,248 feet. The sides are of unequal lengths and the one fronting the city is the main gate. Total inside area is 2,025. The walls are 20 feet high, 8 feet thick and the towers are 30 feet high from the ground level. 14 cannons were mounted in their emplacements most of which are still there today.”
These bastions namely: La Conception, Ignacio de Loyola and San Miguel were the “viewing decks” of the Spaniards as originally intended. In each bastion is a stair going down to the courtyard.
The 14 cannons are divided in each side of the triangle and on the area of the three bastions. On the area of Bastion San Miguel, there are about 2 cannons. On the right side of Cuerpo de Guardia which is facing the city has 4 cannons in all, while on its left is 3 cannons. Bastion La Concepcion has 2 cannons; Bastion Ignacio de Loyola has 3 cannons.
The fort was reconstructed and the walls were changed into stone mortar. There was no existing evidence of whose leadership it was by the time the structure was modified. But there were allegations that a Jesuit named Antonio Campioni built the stone structure in 1630.
After 200 years from the time Fort San Pedro was built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, King Phillip II, the leader of Spain, wanted to gain knowledge about the islands of Cebu particularly of the fort. Now to be stated is the response of King Phillip’s query made by Governor General Tanon who was the Spanish ruler at that time.
“Fuerza San Pedro, the fort is described as built of stone mortar with terreplain where guns are mounted. The fort contains the necessary building. The largest of these was the “Cuerpo de Guardia” where the personnel that manned the fort lived. Adjacent to it was Viviende Del Teniente” the living quarter of the lieutenant of the fort. In between the aforementioned buildings is a well. At one corner attached to the walls of the bastion San Miguel (NE) was the “Alamazaros del Rivera” (powder magazine where the fort’s supply or arms and gunpowder from Manila was stored).”
Cuerpo de Guardia is said to be the building where most of the leaders and the high-ranking personnel abode. It is found at the center of the upper level. The head quarter of the guards and onlookers of the possible coming of foes were on the roof top of Cuerpo de Guardia. The building has three doors facing the city, representing each room.
VIVIENDE DEL TENIENTE
The other building which is Viviende del Teniente served as the quarter of the Lieutenant of the fort. This area is actually facing the sea, adjacent to Cuerpo de Guardia. Viviende Del Teniente is at the corner of the triangle near to Bastion La Conception. Beside it is a stair going down to lower level.
Like many of the historical landmarks in the Philippines, Fort San Pedro has played an important role for Cebu beginning at the time when the Spaniards came until the succeeding years.
The primary intention of the construction of the fort was that, it was used as the immediate shelter for the Spaniards, led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, when the village of the Cebuanos was burnt, according to the information made by the Department of Tourism where the Fort San Pedro is associated. It was also built to defend against invaders and plotters who wanted to overthrow the government. These invaders and plotters were usually the Muslim rebels and the hostile native Cebuanos, who were against the plan of the Spaniards, which was to inaugurate a permanent settlement in the islands.
At the time when the Spaniards came, led by Legaspi, the native Cebuanos were very aloof to a point that they started trouble. But they did not win against them since they did not have enough expertise and capability to conquer such war.
The main reason why these native Cebuanos, led by Rajah Tupas, were very unwelcoming to Spaniards was because of what they had gone through from the leadership of another Spanish commander named Ferdinand Magellan, who came first in the islands before Legaspi. This commander attempted to colonize and to own the land of the natives but unfortunately he met his demise from the hands of another native Cebuano named Lapu-lapu.
According to the history of Fort San Pedro made by the management administering the site, due to the intermittent violent attacks and nighttime raids coming from the sea, the Spaniards were forced to construct the fort by the sea shore.
ONE OF THE CANNONS
Since the flagship of Legaspi’s expedition in Pacific Ocean was San Pedro, he took this name and bequeathed to the fort.
Fort San Pedro “served as the nucleus of the established settlement in the Philippines.” This is the first area where the Spaniards had settled themselves and had begun to take over the responsibilities of the government of Cebu which was directed by the native Cebuanos before. It is the start of the conspiracy of the Spaniards towards the country. This time was called Spanish Era.
When the Americans won during the Battle of Manila Bay on 1898, it was the end of the Spanish Era. As a result, the Spaniards had relinquished the fort to the Cebuanos.
Aside from being the settlement of the Spaniards, Fort San Pedro had many uses over the time. First, the fort became the prison camp for the rebels during Philippine revolution form 1896 to 1898. Second, it was later then use as a part of the Warwick Barracks during the American Regime. Third, from the year 1937 to 1941, the barracks became a school for the Cebuano, where they got their first formal education. The biggest contribution of the foreign colonizers to the country was the education they had bestowed to the natives. Without their part, these people would stay ingenuous just as they were. Fourth, on the Japanese time, the fort was converted into an emergency hospital for the wounded people during a battle with a purpose to liberate the City from the imperial Japanese Forces. Lastly, it turned into an army camp.
The Cebu garden Club took over the management of the fort and converted it into a miniature garden on the year 1950, after it was turned into an army camp.
Presently, Fort San Pedro is located in Plaza Independencia, Cebu City. To preserve its grandeur and historical structure, through the years, it underwent into a lot of reconstruction and rehabilitation but the Spanish artifacts remained as they were.
Part of the fort today, is the Museum, which contains all the necessary pieces way back then. There are paintings and documents revealing the important details of all the historical events and battles. These paintings are the images of the people, who are part of the history of Cebu revolving at the time of Spanish Era such as, Reyna Juana with the image of the Baby Jesus, Rajah Humabon, the battle of Tres de Abril, and partially destroyed old Spanish Flag.
TRES DE ABRIL
REYNA JUANA
SPANISH FLAG
On the structure, going straight from the entrance of the fort is the courtyard that has turned into miniature garden. Some of the plants found in it are the pre-Hispanic and Hispanic ones. These are dawa (Setaria botanica), upland rice (Oryza sativa), abaca (Musa Textiles), corn (Zea mays), gapas (Gossypium hirsutum) and the other introduced and indigenous plants in Cebu.
In each bastion also are the other means of biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity Conservation is one way to preserve the fort, to enliven the spirits and the lives of the people back then and to spread how important the history of Cebu is.
Though there were a lot of changes in the fort from the time it was built up to the present, it has still kept the memories of the past.
There are a lot of advantages also when these artifacts are preserved. Not just the Cebuano and Filipinos acquired knowledge about the history of Cebu but also many of foreign tourists are coming in and visiting the site. These tourists are mostly Koreans and Americans. Through this, it would help the economy go higher.
Another advantage is the history of Cebu will always stay on the heart of everyone and will be spread to the children of the future.
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