The main gate of Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. (Manny Llanes/ Manila Bulletin file photo)
There are many significant landmarks around Manila that have witnessed Philippine history unfold. One of them is Fort Santiago, a 400-year-old historical site that shows glimpses of events during World War II, the years under Spanish rule, the imprisonment of our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, and the Filipinos' fight for independence.
Take time to visit and explore the fort and the whole Intramuros, the Walled City. Today, Grandparents Day, would be a good time to take a tour with your lolo and lola, and the whole family.
There are regular tours offered by the Intramuros Administration. Check their website for the schedules and rates. On National Heroes Day, Aug. 29, IA, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), offered both regular and discounted guests (children, students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and government employees) free guided tours within the walled city of Intramuros.
The regular tour takes visitors to old dungeons, museums, fortresses, gardens, churches, and structures that reflect the Catholic faith, such as the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church. Drop by the San Agustin Church Museum, it will be worth your time especially if you are fascinated with history. Step into the Old World in Casa Manila, a Spanish house which is furnished according to the period. Beside it is the Puerta Real Gardens. There’s also the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) gallery, Baluerte De San Diego, Plaza De Roma, and then find more time to walk around Fort Santiago.
Whether it's for educational purposes, field trips, sightseeing, or a date, the fort and Intramuros is worth the visit and it’s open to people of all ages looking for a place surrounded by green fields, trees, and historical sites. It is a triangular area near the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge along the Pasig river which covers an area of about 64 hectares.
According to the IA website, Fort Santiago was a Spanish military fortress (1571-1898) that housed many Filipino and American prisoners during the Spanish Colonial Period and WWII (1939-1945).
Then, the fort also served as headquarters of the armies of the British (1762 to 1764), American (1898 to 1946), and Japanese (1942 to 1945). It was declared a National Shrine and Monument in 1951 and a National Cultural Treasure in 2014.
Originally built to house weapons of the Spanish army, the dungeons in Fort Santiago can accommodate up to 100 people. Records say that around 600 prisoners were found dead inside the dungeons after WWII. For a time, Rizal was imprisoned in one of the dungeons' cells.
Other sites accessible to tourists within Fort Santiago are an expansive space called the Almancenes Reales or Royal Warehouses, which was built in the 16th century; Plaza Moriones, an area used for public promenade and later became the soldiers' barracks; Reducto De San Francisco Javier (Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel); Wall of Martyrs, which has the list of Filipino survivors and those who were incarcerated or tortured within the area during WWII.
To learn more about Dr. Jose Rizal's last days, tourists can visit the Rizal Museum within the area, which was reconstructed in 1953 after WWII.
The Museo ni Jose Rizal Fort Santiago has five galleries that show various times of his stay there: his arrest on the morning of Dec. 29, 1896, arrival at his death cell in Fort Santiago, where he wrote farewell letters to his loved ones and composed Mi Ultimo Adios, and execution in Bagumbayan the following day, as described by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) website.
Gallery 1, or "Silid Pagninilay," contains Rizal's letters to his family and colleagues. Gallery 2 or "Silid Piitan" shows his actual prison cell with a life-size wax figure of Rizal created by National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino.
Inside Gallery 3 or “Silid Paglilitis” is a replica of Rizal’s trial held at the Cuartel de España. Gallery 4, or "Kabayanihan" has the national hero's "clothing, photographs, replicas of his alcohol stove and valedictory poem, and a painting of his execution done by National Artist for Painting Carlos V. Francisco."
And Gallery 5, or "Silid Pamana," displays Rizal's artworks, such as sculptures, sketches, personal effects, and photographs, along with a collection of insects and reptiles named after him.
The museum also has an audio-visual room and Mi Ultimo Adios pathway.
Other parts of Rizal's life are also featured in his museums in Museo ni Jose Rizal Calamba and Dapitan.
The entrance fee to Fort Santiago is from ₱50 (discounted rate) to ₱75 (regular guests).