Fort San Pedro
Fort San Pedro is the oldest and smallest forts in the Philippines. It was first built by Cebuano laborers as a single triangular bastion under the command of Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565 and was finished in 1738. Aside from being the core of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines, it repelled any invasions from the natives and Muslim pirates.
The name Fort San Pedro was taken from Legaspi’s flagship called “San Pedro” in which he sailed the Pacific Ocean in 1565. The said fort is triangular in shape and is made of stone and mortar with three bastions. On the southwest side is called “La Concepcion”, facing southeast is “Ignacio de Loyola”, while the one on the northeast is called “San Miguel”.
Fort San Pedro stands 30 feet from the ground occupying a total area of 2,025 square meters, and with walls that are 20 feet high and eight feet thick. “Cuerpor de Guardia” (a refuge for the personnels who manned the fort), “Vivendo del Teniente” (sleeping quarters for the fort’s lieutenants), a well, and a powder magazine (storage for the fort’s arms and gunpowder supply) are found inside the fort.
From the word “fort”, we could possibly imagine a place where doers of injustices are sentenced to pay the havoc that they created in the outside world. The sharp spasms as whips lashed wildly on their skins, the dried gores on the wall as prisoners were thrown into it, the decapitated heads helplessly lying on the floor, the bloods slithering on the filthy brick floors, the combat against sentinels and prisoners, the cries as someone triggered his rifle, and whatever horrific settings that we could picture in our imaginations.
After years of being a prison and camp, did you know that what seemed to be a place of doom became a place where Spanish artifacts, documents, paintings, sculptures, sword fragments, canons, and helmets and Ming porcelains of various size are kept and displayed?
Before it became a place where old artifacts are being preserved, let us take a journey to the past and discover the history of Fort San Pedro.
1896-1898 The fort became a prison for Filipino rebels during the uproar of the Philippine Revolution.
May 1, 1898 The fort was turned over to Cebuanos by American Commodore George Dewey after the Battle of Manila Bay, few days after war was declared between Spain and US.
1937-1941 Became the American Warwick Barrack during the American Regime then turned into classrooms as Cebuanos were taught formal education.
1941-1945 The Fort San Pedro became the fortification camp of Filipino soldiers during World War II.
1946-1950 The fort became an infirmary but was later transformed into an army camp.
1950 The Cebu Garden Club took over and transformed the inner part into a miniature garden while the upper deck became government offices of different agencies.
1957 The fort courtyard was transformed into a zoo.
1968 Due to different transformation that the building has been through, the fort underwent renovation. Coral stones were used to restore the beauty and make it close to the original structure.
Visitors pay a nominal 10-peso fee to enter the tourism landmark. The fort is located in Barangay San Roque in Cebu City. In front of the fort is another city landmark, the Plaza Independencia, and to its side is the Cebu Central Post Office, which is near Pier.
How to get there:
The easiest way to get there if you’re taking public transport is by riding a taxi. All cab
drivers know where it is. From the uptown area, it’s a 70 pesos taxi ride. If you’re taking the cab from Lapu-Lapu City, the ride may cost you 180 pesos.
If you want to go there Pinoy style, take the Philippine icon of mass transportation, the jeepney. Several jeepneys have routes that pass the place. Look for jeepneys with Pier 2 or Plaza signboards in their windshields.
Sources:
http://living.cebunetwork.com/article/fort-san-pedro-cebu-city/
http://www.cebucentral.com/attractions/Fort_San_Pedro.html
http://www.focalglass.com/cebu-fort-san-pedro/
