Fort San Pedro (Iloilo) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Fort San Pedro, also called Fuerza de la Nuestra Señora del Rosario, was a military defense structure in
Prior to the founding of the fort, records show the presence of wooden defense installations in Arevalo, Iloilo as early as 1599. A Spanish captain Joan Garcia de Sierra successfully defended a wooden fort at Arevalo against attacks from Mindanao tribes. While he himself was killed in the battle.
The current Fort San Pedro, formerly called ''Fortificación de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en el Puerto de Yloylo, Provincia de Oton'' (), was first built out of wood in 1602 by Pedro Bravo de Acuña. It was renovated into a stone fort by Diego de Quiñones following the Dutch attack in 1616, where he found the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, now enshrined at San Jose Church.
On October 10, 1903, U.S. President
Iloilo City
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...
, Philippines. It was built in 1602 by Pedro Bravo de Acuña to protect the city from Moro and Dutch attacks, and was completely destroyed during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
It was declared an important cultural property in 2016 by the National Museum of the Philippines
The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...
(NMP) and is the second Spanish-built fort in the Philippines and Asia, following the one in Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
(also named Fort San Pedro
Fort San Pedro () is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaz ...
).
History
Prior to the founding of the fort, records show the presence of wooden defense installations in Arevalo, Iloilo as early as 1599. A Spanish captain Joan Garcia de Sierra successfully defended a wooden fort at Arevalo against attacks from Mindanao tribes. While he himself was killed in the battle.
The current Fort San Pedro, formerly called ''Fortificación de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en el Puerto de Yloylo, Provincia de Oton'' (), was first built out of wood in 1602 by Pedro Bravo de Acuña. It was renovated into a stone fort by Diego de Quiñones following the Dutch attack in 1616, where he found the image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, now enshrined at San Jose Church.
On October 10, 1903, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
declared it and its adjoining areas as a military reservation. In 1936, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...
designated the fort as a Philippine Army Post. When World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
erupted, the Japanese Imperial army seized control and made it into a headquarters. In March 1945, combined forces from the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
and Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
bombed all Japanese installations in Iloilo and pulverized Fort San Pedro. As a ruin, it later served as a park for recreation, outdoor dining, and drinking.
Since 2015, several proposals have been made to reconstruct Fort San Pedro. In 2016, the National Museum of the Philippines
The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...
(NMP) declared the site an important cultural property and a component of a cultural heritage tourism zone in Iloilo City. In October 2024, the NMP signed an agreement to restore and develop Fort San Pedro, with work scheduled to begin in 2025. There is also a proposal to transfer roll-on/roll-off
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
(Ro-Ro) operations from both Dumangas and Lapuz to Fort San Pedro, along with plans to expand the area by adding more ramps to accommodate ro-ro vessels.
See also
*Fort San Pedro
Fort San Pedro () is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaz ...
References
External links
* {{coord, 10, 41, 17, N, 122, 34, 48, E, type:landmark_region:PH, display=title Buildings and structures in Iloilo City Proper Visayan history History of the Philippines (1565–1898) Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines Spanish colonial fortifications in the Philippines Buildings and structures destroyed during World War II San Pedro Tourist attractions in Iloilo City