IT HAS BEEN six years since May 15, 2013 when then President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10555 creating the Cultural Heritage Tourism Zone. Authored by Cong. Jerry P. Treñas, that law mandates the Department of Tourism (DOT) to restore Iloilo City’s heritage cites, namely the Jaro Cathedral, Molo Church, Central Business District, Jaro Plaza Complex, Molo Plaza Complex, Plaza Libertad Complex and Fort San Pedro.
We already have seen old buildings at the Central District well-restored. For this column, let us focus on the need to restore Fort San Pedro to its original grandeur.
Today’s generation, alas, sees nothing there but parts of its foundation, bastions and ruins that still jut out of sea level where the mammoth 2,564-square meter fortress used to stand.
These vestiges of the fallen structure could actually be preserved and reinforced into the restored fort.
For a brief history, the Spanish colonizers built the original La Fuerza de San Pedro out of earthworks and wooden palisades between 1603 and 1616 for defense against Dutch and English marauders.
In 1617, a Dutch squadron of 10 warships engaged the Spanish defenders manning the fort. The Dutch lost the battle.
In 1738, Fort San Pedro was reconstructed, this time with 30-foot thick stones replacing earthworks.
It was because of Fort San Pedro – with 50 guns and three mortars blazing – that the Spanish government in Iloilo initially repelled the invading Americans in 1899. Eventually, however, a reinforcement of American marines forced the surviving Spanish soldiers to surrender.
In 1937, years after the fall of the Spanish regime, the US Navy turned the fort over to the Philippine Army to become its headquarters.
During World War II, the invading Japanese forces drove the Army out and took over Fort San Pedro, which also served as dungeon for caught Filipino guerrillas.
In March 1845, combined forces from the United States Navy and the US Air Force bombed all Japanese installations in Iloilo City. As a result, Fort San Pedro disappeared.
Until a few years ago, the location where Fort San Pedro used to be had been under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
On May 21, 1991, the DENR entered into a 25-year miscellaneous lease agreement – from Feb. 13, 1991 to Feb. 12, 2016 – with businesswoman Consorcia Cordova for use of the property as a drive-in restaurant. No wonder until now this restaurant has remained in business.
On April 14, 1998, the DOT through then Regional Director Edwin Trompeta, proposed to take over ownership of the property and to reconstruct Fort San Pedro as a tourist destination. The DENR reacted by rescinding the contract with the Cordovas, prompting the latter to contest the rescission in court.
Without waiting for the civil case to prosper, the DENR withdrew the rescission after agreeing to keep the lessee in place until the fort would have been rebuilt; and to provide lessee a restaurant space within the revived fort till the expiration of her contract.
On October 4, 2004, the DENR formally turned over ownership of Fort Santiago to the DOT through a memorandum of agreement signed by then regional directors Vicente Paragas and Edwin Trompeta of DENR and DOT, respectively.
On September 15, 2010, Trompeta wrote DOT Secretary Alberto Lim requesting for a budget of P100-million for restoration of Fort San Pedro but to no avail.
Perhaps, under RA 10555 and with present DOT regional director Helen Catalbas at the helm, it can now be done. (hvego31@gmai.com/PN)
