Cebu 2014: Fort San Pedro
The good thing about having your mother as your advanced party in a place you're planning to visit is that she's already got your entire itinerary covered - without even asking you. Am not complaining, though; for the first time in many years, I was not the one who arranged the schedule.
As soon as my daughter Marthe and I arrived in Liloan, a town in Cebu, where many of my closest relatives live and where we will be staying for the next three days, my mother lost no time in enumerating the places they can take us to the next day. Mama had gone ahead of us to Cebu about two weeks prior to see another relative who came home from the U.S. and they had ample time to tour her. I've told my mom that I needed to see a friend at lunch the next day, so our sightseeing will have to be planned around that meeting.
No problem, Mama said. We could start with Fort San Pedro. Oh, good! I've always wanted to visit that place but there always wasn't time to do so. At least now, I have, thanks to my able "vacation planner." :)
Fort San Pedro
As soon as my daughter Marthe and I arrived in Liloan, a town in Cebu, where many of my closest relatives live and where we will be staying for the next three days, my mother lost no time in enumerating the places they can take us to the next day. Mama had gone ahead of us to Cebu about two weeks prior to see another relative who came home from the U.S. and they had ample time to tour her. I've told my mom that I needed to see a friend at lunch the next day, so our sightseeing will have to be planned around that meeting.
No problem, Mama said. We could start with Fort San Pedro. Oh, good! I've always wanted to visit that place but there always wasn't time to do so. At least now, I have, thanks to my able "vacation planner." :)
Fort San Pedro
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| Fort San Pedro entrance |
My mom said they used to skip "Fuerza de San Pedro", as the fort was known during Spanish times, because it offered nothing in recent years except a plaza to stroll around in. Despite being considered the oldest fort in the country, and built under the command of none other than the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi himself, Fort San Pedro seemed to have lacked the charm to entice private investors to turn it into a profitable tourist destination. The place has changed from fort to hospital to park to zoo, and a host of other things, according to our funny tourist guide, but yes, the government finally decided it would do well as a traditional tourist attraction and national shrine.
Entrance to the fort is P30 for regular individuals, P24 for senior citizens, and P20 for children below 12 years old and students who can present a student ID.
Fort San Pedro was named to honor the ship of Legazpi, the “San Pedro”. It's triangular in shape, with two of the sides facing the sea and one facing the land. It's said to have been built to ward off Muslim raiders but later became a stronghold for Filipino revolutionaries near the end of the 19th century.
Entrance to the fort is P30 for regular individuals, P24 for senior citizens, and P20 for children below 12 years old and students who can present a student ID.
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| Guardhouse |
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