If you needed a new reason to visit Fort Santiago, here’s one: The Fort Santiago Dungeons are now accessible to the public. From 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, you can visit the labyrinthine prison cells of the walled city. Entrance to the area remains P75 for adults and P50 for students, senior citizens and PWDs, and that includes a tour guide to clue you in to the history of the somber walls.
Just a refresher, Fort Santiago is a citadel built in 1593 by the Spanish government. It’s part of Intramuros, the defense fortress created to protect the Spanish’s hold on Manila. The structure holds a huge historic signficance to Filipinos, especially its prison cells. For one, that was where Jose Rizal was imprisoned before his execution.
Its dungeons also saw through a particularly gruesome time in Philippine history, as this was the place where the Japanese occupation forces kept, tortured, and executed allied soldiers and resistance fighters. Many prisoners of war died from suffocation there, as the dungeon chambers had extremely tight spaces.
For more information on Fort Santiago, check out Intramuros Administration’s Facebook page.
Featured photo courtesy of Intramuros Administration
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Writer: ZOFIYA ACOSTA
