Fort Pilar, Zamboanga City

 

The Spaniards during the colonial era built military fortifications in some strategic places of the Philippines to protect established communities from raids and incursions especially from pirates and Moros. In Mindanao forts were also built. Some of them were demolished and others did not survive the ravages of time. But there are still others that exist today.

In the tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula Jesuit priest Melchor de Vera with the approval of Spanish Governor General Juan Cerezo de Salamanca built a fortification called Fort San Jose on June 23, 1635.  That date was also the founding of Zamboanga. The military fort was to protect the place called Jambangan from Moro pirates as well as attacks from Sultans of Mindanao and Sulu.

Due to lack of manpower, Spanish, Peruvian and Mexican builders had to import additional workforce from Cavite, Bohol and Panay for the construction of the fortification. The mix of different people from various places in the Philippines with diverse dialects under the control of the Spaniards may explain the development of Chabacano, a Spanish pidgin dialect spoken in Zamboanga because people had to communicate with each other in an understandable language, in that particular situation the Spanish.

The fort was attacked by the Dutch in 1646. It was abandoned by the Spaniards in 1662 to reinforce the Spanish administration in Manila which was under the threat of the Chinese pirate Koxinga who earlier defeated the Dutch. The attack however did not happen.

After it was destroyed by the pirates and raiders, Jesuit missionaries rebuilt the fort in 1699. Upon order of Spanish Governor General Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante Y Rueda Spanish engineer Juan Sicarra rebuilt the fort in 1718. The fort was then renamed Real Fuerte de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza.

The years that followed saw attacks on the fort and a violent incident. In 1718 Dalasi, king of Bulig with about 3,000 Moro pirates stormed the fort but were repulsed by the defenders. In 1798, the British cannoned the Fort and in 1872 it was a scene of mutiny of 70 prisoners.

Marian relief

In 1734, a Marian relief was built on the eastern wall of the fort. It was named Nuestra Señora del pilar de Zaragoza (Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza). The Virgin Mary of the Pillar became the patroness of Zamboanga. The outdoor Marian Shrine become a place of devotion and worship to some faithful who believe that the Lady of the Pillar is miraculous. Tradition has it that Virgin Mary made several apparitions. It is said that she first appeared to a soldier near the gate of the Fort on December 6, 1734. During an earthquake on September 21, 1897 in the Zamboanga Peninsula, it was said that some visionaries saw the Virgin Mary floating in the air in Basilan Strait and raised her right hand to stop the onrushing waves thus preventing the onslaught of Tsunami in Zamboanga.

On May 1899 during the Spanish-American War, the Spaniards surrendered the fort to the Filipino revolutionaries led by General Vicente Alvarez. On November 19, 1899 the fort was captured by the Americans. During World War II, the fort was occupied by the Japanese. American and Filipino troops recaptured it in 1945. The Americans officially turned over the fort to the Philippine government on July 4, 1946.

On August 1, 1973 Fort Pilar was declared as a national cultural treasure. Today the fort is placed under the administration of Regional Museum of the National Museum which makes the fort its regional headquarters.

Today, the fort is a major tourist attraction of the city. The original walls are still intact, and is protected by a metal fence around them. On the eastern side of the fort’s wall is the relief of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza and below it is an altar. The shrine is enclosed and protected with metal fence.

Historical marker

courtyard and museums

At the entrance of the fort is a historical marker. Visitors can go inside the fort passing through the security personnel of the National Museum for free. In the center inside the fort is a courtyard. And adjacent to the walls are buildings which house the museum containing different artifacts and materials of the marine life of Zamboanga, Basilan and Sulu. Visitors can view the display in the museum for free. They are required though to take off their shoes to view the displays and they are not allowed to take picture with a DSLR camera. They can only take pictures with a smart phone, and that they will not use flash or take video with their phone.

preserved marine life

lantaka

colonial era bell

ramp

a walkway and a bastion

Visitors can climb to the rampart of the Fort through the ramp that connects it. On top is a walkway where they can see the scene below including the sea and the Santa Cruz Islands. At corner of the walls are bastions with security guards manning a guard house. Also on the bastions is parapet with merlons and crenels. In the days of old these structures might have given a defender a vantage position from the attackers who were on the ground below.