il

~~
PAS.UGUAN NG PILIPINAS

~~"~""'W'~ ~,~-/ol- 201 o

EMBASSY OF THE PHILlPPI~JES

HANOl 1 6 June 2010

MR. TRAN MINH SAM

Chairman
Ba Ria- Vung Tau People's Committee
E-mail: info@worldfoodfestival.vn

Dear Mr. Sam:

Thank you for your invitation to participate in the World Food Festival to be
held in Vung Tau Province on 21-25 July 2010.

I am pleased to inform you that a delegation from the Goldenstate College in

Gen. Santos City will be representing the Philippines at the Festival.
Goldenstate has prepared a repertoire of traditional Philippine dances, as well
as a menu of Filipino culinary delights that we hope would be enjoyed by
visitors to the Festival.

The contact person of Goldenstate College is Ms. Josie Yap-Tirador, President

of Goldenstate College. She will be in touch with Festival organizers on their
requirements, particularly for the culinary exhibition portion of the Festival.

For the booth design, please find attached a photo of Fort Santiago which we
would like to be featured in the Philippine booth at the Festival.

The 43 rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and other related Meetings will be held
in Hanoi on 19-23 July 2010 thus the undersigned will not be able to go to the
Festival. Mr. Froilan Emil D. Pamintuan, Trade Attache, will attend the
Festival on my behalf.

With my brgards.

tU
.)"ERRIL G. SANTOS
Ambassador

Cc: Ms. Josie Yap-Tirador

Goldenstate College

Mr. Froilan Emil D. Pamintuan

Commercial Attache

27-8 TRAN HUNG DAO STREET, HANOI, VIETNAM. TELS. (844) 39437873/39433849/39437948/39439826
FAX (844) 39435760 EMAIL: pc.hanoi Odfa.gov.ph / hnpc2000@gmail.com
6/17/2010 Fort Santiago in Intramuros. Atraction ...

I
FORT SANTIAGO

Walk into one ofthe oldest Spanish.

stone fortresses inthe country. Fort

Santiago is located in the

northwestern part ofthe Walled City.
In pre-Spanishtimes. this was the site
of Rajah Sulayman's "kuta" or fort.

The Spaniards under the termof

Governor General Gomez Perez

Dasmarifias fortified what was

originally wooden structures. Other

governors general continued to

modernize Fort Santiago's defenses.

Which makes itprobablythe best

laid-out portion ofthe walls.

Open Daily from 8:00am to 6:00pm

ENTRANCE FEES:

Adults Php 75.00

Children / Students / Teachers / Php 50.00
Senior Citizens / Disabled

(Students and teachers subject to presentation of school i.d.)

(Senior citizens subject to the presentation of senior citizen Ld.)
At the tip of the delta near the mouth of the Pasig River stands FORT SANTIAGO, one of the oldest
fortifications in Manila.

It is named in honor of Spanish patron saint James, Slayer of the Moors (Santiago Matamoros), wiose
wooden relief decorates the main gate of the fort. This W<lS the site of the Tagalog settlement of Maynilad,
the kingdom of Rajah Soliman. Fort Santiago served as the military headquarters of the Spanish, British,
American and Japanese regimes

During World War II, it W<lS a dreaded place \\here hundreds of men and women were jailed, tortured and
executed by the Japanese military police. the Kem peitai. It W<lS destroyed by American forces during the 1945
Battle of Manila. and W<lS restored as a public park in 1950

FORT SANTIAGO GROUNDS

intramurosadministration,com/fort,htm 1/3
 Fort Santiago in Intramuros. Atraction ...
6/17/2010

Upon entering the fort, one will see the the Intramuros Visitors Center (IVe) located at the restored
Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier, \\here military supplies were stored \\hen it \\lIS built in 1663 The
Re ducto de San Francisco Javier \WS added in 1773.

The ten chambers of the fortification house an information center where tours can be scheduled and
information on lntrarnuros events and attractions can be obtained; a restaurant and souvenir shops showcasing
Filipino craftsmanship.

On the right isthe Plaza Moriones, named after Gov. Gen. Domingo Moriones (1877-1880). It 'MIS used
as a public promenade until the 1863 earthquake devastated the fort. The military fenced off the promenade
area in 1864 \\hen the buildings around the plaza were used as soldiers' barracks.

Opposite Plaza Moriones is wall of the Almacenes Reales or Royal Warehouses These were storehouses
for goods unloaded along the nver \\harfs, to supply the fort and other mst ttunons In the city Erected In
1591, these warehouses were rebuilt as soldiers' quarters after Plaza Mor iones \WS fenced off In 1864 The
warehouse \WS moved to the wal] adjacent \0 the Puerto de Almacenes near Fort Santiago This was to
facilitate entry of goods to the city The new warehouses were built dunng the term of' Gov Gen. Fausto
Cruzat y Gongora (1690-170 I) These were continually renovated until completion under the tern of ad
interim Gov Jose de Torralba (1709-1717) It \WS during trus penod that the MAESfRANZA (the foundry
and arsenal) \WS also transferred nearby. In 1796, the area \WS demolished and a new nverfront \WS b.nlt and
called the Muelle de A/macenes. The gate and this section of the walls lasted until 1903 \\hen It \WS leveled by
American military engineers for easy access to the river \\harfs.

Next to the picnic area and refreshment kiosk is the archaeological excavation of Aniiletia de Maestrllnza, a
foundry \\hich cast cannons and ammunition during the Spanish period.

In front of the main gate of Fort Santiago is the Moat, the first line of defense surrounding the fortified city
with water. Guarding the fort on the bay and the river are the Baluarte de San Miguel and Media
Baluarte de San Francisco, respectively. These ramparts were built in 1609 to fortify the defenses of the
principal gate of Fort Santiago.
PLAZA DE ARMAS

The Plaza de Armas \WS the fort's main square, \\hich \WS probably the site of the Tagalog settlement of
Maynilad, the palisaded kingdom of Rajah Soliman. Surrounding it are the ruins of buildings once used as
military barracks and storehouses. At the right is an 18th century adobe building \\hich \\lIS converted into the
Dulaang Raha Sulayman (Rajah Sulayman Theater), where seasonal performances are staged by the
Philippine Educational Theater Association (PET A).

Used as soldiers' barracks, it also had a room for petty officers. This \WS used as a makeshift chapel-cell
\\here Philippine nat ronal hero Dr. Jose Rizal spent hrs last day on earth. The RizBI Shrine at the left \WS
built in honor of the national hero. It stands on the site of a brick barracks \\here Rizal \WS imprisonec from
November 3 to December 30, 1896 A hfe-size wax statue of the hero IS one of the main attractions of the
shrine

Recessed In a corner of the fort IS the Postigo de la Nstra. Sra, del Soledad (Postern of Our La]" of
Solttude) Thrs gate was used by the fort occupants as a passage to the Pasig River In 1762, l.ieut Gov (-,en
SImon de Anda escaped through rhrs gate as British soldiers captured the city Bringing part of the city's

intramurosadministration.com/fort.htm 2/3
6/17/2010 Fort Santiago in Intramuros. Atraction...
treasury and official docwnents, Anda tled to Pampanga and established himself as Gov. Gen. of the
Philippines. He headed an underground Spanish government and led a resistance movement against the
British until the end of the occupation in 1764.

A terraced garden covers ooat was once the site of the Casa de! Castil1ano or the residence of the Commander
of the Fort. Only the aljilJe ( water cistern) ooich supplied fresh water from a v.ell below remains of' the
structure. The aljibe itself was used as a storage room during the American period. In 1904, this 'MIS the
headquarters of the Philippine Division of the U.S. Army. T he building was renovated with a platfo~m and
tower extending to the Baluarte de Santa Barbara.

BaJuarte de Santa Barbara began in 1593 as a wooden platform that protected the entrance to the Pasig River.
It was rebuilt in stone with storage vaults and a powder magazine in 1599. Renovations continued into the
18th century, including the addition of a semi-circular platform (Media Naranja).

Stories of prisoners drowning in the dungeons during high tide abound. However, archaeological evidence
proves otherwise. The dungeons, oolch were the former storage vaults, were built w.ly above the river level
and it would be impossible for the waters to flood the chambers even during high tide.

The c'iarnbers of the powder magazme were used as prison cells for hundreds of guerillas and civilians arrested
durmg World War II. Their remams were discovered after the Battle of Manila. The ooite marble cross marks
the common grave of these victims.
back to h 1St oric sites page

Isuramuros Administration
5th Floor, P'-.tLt4:i..,.ltd Gth-:rn.uJt:lcf (\:'It. (;;;,->t'lt'T>tll.ittl<:t &: Auu.lu.... St:L. Inrrsmuros, M:luilOL

intramurosadm inistration.com/fort. htm 3/3