A trip to Manila is not complete without stopping over at the Spanish colonial Fort Santiago located within Intramuros (literally: "inside the walls"). This is where the the city of Manila began its roots before developing into the major metropolis of over 10 million people that it is now.

In 1718 the fort also incorporated prison cells that mainly held political dissidents against the Spanish colonial power which in the next century
-and-a-half-or-so also included the country's National Hero - Dr. José P. Rizal. During WW II the Japanese used these cells to imprison and
torture those who opposed their presence which may have included my paternal grandfather who was then a jailmate of one who later on
became Senator Raul Manglapus ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raul_Manglapus ). Unfortunately my grandfather was among those brave
souls who died here before the war ended ...

A few of the images show the destruction of the landscape caused by typhoon "Milenyo" last September 28, 2006. Fallen trees that have
been there for ages are being cut off, and it seems that part of the underground dungeons and/or storage vaults have caved in.

Fort Santiago Thread: http://forum.pbase.com/viewtopic.php?t=29109

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** Quoted texts courtesy of the "Fort Santiago - Intramuros (The City Lives On!)" pamplet given by the Intramuros Administration (IA),
Department of Tourism 2007 **

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