PHILIPPINES ~ Fort Santiago - Intramuros - Manila ~

... This postcard shows one of the few ancient remains of the Philippines in Manila....located inside the walled city of Intramuros in Manila lies Fort Santiago, the oldest Spanish fortress in the Philippines...a visit to Intramuros will transport you back in time... visitors can walk the grounds and see the ruins along with a museum dedicated to Dr. Rizal and see the cell he was kept a prisoner in... you can walk along the ramparts and look out over the Pasig river and imagine what the place looked like in colonial days and during the dark hours of Manila in WW2...it makes a wonderful escape from the bustle of the big city...Thanks Jobbo!!【ツ】Never heard before of "pagpag"... I watched a video and it really made me sad and I’ll never look at leftovers the same way again... it's called "pagpag" (which roughly translates to "dusted off food") leftover food scavenged from garbage bins and eaten by the poorest people who can't afford to buy fresh meat... these are being re-heated or re-cooked (frying).😟 Don't know if this is something to be "highlighted" on a postcard!

Fort Santiago was built in 1571. Originally the site of a Muslim kingdom headed by Rajah Sulaiman the area was destroyed by Spaniards and the fort was built and soon became the main defense fortress during the spice trade with the Americas.

The original earthen and log fort was destroyed by invading Chinese Pirates and was reconstructed with volcanic rock. The fort served as a Spanish Fortress, Headquarters of the US Army during the American colonial period and WW2 and was captured by the Japanese during WW2 and used as a prison.

Most of the fort was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. In 1946 the U.S. gave back Fort Santiago to the Philippine Government and it is now a historical park administered by the Philippine National Parks Development Committee.

Stamps:

Philippine Flowers
(Issued 23-04-2018)

People Power
(Issued 1999)

Battle of Candon
(Issued 24-09-1997)