ILOILO CITY: The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) said that the preliminary work for the restoration of Fort San Pedro has begun.

This was confirmed on Monday, February 19, after NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas met to identify the necessary preparations to commence the reconstruction of the city's cultural property.

The pre-restoration of the cultural property is estimated to cost P4 million, with funding allocated from the NMP's budget as specified under the 2024 General Appropriations Act.

Earlier this month, the NMP, alongside architects from the city government, inspected the site.

The NMP Archaeology Division, headed by archaeologist Dr. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia, has started reviewing the 1820 blueprint of the structure, comparing it to photographs taken in the 1930s up to the early 1940s and after World War 2. These photos were overlaid with recent images of the fort to assist technical experts in determining the extent of the site to be covered by the project.

The NMP said the preparation works will commence with an archaeological excavation up to 1.50 meters deep to locate the remains of the fort's foundations. It plans to start at the seaside area, away from foot traffic. The NMP said the data gathered will aid in the preparation and production of working plans for reconstruction.

Barns initially proposed the reconstruction of the structure in 2015 under the leadership of former city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

"We want to start excavating the site soon and we need all the research materials that exist to feed into our plans for the Fort's eventual reconstruction," he said.

"There was no Iloilo before the Fort was established in the early 1600s. Only after the Fort did the community grow," the NMP director-general said.

The Spanish government constructed Fort San Pedro in the early 1600s and was known as the "Fortificación de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en el Puerto de Yloylo, Provincia de Oton" (Fortification of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Port of Iloilo, Province of Oton).

The structure was built on a 2,564-square meter property at the Iloilo City waterfront intended for defense against threats of Moro pirates.

The NMP said that the structure, which is typical of a Spanish-built fortress in the country, is quadrilateral in shape and measures approximately 60 meters by 60 meters in building footprint.

The walls are made from cut coral stones quarried from Guimaras and are approximately 12 feet high and 30 feet thick.

During World War 2, the invading Japanese forces took over Fort San Pedro and used the structure as a dungeon for arrested Filipino guerrillas, which was subsequently bombed by the combined forces of the United States Navy and the United States Air Force.

At present, the area is being used as a park where miscellaneous structures, such as statues and gazebos, have been constructed.