◇Hidden gem

Fort Pilar National Shrine

Built by Spanish Jesuits in 1635 to defend against Moro raids and Dutch incursions, Fort Pilar is the oldest surviving military fortification in Mindanao. Its thick coral-stone walls enclose a regional museum and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar, whose niche in the fort wall draws pilgrims and devotees who press petitions and wax candles into the ancient stone. At dusk the fort glows amber above the bay, and the adjacent waterfront fills with families and vendors.

📸 Photos by Ralff Nestor Nacor (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons · Ayala Museum Archive (PD), Dennison Uy (CC BY-SA 3.0), Ervin Malicdem (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Ito Villaflor

Surf, mountains, and a really good cup of coffee.

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