“It is now protected by law,” Ludovico Badoy, Director of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) said Tuesday during the unveiling ceremony of the marker.
By ALEX D. LOPEZ
Davao Today
PIKIT, Cotabato, Philippines — Fort Pikit, a military fortification built by the Spaniards in the 1800s here, is now a national historical landmark.
“It is now protected by law,” Ludovico Badoy, Director of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) said Tuesday during the unveiling ceremony of the marker.
From now on, all activities concerning the rehabilitation and other construction works related to the preservation of this century-old fortress must be approved by the NHCP. The government, through the latter can now also appropriate funds for the preservation of Fort Pikit.
“This will further enhance the tourism industry of our province,” said Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza as she called on local and foreign tourists to visit this old military fortress.
Pikit Mayor Sumulong Sultan said the influx of tourists can provide opportunities for livelihood and other economic activities for the local residents. He also expressed gratitude that his town is now in the country’s historical map.
Taliño-Mendoza said that her government will communicate with the Spanish government for “possible sourcing of funds for the rehabilitation of the fortress.”
Fort Pikit was part of the series of military fortifications built by the Spanish colonial government in 1893. It was also utilized by the American colonial government in 1912 to 1945 but was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. The American forces have again recovered this fortification towards the end of World War II. (Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
