The Ghost of Fort Santiago

In November 2007, whilst visiting Fort Santiago in Intramuras, Manila, I stumbled upon the dungeons.

During the Japanese occupation of WWII, these dank, dark and dismal cells were used to imprison hundreds of Filipino and American soldiers. They were victims of unspeakable atrocity.

After descending alone down a number of stone steps which lead to a heavily locked iron gate, there is nothing more to see except total blackness. Even on a bright sunny day, the darkness is complete, eerie and silent.

I slipped a hand holding my Sony CyberShot through the bars, ensuring that the flash was set, and hoped for the best (at all times being conscious that if it dropped, it could be lost in the abyss).

The subsequent image is reprinted here, free from any editing. As can be seen, there isn't much going on - some wooden benches, and plenty of cobwebs. The walls appear bright but this is purely a result of the flash. I thought no more of it, until I uploaded it to my photo imaging software and shed some more light into it - and that's when the revelation occurred!

I couldn't quite make it out at first. Eventually it became clear that it was the figure of a man. On closer inspection the man became a soldier dressed in full period uniform of the Japanese Army!
He stands holding his rifle in front, with the butt at his feet. Has this soldier been captured in an ethereal moment in time, whilst standing guard over his prisoners? And what were the strange and random specks of light which hovered upon and around his image? Were they merely the reflection of the flash in the camera - or were they a strange atmospheric phenomenon?

And judging by the cobwebs prominently crossing the entrance, it is apparent that there has been little human activity down here for a very long time indeed.
The Japanese occupied the Philippines from 1941 to 1945, and this uniform is true to period.
In this close up, his hat, nose, mouth and ears can be clearly discerned. It is a ghostly and inexplicable apparition. Who is he? Does he haunt the dungeons of Fort Santiago for eternity? The Prison guard now the imprisoned?

The descent to the subterranean dungeons can be an unerring experience, fortunately for the camera flash, the area is lit up in order for the reader to be able to have a clearer picture.

The fort served mainly as a military post and as a residence for high ranking Spanish officials. However it was as a prison that it was used the longest, during the Japanese occupation of WWII.

Hundreds died in the over-crowded cells and in dungeons which were often flooded by the tides from the River Pasig. 600 of the 800 imprisoned there during the war are buried in a mass grave under a nearby cross.

The photograph on the left was the first taken through the gates - from a different angle - and it was purely by chance that I shifted my position to obtain the controversial image of the soldier.

The dungeons were originally used by the Spanish as the powder magazine, but such was the dampness and unhealthy conditions due to the proximity of the river, they moved the location and converted the facility into dungeons in 1718.

In other words it was perfectly acceptable to put human beings down there, but certainly not a valuable commodity like gunpowder! One can only imagine the horrors and vile suffering which occurred down here - some of them still in living memory!

Sceptics of course, will say that the "ghost" is nothing more than a mannequin, perhaps used for an exhibition sometime past, left and forgotten, merely to gather dust in a gloomy black hole.

Perhaps it's been left there to scare the pants off people crazy enough to try and get a photograph by shoving their hands through rusting gates into an unknown space.

Who knows? But maybe this is one of many ghosts in Fort Santiago. After all, it was the scene of 500 years of history involving blood, toil, tears and torture.

I took this photograph of the commemarative plaque shortly before I descended to the dungeon. Visitors are not directed to them - and few would venture due to the imposing route. Most return quickly as their path is barred.

Did you arrive here via Trek-Philippines? If so then just click to return. If you didn't then why not visit anyway?

Seeking more history of the Philippines? Try this: Conquest and Colonisation, my compact history of the Philippines.

A Sherman tank smashes through the Parian Gate during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. The Gate was restored between 1967 and 1982.



The Parian Gate was one of seven gates to the Walled City known as Intramuros, which houses Fort Santiago in Manila.

Originally built in 1593, it is one of the earliest entrances and became the official entrance of the Governor-General in 1764, following the destruction of Puerta Real during the British invasion.