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Wednesday, July 05, 2006
'Guardia Civil' set for revival
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
OZAMIZ CITY -- The City Government here plans to re-commission "guardia civil" to guard the 250-year-old fortress called "Cotta" in this city.
The Ozamiz City Government will train the "Guardia Civil" on basic courtesy and some Spanish language courses and they will be dressed exactly like the Spaniards's Guardia Civil of more than 300 years ago.
Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. said the guards will be Ozamiz City residents, some of whom have Spanish blood in them.
Parojinog said he also wanted to build a hotel near the Fort or Cotta where local and foreign tourists can rest and stay in.
The fort, based on early historical records, was only among the six existent forts in Mindanao; among these are the Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza in Zamboaga City, the Dapitan Fort located on a stony hill overlooking the sea; the San Francisco Xavier Fort in Iligan City made of squared stones, star shaped but smaller in size that of Ozamiz; San Jose Fort in Cagayan de Oro City; the Cateel Fort in Davao del Norte built of wooden planks with nipa roofing and the Tandag Fort in Surigao del Sur.
Earthquake
Cotta stands as a mute witness to the many events that took place in Ozamiz. It was subjected to deafening sounds on at least two different occasions.
The first from cannons and fusillades of soldiers under the service of the Spanish crown fighting against raiders and the second from the bombs dropped on the eve of the Japanese occupation of Ozamiz City in December 10,1945.
The Misamis Cotta was deemed important by the colonists that it was marked as one of three forts prioritized for capture to ensure contact with the Muslims who were to be used in the fight against the Spanish government.
The other two forts included were those of the Zamboanga and Basilan. Noted historian and Fr. Miguel Bernad said the Cotta was built 250 years ago as proposed by Fr. Jose Ducos for two reasons.
That is to repel the Moro raids, which were at their height in the 1750s, and to provide shelter for the ships of the Spanish fleet during that time.
In April 1955, an earthquake struck the Cotta partially damaging two of its towers with meter wide cracks. The quake registered an intensity 7 on the Richter scale and is considered the most devastating ever by the city residents.
'Show'
There were no lives lost in the quake but it destroyed important landmarks such as the centuries old Catholic Church or the Ozamiz Cathedral and the part of Cotta.
At the grand 250th year anniversary of the Cotta, which also coincided with the opening of the weeklong Pasundayag this month, Department of Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Policarpio Palabyab told the more than 5,000 spectators that their agency will pay in kind to the Ozamiz City Tourism Council chaired by Susan Parojinog for the development of the park.
Pasundayag translated as "show" in the local dialect is a regional showcase of Northern Mindanao's attractions, agriculture and aquamarine products, facilities and skilled workers done for the first time on a month-long basis.
Its opening ceremonies coincided with the 250 year old Spanish Fortress Anniversary celebrations. The activities in line with the event were sponsored by the private, business and religious sectors in the city.
(July 5, 2006 issue)
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