Rizal Park

This park, located right in the heart of the country’s capital Manila, has been called
various names: Luneta Park, Bagumbayan and Manila Kilometer Zero. Rizal Park
was named after the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, who was executed there
by the Spanish military firing squad after spreading his revolutionary ideas against
the Spanish rule.
 Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago is a citadel first built by Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de
Legazpi for the new established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense
fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as
Intramuros.
The fort is one of the most important historical sites in Manila. Several lives were
lost in its prisons during the Spanish Colonial Period and World War II. José
Rizal, one of the Philippine national heroes, was imprisoned here before his
execution in 1896. The Rizal Shrine museum displays memorabilia of the hero in
their collection and the fort features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his
footsteps representing his final walk from his cell to the location of the actual
execution.
MacArthur Landing Memorial National
Park
The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park is a protected area of the
Philippines that commemorates the historic landing of General Douglas
MacArthur in Leyte Gulf at the start of the campaign to recapture and liberate the
Philippines from Japanese occupation on 20 October 1944. This event led to the
largest naval battle of World War II (Also the world's largest naval battle in terms
of gross tonnage sunk) and Japan's eventual defeat and surrender after almost three
years. The war memorial is located in the municipality of Palo on Leyte island in
Eastern Visayas and is one of the region's major tourist attractions. It was declared
a national park on 12 July 1977 through Letter of Instructions No. 572 signed by
President Ferdinand Marcos
 Mactan Shrine
The Mactan Shrine, or the Lapu-Lapu Shrine, is a 20-metre bronze statue of the
native leader, Lapu-Lapu, who was the one who defeated the Spanish soldiers and
killed the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan back in 1521. The event is now
famously referred to as the Battle of Mactan.
 Sandugo
Sandugo referred to the blood compact that took place between the Spanish
explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the chieftain of Bohol, Datu Sikatuna, back
in 1565. Sandugo means “one blood” in the Visayan dialect and was performed to
seal the friendship between the two leaders. It was considered to be the first ever
treaty of friendship between the Filipinos and the Spaniards.
 Banaue Rice Terraces
The Banaue Rice Terraces are a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines and
are considered to be the 8th Natural Wonder of the World by many Filipinos. The
terraces are carved in the mountains of Ifugao and were most likely done by hand.
There have been rice terraces in the mountainous regions of Ifugao and northern
Luzon Island for over 2,000 years. The terraces were first constructed as a practical
solution to the problem of growing rice on land that falls away in front of you at
vertigo-inducing angles.
 Corregidor Island
Corregidor Island is known for its many historical significance in the country. For
one, it became the seat of the Philippine Commonwealth Government in 1941. It
also became the headquarters of the Allied Forces during Japanese occupation in
the Philippines in 1942. Later that year, the Battle of Corregidor took place in the
island, as a culmination of the Japanese campaign to conquer the Philippine
government. A lot of Filipino, American and Japanese lives were lost during the
battle as the island was the last remaining obstacle that will allow the Japanese to
have full control of Manila Bay.
 Calle Crisologo
This famous 500-metre cobblestone street in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur is one of the
best displays of Spanish influence in the country. Stretching across only five
blocks, the calle (street) is lined with old heritage houses of Filipino-Chinese
traders who were prominent back in the days.The houses here are characterised
by thick walls, red roofs, huge doors and capiz shell windows.
 Jose Rizal Shrine
The Jose Rizal Memorial Protected Landscape in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte,
is the farm site where the country’s national hero was exiled for four years after
being accused by the Spanish authorities for plotting the Philippine Revolution in
Manila. Also known as the Rizal Park and Shrine, it was established in 1940 and
was declared a protected landscape covering 439 hectares in 2000.
 Basilica del Santo Niño
The basilica was founded in 1565 and is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the
entire country. The spot was where Miguel Lopez de Legazpi found the image of
the Child Jesus. It was also the same statue that Ferdinand Magellan gave to the
wife of Rajah Humabon of Cebu, after they were baptized to Christianity in
1521.
 EDSA Shrine
The EDSA Shrine is connected to a more recent event in the country’s history. The
shrine was built only in 1989 and now stands to commemorate the two People
Power Revolutions that took place in the country. The first People Power ousted
the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos under Martial Law while the second one
ousted Joseph Estrada from power in 2001.
 Fort San Pedro
Another military structure built under the command of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
is the Fuerte de San Pedro in Cebu. The original structure, which was made of
wood, was immediately put up after their arrival to help keep away the Muslim
raiders in the area. It was the centre of the first Spanish settlement in the country
and, in the 19th century, the fort was attacked by Filipino revolutionaries who used
it as their stronghold during the Philippine Revolution.
 Bataan Death March Marker
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main
Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the
approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to
make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in
intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards.
Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March. The day
after Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941,
the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began. Within a month, the Japanese had
captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the American and Filipino
defenders of Luzon (the island on which Manila is located) were forced to retreat
to the Bataan Peninsula. For the next three months, the combined U.S.-Filipino
army held out despite a lack of naval and air support. Finally, on April 9, with his
forces crippled by starvation and disease, U.S. General Edward King Jr. (1884-
1958), surrendered his approximately 75,000 troops at Bataan.
 Intramuros
Intramuros is also called as Walled City and serves as the shield during the World
War II. Intramuros is the oldest district in Manila. Intramuros houses the Fort
Santiago which serves as the place of execution of our National Hero, Dr. Jose
Rizal. Manila Cathedral is also located inside the walled city.
 Sultan Kudarat Monument
The monument of the great Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat stands proud
right in front of the Provincial Capitol Building in the province of Sultan Kudarat
in Mindanao. The sultan was known as a Filipino hero who fought against the
Spanish invaders and defended his Islamic faith. Because the Spaniards could not
conquer his territory, the Spanish governor and the Sultan signed a pact which
led to many years of peace in the area. He was also considered one of the greatest
leaders in Mindanao as he was able to unite the Muslims from Lanao, Cotabato,
Sulu, Davao, Zamboanga and North Borneo.