Spanish era cuartel unveiled in Oslob

CEBU, Philippines - Another historical attraction was unveiled in the southern part of Cebu province- an old structure made of coral stones that dates back to the Spanish era.

No less than Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren lighted the cuartel, as among the highlights of the month-long celebration of the 440th founding anniversary of the Province of Cebu.

Built by the Spaniards in 1898, Capitol consultant on heritage and museum affairs Jojo Bersales said the cuartel served as the town’s first line of defense for naval infantry.

“Not even Vigan, now known as the Unesco World Heritage Site, has a similar structure,” Bersales said. The structure, which was left unfinished because of the arrival of the Americans, is reportedly the only one of its kind in the country.

Provincial Engineer Eulogio Pelayre said the rehabilitation of the structure started last June with the aid of the barangay officials and volunteers from other barangays.

Residents from the neighboring town of Alcoy also extended help, as well as stone breakers from barangay Opon in Mactan island. Rehabilitation works are scheduled to be completed in December in time for the town’s annual fiesta.

Dolomite and fossilized stones were used to restore the structure to its original form, Bersales said.

Bersales urged the Oslobanons to donate whatever mementos of the past including phoos during the war to the planned museum, which will be located in one portion inside the Cuartel.

Guaren said he plans to transform the area surrounding the structure into a real heritage site with a park and cafeteria. Roads will have to be rerouted, closed and overlaid with bricks. Shaded trellis will also be put up.

For her part, Garcia called on the Oslobanons to “value, give due attention to and protect the structure,” saying that leaving such edifices that form part of history to crumble is “tantamount to losing one’s own identity, one’s pride as Cebuano and the destruction of one’s own soul.”

Garcia said she expects tourists to flock to Oslob to see the structure once it will be fully rehabilitated and recognized as one of the heritage sites of the province. — Garry B. Lao/JMO (THE FREEMAN)