Pumped up by Punta Cruz Watchtower

If I were to name some of Bohol's towns that are worth exploring time and again, Maribojoc would be among my top five. Located some 13 km west of Tagbilaran City, it is frequented by tourists from here and abroad because of its numerous attractions, including Abatan River, a few mysterious caves, and, of course, its historic landmark—the Punta Cruz Watchtower, dubbed as "the only perfect isosceles triangle" tower-fort structure in the Philippines.”

Built in 1796, the triangle-shaped stronghold used to be part of the Spaniards' defense  system against the persistent Moro raiders who plagued the island in olden times. As a  history buff, I became interested to see the tower when I first learned about it years ago. It wasn't until 2003, however, that I finally had the chance to see Maribojoc's ancient stone lookout for the first time.

Upon learning that I'd be attending a training in Cebu City, Jieboy, a friend who's based in Tagbi (that's Tagbilaran City, for short) asked me to come over to his place and spend a few days there. I haven't been to the island province so I readily accepted his invitation. After completing my training, I packed my stuff, scurrying to catch one of the ferries bound for Bohol's capital.

Arriving in Tagbi, Jieboy fetched me at the port and showed me around town. Obviously, a visit to the Maribojoc watchtower was part of our itinerary. With Jieboy as my guide, I explored the perfect isosceles-shaped fort one late afternoon after billeting myself in one of the pension houses along Graham Avenue. 

From Tagbilaran, it took us about half an hour to reach Maribojoc. Riding my friend's motorbike, we snaked our way effortlessly through the well-paved road that leads to the wondrous watchtower

Mind you, a few remnants of similar triangular strongholds are scattered in various parts of the island province. So far, however, the Maribojoc watchtower has remained to be the most intact, even surviving the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Bohol and nearby Cebu in October 2013. The other structures, I heard, have either been severely damaged by time and the elements.

Punta Cruz Watchtower in 2003

Named after the town's patron saint, Fuerte de San Vicente Ferrer or the Fort of Saint Vincent Ferrer, the iconic lookout tower instantly caught my fancy the moment I first laid eyes on it. Whew, it's a tangible piece of history that has survived the vagaries of time and tide!

Wasting no time, I asked one of the fort's caretakers that time to take our pics with the structure as our backdrop (To my chagrin, I accidentally lost almost all of them, except for three, that we took during that first visit!). 

Said to have been built during the time of the Augustinians, the watchtower is made of cut coral stones whose triangular base is connected to a short hexagonal tower at the second level. One of the first things I noted upon seeing the fortification was the red-colored Spanish coat-of-arms and inscription written above its main entrance.

Following Jieboy's lead, I stepped inside the fort, brimming with awe and admiration as I climbed the stone stairway. Inside, it was the niched icon of Maribojoc's patron saint that readily caught my attention while exploring the main room at the base. Geez, it felt creepy the first time I entered it. It was almost dusk and this lent some Hitchcockian eeriness to the stillness of the ancient landmark. 

The view at the watchtower

We explored each nook and cranny of the citadel, lingering at the second level, which provided an unobstructed view of the surroundings. Looking out from one of the tower's openings, I was rewarded with a scenic view of the neighboring island of Cebu and the sparkling waters of Maribojoc Bay. 

Geez, the panoramic vista brought back memories of a movie in my mind—that of the King of the Philippine Movies, who else but the late Fernando Poe, Jr. or FPJ whose old films I used to watch on TV over and over again!

Mind you, one of FPJ's legendary action flicks, "Esteban", was shot in many parts of Bohol in the early 1970s.  And no less than the Punta Cruz Watchtower served as the backdrop for the ultimate showdown between Poe's lead character and his nemesis portrayed by character actor Max Alvarado (For the full movie, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPM5HH5ksks).


Having lost almost all evidences of my first visit to the stronghold (I used a Kodak analog camera with negative film back then), I vowed to re-create the memories I had there. Unfortunately, I missed the chance to do it in 2013 as I had a different itinerary back then. Since then, I promised to go back to Bohol, if only for that.   

By some stroke of luck, the chance to return to Tagbi came my way this year via a national conference held there. Good thing, I was sent to attend it, together with two coworkers, Jade and Aya. After taking part in the event, we thought of spending one more day in Bohol for some weekend wandering. Of course, I made sure that the Punta Cruz Watchtower was part of our itinerary, along with the other attractions such as the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River, and Panglao Island.

The road to Maribojoc

As our van left Tagbilaran one gloomy Saturday morning, several thoughts raced inside my head. What happened to the fort all these years? Is it still worth the trip? How has the structure changed? What was the extent of damage that the 2013 earthquake wrought upon it? Half an hour later, I found the answers to my questions. 

En route to the watchtower, we passed by an old house in the town center. Somewhat tilted, it looked creepy and dismal. Still, we pulled over and had some shots taken with the "haunted house" at the background. I surmised that the tilting was the result of the tremor that shook the island. Having our share of selfies, we moved on and headed for Maribojoc's popular attraction.

Revisited after so many years, I was pumped up with the excitement of seeing the historic fort once again! To my delight, the ancient fortification seemed to have remained intact,  unscathed by the ravages of the last earthquake. If there was any repair or reconstruction done to it, it wasn't obvious to me that time. Or perhaps I was just too caught up in the moment to even notice it. 

Later, I realized that the outer walls of the fort now have a different tint (light beige, if I'm not mistaken) compared to grayish one I saw in 2003. It must have undergone some rehabilitation after the quake, I surmised. Roel, our driver, confirmed this.

From what I gathered later, the watchtower was indeed among the historical and cultural structures in the province that the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) identified as damaged by the earthquake. 

A phenomenon in Bohol...land rising from the bottom of the sea

Right after the tragedy, the provincial government organized a task force that took charge of the rehabilitation of Bohol's heritage churches and other cultural treasures, including the Punta Cruz Watchtower. The restoration effort was completed only last 2016.

Also, I read somewhere that the strong quake triggered a phenomenon—land rising from the bottom of the sea that significantly altered the landscape of Bohol's coastal towns, including Maribojoc! As we went exploring the landmark, we saw the strip of sandy, barren land that used to be underwater, a newly-risen seashore found below the promontory where the watchtower stands. 

This part of the promontory used to be underwater

A few meters from the base of the citadel near the seashore is a view deck with a concrete-supported wooden cross that, according to some locals, seemed to stretch out its arms as far as the horizon to protect the town from the Moro raiders. That part of the prominent landmark is still frequented by those who want to relax and enjoy the panoramic view of Maribojoc Bay and Bohol Strait.

When I first visited the lookout tower, huge waves used to bash the view deck where Jieboy and I once stood. Back then, I got wet because I stayed too near the edge of the ridge.  

At the view deck, Aya, Jade and I watched Roel as he went down the barren expanse. He then took some snaps of us talking, laughing, relaxing. Adjacent to the tower and view deck are several open-air cottages where picnickers and excursionists can bask in the beauty of the seascape. Almost all of them were occupied by the throngs of visitors who came that day. 

As my thoughts turn to the salubrious beauty of the seascape, I felt light and bubbly, as if some heavy burden were taken off my shoulders. Ah, there's truly something about the sea that seem to heal the mind, body, and soul. As Danish author Isak Dinesen aptly put it: "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." Add to that an iconic piece of history that I finally got to see after such a long time, and I was in for some exuberant moment in that quaint little corner of the world.

All told, the Punta Cruz Watchtower is one veritable must-see that pumped up my short but sweet sojourn to Bohol, a fort to foster for future generations to see. Shaken by earthquakes, bashed by waves, raided but resistant to piratical inroads, this distinctive landmark in Maribojoc prevails; not even nature's catastrophic convulsions can seem to obliterate it from the map and from this incorrigible weekend warrior's consciousness.