A defense fortress built for Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, that’s what Fort Santiago is built for in 1571. The Fort Santiago (Fuerza de Santiago in Spanish) is shielded by 22 meter high walls, with a thickness of 8 meters and an entrance measuring 40 meters high making it the premier defense fortress by the Spanish Government.

Our National hero Dr. Jose Rizal was detained here before executed in Bagumbayan (Luneta) in 1896. Fort Santiago was also used as a fortress by the Japanese Imperial Army during the World War II and received heavy damage during the Battle of Manila from the bombs dropped by the American Troops.

And what if I grew up as a poor kid spending his happy childhood in Manila’s poorest district – the proletarian Tondo?

I was born twenty seven years ago in a small clinic here in Tondo and since that time, I have faced all that the district can offer. From the hospital’s poor state up to the poorest living organism that you’ll find, Tondo was considered by many as the place you shouldn’t be at…

Unknown to many, whose only idea of Tondo is that it’s a haven for notorious criminals, it’s more than that.