Watchtower or locally known as the Bantayan sa Hari of Santander. This is one of the many watchtowers built during the Spanish Colonial period. The watchtower, located several meters directly behind the Church of Santander dedicated to San Gabriel Archangel is a relic of the past once used to be a warning post for Moro Pirates and other invaders coming from the southern Philippines. This is one of two Bantayan sa Hari which are present in the Poblacion of Santander.
These watchtowers were built in from the 1760s to the 1840s. This particular one was probably built in the early 1800s maybe the 1810s as the Pirate plague of the south comprising of various warring groups. Through the passage of many years the structure has begun to decay, but fortunately this one has remained almost completely intact minus some wooden planks and parts of the battlements. Its foundations partly exposed, we can surmise that the watchtower was built with much care as the foundations are quite solid and deep.
A theory comes to mind when I was looking at this watchtower. Compared to the watchtower of Dalaguete this watchtower looks rushed and looks like it was made with haste or in a rush. Judging from the condition and materials used in the construction and structure I can say that this watchtower simply is lower quality than the one in Dalaguete. Meaning that they did not have the time to be able to neatly cut coral stones and make a structure that would last longer. These watchtowers built after 1800 were a stopgap and temporary bulwark against the Moros. Its a miracle really that most of them still survive, even in this sorry state
As this is a multi century old structure the local government unit or the province of Cebu should take steps to ensure that this watchtower (which is actually quite scenic with a cliffside view) will not be discarded and slowly crumble into rubble as the people forget their service in our history.
Special thanks to landel for help in many regards.
