His Excellency Sr. Don Pedro de Arce, the Bishop of Cebu,signed a decree assigning the Augustinian Recollect Fathers for the Evangilation of Calamianes (Palawan) province including the Cuyo group of islands. The five Spanish Recollect Missionaries from Cebu, with Fray Juan de Santo Tomas acting as their director and superior, first reached Cuyo in 1622. With the establishment of Christian centers in the Calamianes province, the muslims, not only form Sulo and Mindanao but also from Brunei, started their attacks. Sultan Kudarat of Mindanao commanded his brother Tagal, who attacked Cuyo on June 20, 1636. Invasion were reapeted so that the Spanish government decided to built fortresses.
The people, under the supervision of Father Juan de San Severo, constructed and finished it in 1680. The rectangular solid structure of massive walls 10 meters high and meters thick has turrets at each angle including a towering belfry housing big and old bells. The side facing the sea is well fortified with ornamental cannons which are used to fire salvos during fiestas. In 1762, one of the British ships that invaded Manila fired at this fort but it was not damaged at all.
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