Silliman University Guy Hall 1918 DUMAGUETE HISTORICAL SPOTS

Silliman University Guy Hall 1918

 

DUMAGUETE HISTORICAL SPOTS

By Prof. CARIDAD ALDECOA-RODRIGUEZ

 

 

1.            WATCHTOWER – The old watchtower at Dumaguete served as a belfry of the church and as a protection to warn the people against piratical Moro raids. The structural foundation was built in the 1760’s by Fr. Fernandez de Septien. Again, it was renovated in 1811, but the bell tower on top was added when Fr. Encarnacion was the parish priest in the 1880’s.

 

2.            LOCSIN HOUSE – The first floor of the house of Teniente Cornelio Yapsutco (now Locsin house) became the meeting place for the organization of the new Revolutionary Government led by General Diego de la Viña on November 25, 1898.

 

3.            CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL – In the early morning of April 26, 1945, the civilians in Dumaguete were herded inside the church by the Japanese and were about to be massacred when the American Liberation forces were approaching Dumaguete.

 

4.            RAMON PASTOR HOUSE – (Corner Locsin and Real Streets) In this house, Wentworth Uytengsu was tortured and killed by the Japanese when he was implicated in the underground movement. The Engineering building in the Silliman campus was built by his family in memory of him. Upon liberation, the Philippine National Bank first had its office in this house.

 

5.            GUY HALL – This building inside the Silliman University campus was made the general headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Forces during the duration of the war, until the last days when the headquarters was transferred to the house of Miguel Amil in Piapi.

 

6.            CHANNON HALL – Formerly a women’s dormitory, Channon Hall was the headquarters of the Kempetai (military police) of the Japanese army. The first floor was the torture chamber of suspected guerrilla spies. Torture was hanging head down and water hose pumping.

 

7.            SILLIMAN HALL – This was the first building Silliman finished in 1903. On the first floor of the north wing (already demolished) were the dark prison rooms for prisoners to be executed the next day. On the walls were writings to their loved ones, etched in blood.

 

8.            VETERANS ROAD – (Dumaguete North Road) – General Diego de la Viña and his revolutionary forces entered Dumaguete passing this road on November 24, 1898. The Filipino and American liberation forces also passed this road to occupy Dumaguete in W.W.II.

 

9.            BANTAYAN BEACH – This beach was the look-out of the Filipino revolutionary forces for Spanish ships coming from Cebu. The fear was that the Spaniards might come back to reoccupy Dumaguete.

 

 

10.          DAVAO COTTAGE – On the same day the Americans made the successful bombing of the airport, September 12, 1944, Engineers E.J. Blanco and Jovenal Somosa, including Jesus Chi, the leader of the underground movement, and Silva, a Portuguese, were rounded up by the Japanese and imprisoned in Davao Cottage of Silliman University. They were tortured here for several weeks.

 

11.          RIZAL BOULEVARD – The ship that Dr. Jose Rizal took on his way to exile in Dapitan in 1892, stopped by Dumaguete and he ate breakfast in the house of Capt. Jose Longa near the beach. On his way back to Manila in 1896, his ship dropped anchor in Dumaguete and he performed an eye surgery on a Spaniard.

 

12.          QUEZON PARK – The Revolutionary Forces of Gen. Diego de la Viña conglomerated in this plaza on the liberation day of Dumaguete while the bells were kept ringing in the watchtower and a holy mass was performed by Padre Bengoa in the church. Here, the bust of General De la Viña was unveiled on November 24, 1998, a century after.

 

13.          A MONUMENT – This monument located at the corner of Colon and Sta. Catalina streets marks the old municipal hall built in 1886. The Philippine Commission led by William H. Taft held the meeting in this place to separate Negros Oriental from Occidental for the second time on April 9, 1901. The meeting ended with the decision to establish a civil government on May 1, 1901.