Information about The Dungeons of Fort Santiago

The Dungeons of Fort Santiago

The Dungeons of Fort Santiago is located in the historic walled city of Intramuros. It was originally meant to be a storage facility for gunpowder and weapons, but it was turned into a prison cell during the 1600s. 

The prison cells can only comfortably accommodate up to 100 people, but after World War II ended in 1945, American forces went into the dungeon and discovered around 600 decomposing bodies in the dungeons. The state of the corpses suggests that the victims were starved and tortured, and eventually died from head exhaustion and suffocation. The bodies were buried in a mass grave near the dungeons, which is marked by a white marble cross.

Before it was reopened to the public, the Intramuros administration had the chambers of the dungeons reinforced. While some of the walls have been preserved for over 400 years, around 70 percent have been reinforced or reconstructed.

Tickets and entry

Entrance to the dungeons is already included in the entrance fee for Fort Santiago, which is PhP 75 for adults and PhP 50 for students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

Best time to visit

The Dungeons of Fort Santiago are open from 10 AM to 10 PM. There have been reports of ghost sightings and screaming from the dungeons at night, so if you are easily spooked, it’s best to visit before sundown.