By GDM Staff 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of National Defense (DND) will install a cannon replica along the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk in Manila to mark the challenges and achievements of the “Battle for Manila Bay” rehabilitation program.

Former DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said a replica of a Fort Drum Island cannon near Manila’s Remedios drainage outfall will “serve as a physical reminder of the DENR’s commitment and willpower in our battle to rehabilitate Manila Bay.” 

The cannon replica will be 19.04 cubic meters, while the original barrel will be 37 feet and will weigh 10 tons. This will be built on a 251.1-cubic meter concrete platform along the Remedios area.

Fort Drum Island, also known as El Fraile Island, is one of the four islands located at the mouth of Manila Bay that served as a formidable line of defense protecting the capital city from naval invasion from Spanish colonial rule to World War II.

“This landmark shall depict the three battles in Manila Bay—the Spanish-American War, Japanese-American War, and now, the modern Battle for Manila Bay," said Cimatu, who recently resigned from his post as DENR chief due to health reasons.

He noted the Fort Drum cannon defended and protected the entrance of Manila Bay against invaders “similar to the Battle for Manila Bay rehabilitation program as it protected the historical bay against pollution and degradation.”

The Manila Bay rehabilitation program started on January 27, 2019. It is in line with the Writ of Continuing Mandamus on Manila Bay issued by the Supreme Court in 2008, which directs government agencies to clean up and preserve the historic bay.             

The DENR and the DND projected the completion and inauguration of the cannon replica on April 9, 2022 during the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan.