Príncipe Alfonso, the Spanish post of 1858
Spain sent troops to Balabac in 1858 to keep Britain out of the strait. The fort's ruins still stand at the edge of town.
Written from public sources to get this page started. We'll replace it with the story as Balabac residents tell it.
By the 1850s, Britain had its eye on Balabac. The Spanish Navy's own history calls the island the key to its strait, and to the route between the southern Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. To keep the British out, Governor-General Norzagaray decided to occupy it.
In January 1858, an expedition under Lieutenant Colonel Julio Garnier left Manila on the steamers Reina de Castilla and Elcano and a merchant frigate. The troops landed with almost no resistance and set up a small garrison and a military government.
It was a hard posting. Fevers soon cut the garrison to half its strength. In May 1858, a royal order named the post Príncipe Alfonso, after the newborn prince who would become King Alfonso XII.
In the 1885 Madrid Protocol, Britain and Germany recognized Spain's claim to the Sulu archipelago and named Balabac as part of it. Banggi, across the strait, went to British North Borneo. It's why Balabac is in the Philippines today.
What's left
The fort that guarded the post survives as overgrown ruins at the western end of Balabac town: a many-sided wall with a tower. Treasure hunters have damaged it.
Some heritage blogs say the National Museum has declared it a protected fortification. We haven't been able to confirm that, so we don't claim it here.
- Go with someone from town who knows the site.
- Don't climb unstable walls, and don't dig.
- Leave everything where you found it.
