Editing Fortification (section)

====Local fortifications====
{{Main|Ivatan people|Architecture of the Philippines}}

The Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes built their so-called ''[[idjang]]'' on hills and elevated areas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filipiknow.net/archaeological-discoveries-in-the-philippines/|title=15 Most Intense Archaeological Discoveries in Philippine History|work=FilipiKnow|access-date=17 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315060732/http://www.filipiknow.net/archaeological-discoveries-in-the-philippines/|archive-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> to protect themselves during times of war. These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived.
[[File:American flag raised over Fort Santiago 8-13-1898.jpg|thumb|left|An American flag raised at the [[Fort Santiago]], 1898. Fort Santiago was a [[citadel]] that was a part of the [[Intramuros]], a walled city within Manila.]]

The [[Igorot people|Igorots]] built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.<ref name="irwin">[http://www.livecebu.com/philhistory.htm#Ancientprspanish Ancient and Pre-Spanish Era of the Philippines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210190659/http://livecebu.com/philhistory.htm |date=2015-12-10 }}. Accessed September 04, 2008.</ref>

The Muslim Filipinos of the south built strong [[fortresses]] called ''kota'' or ''moong'' to protect their communities. Usually, many of the occupants of these kotas are entire families rather than just warriors. Lords often had their own kotas to assert their right to rule, it served not only as a military installation but as a palace for the local Lord. It is said that at the height of the [[Sultanate of Maguindanao|Maguindanao Sultanate]]'s power, they blanketed the areas around Western [[Mindanao]] with kotas and other fortifications to block the Spanish advance into the region. These kotas were usually made of stone and bamboo or other light materials and surrounded by trench networks. As a result, some of these kotas were burned easily or destroyed. With further Spanish campaigns in the region, the sultanate was subdued and a majority of kotas dismantled or destroyed. kotas were not only used by the Muslims as defense against Spaniards and other foreigners, renegades and rebels also built fortifications in defiance of other chiefs in the area.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} During the American occupation, rebels built strongholds and the datus, rajahs, or sultans often built and reinforced their kotas in a desperate bid to maintain rule over their subjects and their land.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morolandhistory.com/08.PG-Battle%20of%20Bayan/battle_of_bayan_p2.htm|title=The Battle of Bayan|access-date=17 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230005052/http://www.morolandhistory.com/08.PG-Battle%20of%20Bayan/battle_of_bayan_p2.htm|archive-date=2015-12-30}}</ref> Many of these forts were also destroyed by American expeditions, as a result, very very few kotas still stand to this day.

Notable kotas:
* [[Kingdom of Maynila|Kota Selurong]]: an outpost of the [[Bruneian Empire]] in Luzon, later became the City of [[Manila]].
* [[Cotabato City|Kuta Wato/Kota Bato]]: Literally translates to "stone fort" the first known stone fortification in the country, its ruins exist as the "Kutawato Cave Complex"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cotabatocity.net.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=79&limitstart=1|title= The Kutawato Caves|access-date=17 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016065601/http://www.cotabatocity.net.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=79&limitstart=1|archive-date=16 October 2014}}</ref>
* [[Jolo, Sulu|Kota Sug/Jolo]]: The capital and seat of the [[Sultanate of Sulu]]. When it was occupied by the Spaniards in the 1870s they converted the kota into the world's smallest walled city.