The Bantayan sa Hari (translated to “King’s watchtower”) in Mandaue City sits rather awkwardly at its location overlooking the Mactan Channel in Brgy. Looc surrounded by unrelated structures and almost choked out of existence. In the early 19th century, when it was probably built, it was forlorn yet majestic, guarding the mouth of a key crossing between Cebu and the island of Mactan and whose presence alerted the inhabitants of the coming moro slave raiders and thus had time to head for the safety of the church.

Today, the entire surface had been cemented, the surrounding base, shown in an archival image from 1912, is gone. It’s presence almost indeterminate unless one goes up the Cebu-Mactan Bridge. It’s almost lost in a see of houses and other structures.