the Japanese occupation of Mindanao in the Spanish fort in the city on October 1942 during the Japanese occupation in Misamis. However, his headquarters was abandoned on June 26, 1943, in the face of a large Japanese attack. The fort was captured and garrisoned by a contingent of Japanese soldiers who dug foxholes near and under the walls. This undermining of the walls later lead to the destruction of the southwest bastion in a 7.4-magnitude earthquake of 1955. Cotta today Today, the fort is now a known tourist and pilgrimage destination. It is also now divided into three parts: Cotta Shrine, Cotta Garden (the inside), and Cotta Beach. The outdoor Marian Shrine area was formerly a gate, which is now closed and walled in. Inside the fort is a garden, where it features a small museum that holds precious artifacts from the fort and the city. On the southeast bastion is a 9 meter (30 ft) tall, concrete lighthouse that was erected around 1917. The lighthouse has a focal plane of 17 meters (55 ft) and it has two red flashes every 10 seconds. The fort was renovated and restored to its original design in 2002. The fort was also declared as a National Historical Landmark on March 13, 2002 by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. On July 16, 2006, the Philippine Postal Corporation issued stamps of the fort in commemoration of its 250th anniversary. The Cotta Garden and Beach is currently undergoing renovations. Gallery References Buildings and structures in Ozamiz Forts in the Philippines Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines Misamis Occidental Roman Catholic shrines in the Philippines Ozamiz