Defending the Faith: Cuyo’s Sacred Fortress

On a secluded island in the Philippines, faith was forged under siege. Guided by local friend Yhzai, Dr. Jeremy Northcote journeys to Cuyo for the Purongitan Festival. Behind the granite walls of a 16th-century church-fortress built by Augustinian friars, discover the sacred relics, symbolic statues, and hidden rituals that have protected a community’s soul for over 400 years.