1754 was known back then as a time of great suffering for the people living in coastal towns and villages in southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.Marauding pirates would appear, with no warning, and would burn the houses, crops, and carry away as many of the people as they could catch in order to be sold as slaves in Maguindanao, Sulu, Borneo or Indonesia.After several victorious battles and when some peace was restored, it was decided to construct a stone fort at the mouth of Panguil Bay as a form of protection against future attacks.Father Ducos belonged to a society that had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception.[2] The "Triunfo" (Triumph) was the name of the leading vessel in the battles that cleared the harbor of Misamis and Panguil Bay of pirates.In thanksgiving for that victory, the Spaniards celebrated a special feast on July 16 called Triunfo de la Cruz (Triumph of the Cross).
Cotta Shrine
The fort during the 1900s
Fuerte de la Concepcion y del Triunfo Historical Marker