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Spanish Lighthouses of the Philippines
When the U.S. captured the Philippines from Spain in 1898, the Americans inherited close to 60 lighthouses and minor lights built by the Spanish colonial authorities. Many of the major Spanish lighthouses survive; in fact, many of them are still in service. Others have gone to ruin in the tropical climate of the islands.
One of the best known landmarks in Liloan is its historic lighthouse at Bagacay Point. The original lighthouse was built in 1857 by the Spanish. However, the current tower was constructed in 1904 by order of
LIGHT STATION BAGACAY
CGS AOR: CGS CEBU
LOCATION: Bagacay, Cebu
COORDINATES: Lat: 10 23' 23" N
Long: 121 01' 03" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 15 secs
PROJECT: MSIP- I
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: FA-250)
DATE ACTIVATED: 28 Jul 1903
LIGHT STATION BAGATAO
CGS AOR: CGS SORSOGON
LOCATION: Magallanes, Sorsogon
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 50' 15" N
Long: 123 47' 26" E
CHARCTERISTICS: Fl W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: Existing
LANTERN: ML-300 (Actual: FA-250)
Bagatao Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located on Bagatao Island on the eastern side of the entrance to Sorsogon Bay, in the province of Sorsogon in the Philippines.
LIGHT STATION BATAG
CGS AOR: CGS CATBALOGAN
L0CATION: Laoang, Northern Samar
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 39' 36" N
Long: 125 03' 30" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev 7 secs
PROJECT:Existing/MSIP III
LANTERN: BGA-1000 (Actual: ML-300)
DATE ACTIVATED: 11 Dec 89
TEMPORARY DELISTED: 17 Jul 2009; totally damaged structure
Batag Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Batag Island off the coast of Laoang, Northern Samar. It marks the northeastern point of Samar Island and guide the ships that
LIGHT STATION CABRA
CGS AOR: CGS SAN JOSE
Reconstructed under MSIP III Project
LOCATION: Lubang, Occ Mindoro
COORDINATES: Lat:13 53' 24" N
Long:120 01' 19" E
CHARCTERISTICS: Fl W ev 10 secs
PROJECT: Ex / MSIP III
LANTERN: BGC-1000 (Actual: ML-300)
DATE ACTIVATED: 15 Feb 03
The Siete Pecados (Seven Sins) are seven small islands obstructing the northern approach to Iloilo, the principal port of Panay. The 1895 light list describes a "gray iron tower, 29 ft
William Howard Taft, the first Governor-General of the Philippines and later the President of the United States. The tower is 72 feet tall and remains in active use today.
This lighthouse in Liloan, Cebu has been a guiding light for fishermen and sea captains for more than a hundred years. This 102-year-old lighthouse was built by the order of William Howard Taft in 1908 who was the Governor-General at that time. It is one of the few remaining examples American architecture in the Philippines. The lighthouse is octagonal in shape and is 72 meters high. It sits on top of a small hill and is near the posh AyalaLand subdivision called Amara. There is actually an old Spanish lighthouse around the area but is now in ruins. I didn’t see it when we were there but it was the original lighthouse before the octagonal lighthouse was built.
are coming from the south to theentrance of the San Bernardino Strait, one of the most traveled waterways in the Philippine archipelago. Together with the San Bernardino and Capul Lights, these stations are invaluable to vessels coming in from the Pacific and entering the archipelago through the San Bernardino Strait on its way to Manila or any other Philippine port
high" with a focal plane of 98 ft. The 1904 list has a "bluish gray tower" at the same focal plane. Both lists give 1884 as the construction date. The 1920 light list also has a "bluish gray tower" but the focal plane is only 85 ft and a date of 1904 is given. I found a very distant photo from which we cannot determine the nature of the present lighthouse, but it is white. I believe the Spanish cast iron tower may have been replaced by an American concrete tower in 1904.
LIGHT STATION CALABASAZ
CGS AOR: CGS ILOILO
Reconstructed under MSIP I-B Project
LOCATION: Ajuy, Iloilo
COORDINATES: Lat: 11 04' 34" N
Long: 123 01' 18" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev 10 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: ZL-RBG
DATE ACTIVATED: 25 Mar 99
This is another station on an island off northeastern Panay. The 1895 light list has it as Guimaras Strait, described as a "white iron tower, about 45 ft high" with a focal plane of 100 ft (30.5
m). The date given is 1894. The 1904 list has the Calabazas Island Light as an "iron tower, square base, white and grey," also at 100 ft, but the date given is 1884. This description and date is repeated in the 1920 list. At some recent time, the light was replaced by a modern concrete tower; a tiny photo, no longer available, shows this tower looming over the ruins of the Spanish keeper's house. The original tower may well have been demolished.
LIGHT STATION BUGUI PT
CGS AOR: CGS MASBATE
LOCATION: Aroroy, Masbate
Reconstructed under MSIP III Project
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 36' 05" N
Long: 123 14' 12" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 10 secs
PROJECT: Ex / MSIP III
LANTERN: BGC-600
Bugui Point is the northwestern point of Masbate, a significant waypoint on the so-called "Southern Passage" from San Bernardino Strait to Manila. This light is missing from the 1898 list, and I believe it was incomplete at the time of the Spanish-American War. The Americans placed the light in service in 1903.
LIGH STATION CAPE BOJEADOR
CGS AOR: CGS CURIMAO
LOCATION: Burgos, Ilocos Norte
COORDINATES: Lat: 18 30' 57" N
Long: 120 35' 45" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: Existing
LANTERN: PRB-46 (Actual: FA-250)
One of the best known of all Philippine lighthouses, located at the northwestern corner of Luzon. It is a 65 ft (20 m) octagonal stone tower completed in 1892. The original lantern and lens remain, although the lens was badly damaged by an earthquake in
1990; the active lens is outside the lantern, I believe. This is one of the few Philippine lighthouses still staffed, although the principal function of the keepers is to lead tours. Noche found this light station to be in need of renovation. In June 2003 the government of Ilocos Norte province set up a nonprofit organization, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Development Inc., to "rehabilitate" the lighthouse as one of the principal tourist attractions of the province. It is not clear whether any restoration work has begun.
LS CAPE BOLINAO
CGS AOR: CGS SUAL
LOCATION: Bolinao, Pangasinan
COORDINATES: Lat: 16 18' 32" N
Long: 119 57' 05" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 2 W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: ZL-300)
Cape Bolinao Lighthouse was constructed in 1905 by American, British, and Filipino engineers to guide ships and boats plying Cape Bolinao in order to prevent sea disasters.
Its original third order apparatus was made in England and the lantern with
kicks came from France, making the replacement of spare parts difficult were it not for the ingenuity of Filipino mechanics, who were able to make accurate replicas of the original parts.
For the first 80 years of its operation, the lighthouse apparatus ran on kerosene. By the 1980s, the Pangasinan I Electric Cooperative (PANELCO) extended its powerlines to Barangay Patar. It is now a favorite tourist site, being set among impressive rock formations and offering a panoramic view. The lighthouse has been slated for conservation, with a 19 million peso budget from the Philippine government. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the sole owner of the lighthouse under the Adopt-A-Lighthouse Program, has united with the municipality of Bolinao in an agreement to improve and conserve the lighthouse. The PCG is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment while Bolinao is responsible for the preservation of the structure and the environs of the lighthouse.
LIGHT STATION CAPE ENGAÑO
CGS AOR: CGS APARRI
LOCATION: Sta Ana, Cagayan
COORDINATES: Lat: 18 35' 00" N
Long: 122 08' 05" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl Wev 5 secs
PROJECT: Existing
LANTERN: FA-250
DATE ACTIVATED: 30 Dec 1892
The lighthouse is on Palaui Island off the northeastern tip of Luzon; it is a major landfall light from ships arriving from the Pacific. The Spanish lighthouse is an 47 ft (14.5 m) octagonal stone tower, similar to Cape
Bojeador, completed in 1893. Noche described conditions at the site as "pathetic," but his visit came before renovation of the tower and installation of a modern lens and lantern. The keeper's house and other buildings have been heavily vandalized and are probably still in terrible condition. The site is remote, but not remote enough.
LIGHT STATION CAPE MELVILLE
CGS AOR: CGS BROOKES PT
LOCATION: Balabac, Palawan
COORDINATES: Lat: 07 55' 00" N
Long: 117 00' 00" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: Ex / MSIP III
LANTERN: BGC-1000 (Actual: ML-300)
This station is at the opposite end of the Philippines from Cabo Bojeador: it stands on the southern tip of Balabac Island looking across the Balabac Strait to Borneo. The lighthouse is a 90 ft octagonal brick tower also completed in 1892. It is conical in form, rather than
cylindrical like Cabo Bojeador. Noche has no report posted on the condition of this very remote light station. A photo shows it to be intact but in need of restoration.
LIGHT STATION CAPE SANTIAGO
CGS AOR: CGS BATANGAS
LOCATION: Calatagan, Batangas
COORDINATES: Lat: 13 46' 24" N
Long: 120 38' 06" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev10 secs
PROJECT: MSIP-I
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: ML-300)
DATE ACTIVATED: 21 Jul 94
Cape Santiago is the southwestern point of Luzon, south of Manila. The lighthouse, a 51 ft (15.5 m) brick tower, differs from Isla de Cabra and Punta Capones chiefly in being round rather than square. It was completed
in 1890. Noche found it to be in relatively good condition, having been renovated recently. The lantern and lens have been replaced. Noche says the area surrounding the lighthouse was slated for a resort development and the light station could become a bed and breakfast, but this did not come to pass. In October 2007 the region's Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary proposed to adopt and restore the lighthouse as its headquarters.
LIGHT STATION CAPONES
CGS AOR: CGS SUBIC
LOCATION: San Antonio, Zambales
COORDINATES: Lat: 14 55' 09" N
Long: 120 00' 12" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 15 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: ZL-HP8 (Actual: ZL-300)
This light station is on Capones Island, off the west coast of Luzon north of Manila. The lighthouse, built off the same plans as Isla de Cabra, is a 56 ft (17 m) square brick tower completed in 1890. The lantern and lens have been replaced with modern equipment. Noche
found the tower to be in fairly good condition, but the keeper's house is in bad shape. In March 2004 the Environmental Protection of Asia Foundation signed an agreement to restore the light station as the Capones Island Marine Conservation Research and Development Center.
LIGHT STATION CAPUL
CGS AOR: CGS CATBALOGAN
LOCATION: Capul, Northern Samar
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 28' 52" N
Long: 124 08' 29" E
CHARACTERISTICS: FL W ev 7 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: ML-155)
DATE ACTIVATED: 21 Jun 99
Capul is an island off the northwestern corner of Samar at the western end of the important San Bernardino Strait between Samar and Luzon. The Spanish lighthouse is a 12 m (39 ft) granite block tower completed in 1896. When Noche visited the
renovation of the tower was underway, but he found the condition of the station "deplorable" with the keeper's house in ruins.
LIGHT STATION CORREGIDOR
CGS AOR: CGS MANILA
LOCATION: Corregidor Is., Cavite
COORDINATES: Lat: 14 22' 54' N
Long: 120 54' 32" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 20 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: ML-300)
Located on an island in Manila Bay. The original 1835 lighthouse was the oldest in the colony when the Americans arrived. It had an unusual design, a circular stone tower rising from the center of an octagonal stone dwelling.
The lighthouse was nearly destroyed during World War II, when American forces held out for months on Corregidor. It was demolished in 1950, and its stones were used in the construction of a new lighthouse. The new building has the general form of the old one, with the tower rising from the center of a building, but it is not a replica. The new tower is octagonal rather than round, and the building at the base appears to be 12-sided.
LIGHT STATION DONSOL
CGS AOR: CGS SORSOGON
LOCATION: Donsol, Sorsogon
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 54' 24" N
Long: 123 35' 24" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 R ev 10 secs
PROJECT: Existing
LANTERN: ZF-30 (Actual: ML-300)
LIGHT STATION JINTOTOLO
CGS AOR: CGS MASBATE
LOCATION: Balud, Masbate
COORDINATES: Lat: 11 50' 29" N
Long: 123 07' 10" E
CHARCTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev 10 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: FA-250)
DATE ACTIVATED: 30 Jul 94
Jintotolo Island, as it is now spelled, is just off the town of Balud at the southwestern corner of Masbate. The lighthouse is a 51 ft (15.5 m) square stone tower. The photo is small, but we can see the tower has been restored. It
is one of Masbate's best known tourist attractions, and there is a photo taken from the tower to indicate it is open for climbing.
LIGHT STATION MALABRIGO
CGS AOR: CGS BATANGAS
LOCATION: Lobo, Batangas
COORDINATES: Lat: 13 35' 59" N
Long: 121 15' 39" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl 3 W ev15 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I
LANTERN: ZL-HP (Actual: ZL-300)
DATE ACTIVATED: 25 Jul 94
Malabrigo Point is in southern Luzon, overlooking the narrow Verde Island Passage between Luzon and Mindoro. The lighthouse is a 56 ft (17 m) round brick tower, similar to the Punta Santiago lighthouse, completed
in 1896. Noche found the light station to be in unusually good condition; as usual, the lantern and lens were replaced during the renovation. In May 2004, Akiko Thomson, an Olympic swimmer who is famous in the Philippines, formed a group that adopted the lighthouse with the intention of making the station a center for youth aquatic sports.
LIGHT STAION PASIG RIVER
CGS AOR: CGS PASIG
LOCATION: Farola Com, Binondo, Mla
COORDINATES: Lat: 14 35' 53" N
Long: 120 57' 34" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: Existing
LANTERN: PBB (Actual: ML-300)
Located on the north side of the Pasig River entrance in Manila, this is the oldest light station in the Philippines, founded in 1642. A 15 m gray stone lighthouse was built here in 1846. Noche reports that this tower was demolished in 1992. It was replaced by a new stone
lighthouse, which is much inferior architecturally to its predecessor.
LIGHT STATION SAN BERNARDINO
CGS AOR: CGS SORSOGON
LOCATION: Bulusan, Sorsogon
COORDINATES: Lat: 12 45' 15" N
Long: 124 16' 57" E
CHARCTERISTICS: Fl W ev 10 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: ZL-RBG (Actual: FA-250)
DATE ACTIVATED: 30 Dec 1896
The island of San Bernardino is at the eastern end of the strait that carries its name. The lighthouse, a twin of Punta Capul, is another 12 m (39 ft) granite block tower, also completed in 1896. Noche also found this tower
under renovation, with its lantern removed, and he says the station "did not escape the destruction caused by vandals."
LIGHT STATION SIETE PECADOS
CGS AOR: CGS ILOILO
Reconstructed under MSIP I-B Project
LOCATION: Iloilo City
COORDINATES: Lat: 10 46' 04" N
Long: 122 40' 33" E
CHARACTERISTICS: Fl W ev 5 secs
PROJECT: MSIP I-B
LANTERN: Zl-300
DATE ACTIVATED: 20 Apr 99
The Siete Pecados (Seven Sins) are seven small islands obstructing the northern approach to Iloilo, the principal port of Panay. The 1895 light list describes a "gray iron tower, 29 ft high"
with a focal plane of 98 ft. The 1904 list has a "bluish gray tower" at the same focal plane. Both lists give 1884 as the construction date. The 1920 light list also has a "bluish gray tower" but the focal plane is only 85 ft and a date of 1904 is given. I found a very distant photo from which we cannot determine the nature of the present lighthouse, but it is white. I believe the Spanish cast iron tower may have been replaced by an American concrete tower in 1904.
The Official Website of MSSC