As a country comprising over 7,100 islands packed in an area of 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi) and having the fifth-longest coastline in the world, the Philippine coast has a total length of 36,289 km (22,549 mi) and is very irregular, with numerous bays, gulfs, and islets.[1] Eleven of the largest islands of the Philippine archipelago are the major islands and main centers of population, with ten of its most populous cities located along the coast; approximately 1,000 of the smaller islands are also populated. With more than 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) of coasting routes and tortuous channels regularly navigated by vessels trading among some 300 separate ports, navigation aids like lighthouses help mariners against misnavigation and guide them to safety and out of danger from grounding on its treacherous reef and shoals.[2]
Large international ships rely on lighthouses to guide them safely out from the open sea and into Philippine waters. Once within Philippine waters, lighthouses help them maneuver through its narrow straits and channels, pointing out safe passages and leading vessels to their destination ports.[3] Although there are electronic navigation systems, lighthouses are still important in warning seafarers of dangerous waters in case of failure of these electronic systems.[4]
As an archipelago, the continuous development and prosperity of the country is linked to maritime travel. Even with the advent of aviation, the water routes continue to be the main highways for travel and commerce, with the lighthouses of the Philippines safely guiding the vessels that ply its routes.
List of lighthouses in the Philippines edit
The following is a list of historical and notable lighthouses constructed in the Philippines.[5][6][7]
| Lighthouse | Image | Location | Province | First lit | Tower height | Focal plane | Current status | Description[6][8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apo Reef Light  |  | Apo Reef | Occidental Mindoro | 33.5 m (110 ft) | 35 m (115 ft) | Nonextant | Replaced with a new modern white tower. | |
| Apo Reef lighthouse |  | Sablayan | Occidental Mindoro | 1990s | 110 ft (34 m) | 115 ft (35 m) | Active | Good |
| Apunan Point lighthouse | Romblon | Romblon | 1930 | 62 ft (19 m) | 98 ft (30 m) | Active | Good | |
| Bagacay Point Lighthouse | Catarman | Catarman | 1874 | 21 ft (6.4 m) | 46 ft (14 m) | In ruins | Partly in ruins but it is the oldest existing lighthouse tower in the Philippines. | |
| Bagacay Point Lighthouse |  | Catarman | Catarman | 1905, 1908 | 72 ft (22 m) | 44 m (144 ft) | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were recently replaced. |
| Bagatao Island Lighthouse | Magallanes | Magallanes, Sorsogon | 1904 | 29 ft (8.8 m) | 135 ft (41 m) | Active | Original lamp was replaced with a solar-powered modern lamp. | |
| Baliguian Island Light | Baliguian Island | Iloilo | 1916 | 66 ft (20 m) | 75 ft (23 m) | Active | Unknown, as Baliguian was heavily damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. | |
| Basco Lighthouse |  | Basco, Batanes | Basco, Batanes | 2003 | 20 m (66 ft) | 20 m (66 ft) | Active | Good |
| Batag Island Lighthouse | Laoang | Laoang | 2000, 1907 | 30.8 m (101 ft) | 313 ft (95 m) | In ruins | A white 66 ft (20 m) cylindrical tower was erected close to the old one. The lantern and light in the old tower is gone. | |
| Bugui Point Lighthouse | Aroroy | Aroroy | 1 Dec 1902 | 15 m (49 ft) | Inactive | A modern white tower was erected close to the old one. The old tower and keeper's house are in poor condition. | ||
| Caballo Island lighthouse | Caballo Island | Cavite | 1853 | 11 ft (3.4 m) | 96 ft (29 m) | Unknown | The light station was probably destroyed during WWII. | |
| Cabra Island Lighthouse |  | Lubang | Occidental Mindoro | 1 Mar 1889 | 20 m (66 ft) | 66 m (217 ft) | Inactive | A modern white tower was erected close to the old one The old tower and keeper's house are in poor condition. |
| Cape Bojeador Lighthouse |  | Burgos | Burgos, Ilocos Norte | 1892 | 20 m (66 ft) | 118 m (387 ft) | Active | Original lamp was replaced after it was damaged by the 1990 earthquake. |
| Cape Bolinao Lighthouse |  | Bolinao | Bolinao, Pangasinan | 1906 | 27 m (89 ft), 101 ft (31 m) | 89 m (292 ft)[9] | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. |
| Cape Engaño Lighthouse |  | Palaui Island | Santa Ana, Cagayan | 1892 | 14 m (46 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | Active | Original lantern room is missing and the buildings are in ruins. |
| Cape Melville Lighthouse |  | Balabac Island | Balabac, Palawan | 1892 | 20 m (66 ft), 90 ft (27 m) | 90 m (300 ft), 297 ft (91 m) | Active | The tower still retains its original First-order lens and mechanisms. |
| Cape Santiago Lighthouse |  | Calatagan | Calatagan | 1890 | 15.5 m (51 ft) | 27 m (89 ft) | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. |
| Capitancillo Island Lighthouse |  | Capitancillo | Odlot | 1990, 1905 | 25 m (82 ft), 83 ft (25 m) | 30 m (98 ft), 98 ft (30 m) | Replaced | Old tower was replaced with a new white tower and the dwellings are in ruins. |
| Capones Island Lighthouse |  | San Antonio | San Antonio, Zambales | 1890 | 20 m (66 ft) | 74 m (243 ft)[9] | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. Tower is in good condition, keeper's house is deteriorating. |
| Capul Island Lighthouse |  | Capul | Capul, Northern Samar | 1896 | 12 m (39 ft) | 43 m (141 ft) | Active | The tower were recently renovated and the original lamp and lantern were replaced. |
| Corregidor Island Lighthouse |  | Cavite | Cavite | 1853 | 18 m (59 ft), 42 ft (13 m) | 195 m (640 ft), 630 ft (190 m) | Replaced | Damaged by the bombings of World War II. |
| Corregidor Island lighthouse |  | Corregidor | Cavite | 1950 | 48 ft (15 m) | 633 ft (193 m) | Active | Good |
| Gorda Point Lighthouse |  | San Agustin | Romblon | 1930 | 62 ft (19 m) | 65 m (213 ft)[9], 213 ft (65 m) | Active | Good |
| Jintotolo Island lighthouse | Balud | Balud | 1903 | 51 ft (16 m) | 187 ft (57 m) | Active | Only the tower is in good condition, the original light and lantern were replaced. | |
| Linao Point lighthouse |  | Aparri | Cagayan | 1896 | 30 ft (9.1 m) | 37 ft (11 m) | In ruins | The station was destroyed during a storm, and some of the ruins remain on the beach. |
| Lusaran Point lighthouse | Nueva Valencia | Guimaras | 1894 | 38 ft (12 m) | 111 ft (34 m) | Replaced | The original lamp and lantern is gone, the iron tower is all rust and the surrounding buildings in ruins. | |
| Malabrigo Point Lighthouse |  | Lobo | Calabarzon, Lobo, Batangas | 1896 | 17 m (56 ft), 56 ft (17 m) | 56 m (184 ft)[9], 184 ft (56 m) | Active | Original lamp and lantern were replaced. |
| Maniguin Island Lighthouse |  | Culasi | Culasi, Antique | 1906 | 30 m (98 ft) | 58 m (190 ft)[9] | Inactive | Replaced with a nearby white tower; Date is not available. |
| Pasig River Light | .jpg) | San Nicolas | Manila | 1 Sep 1846 | 49 ft (15 m)[10] | 51 ft (16 m), 53.3 ft (16.2 m) | Demolished | Demolished and replaced in 1992. |
| Pasig River Light |  | Binondo | Manila | 1992 | 46 ft (14 m) | 43 ft (13 m) | Active | Good |
| Poro Point Lighthouse |  | San Fernando | San Fernando, La Union | 1885 | 20 m (66 ft), 76 ft (23 m) | 33 m (108 ft), 107 ft (33 m) | Active | Original 20-meter steel tourelle replaced with 76-foot concrete tower in 1979. Lightkeeper's house built during American era is in ruin. |
| San Bernardino Island lighthouse | Bulusan | Sorsogon | 1896 | 39 ft (12 m) | 136 ft (41 m) | Active | Original lamp and lantern were replaced and when tower was renovated. Other buildings are in disrepair. | |
| San Nicholas Shoals Light | Rosario | Cavite | 1879 | 30 ft (9.1 m) | 30 ft (9.1 m) | Replaced | Destroyed by a typhoon in 1881 | |
| Sibago Island lighthouse | Tuburan | Basilan | 1915 | 75 ft (23 m) | 705 ft (215 m) | Active | Galvanized metal tower. Deactivated on October 31, 2001[11] | |
| Siete Pecados lighthouse | Buenavista | Guimaras | 1884 | 21 ft (6.4 m) | 89 ft (27 m) | Active | A new tower was erected next to the old one. Original structure is still maintained. | |
| Tanguingui Island Lighthouse | Madridejos | Madridejos | 1994, 1903 | 34.5 m (113 ft) | 39 m (128 ft) | Replaced | The original black steel tower was replaced with a new white tower. Dwellings are in ruins. |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Central Intelligence Agency. "Geography of the Philippines" . The World Factbook. Retrieved on April 6, 2011.
- ^ Department of Commerce, "Commerce Reports", p. 1052. Washington Government Printing Office, 1917.
- ^ Villalon, Augusto (July 27, 2007). Adopt a Lighthouse" Archived August 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on April 5, 2011.
- ^ Santos, Matikas (August 3, 2012). "Coast Guard gets P246M for lighthouse upgrades". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ U.S. Hydrographic Office, "List of Lights, Vol.2", p.74. Washington Government Printing Office, 1920.
- ^ a b Rowlett, Russ. "The Lighthouse Directory". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ "Lighthouse Depot Explorer" Archived January 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on March 20, 2010.
- ^ M. Noche, "Lonely Sentinels of the Sea: The Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines". U.S.T. Publishing House, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e NGA List of Lights, Radio Aids and Fog Signals, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Wikidata Q13872896
- ^ "Pasig River Light".
- ^ Philippine Coast Guard. Light Stations of Southwestern Mindanao Archived October 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on May 17, 2010.
External links edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lighthouses in the Philippines.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Spanish Lighthouses of the Philippines". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Philippines: Southwest Luzon". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Philippines Lighthouses from Picturesque Old Philippines
- Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society List of Lights - Philippines
- Light Stations of the Philippines from the Philippine Coast Guard Website Archived July 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
