List of lighthouses in the Philippines

With the Philippine Archipelago comprising over 7,100 islands packed in an area of 300,000 km² (120,000 sq mi), the country has 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]

The Philippine Archipelago

Eleven of the largest islands of the 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] Regardless of the advancement in technology and the use of satellite-guided positioning devices, mariners still rely on these light stations as visual confirmations of their electronic readings.[4]

As an archipelago, the future and progress of the islands has and will always depend on 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

The following is a list of historical and notable lighthouses constructed in the Philippines.[5][6][7][8]

Lighthouse	Location	Province/City	Date First Lit	Tower height in ft (m)	Focal plane in ft (m)	Current Status	Current Condition/ Description[6][7][9]
Apo Reef (1)	Sablayan	Occidental Mindoro	1906	118 ft (36.0 m)	134 ft (40.8 m)	Nonextant	Replaced with a new modern white tower.
Apo Reef (2)	Sablayan	Occidental Mindoro	1990s	110 ft (33.5 m)	115 ft (35.0 m)	Active	Good
Apunan Point	Romblon	Romblon	1930	62 ft (19 m)	98 ft (30 m)	Active	Good
Bagacay Point (1)	Liloan	Cebu	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 (2)	Liloan	Cebu	1905	72 ft (21.9 m)	146 ft (44.5 m)	Active	Original lamp and lantern room were recently replaced.
Bagatao Island	Magallanes	Sorsogon	1904	29 ft (8.8 m)	135 ft (41.1 m)	Active	Original lamp was replaced with a solar-powered modern lamp.
Baliguian Island Light	Baliguian Island	Iloilo	1916	66 ft (8.8 m)	75 ft (41.1 m)	Active	Unknown, as Baliguian was heavily damaged by Typhoon Haiyan.
Basco	Naidi Hills, Basco	Batanes	2003	66 ft (20.1 m)	n/a	Active	Good
Batag Island	Laoang	Northern Samar	1907	101 ft (30.8 m)	313 ft (95.4 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	Aroroy	Masbate	1902	49 ft (14.9 m)	218 ft (66.4 m)	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	Caballo Island	Cavite	1853	11 ft (3.4 m)	96 ft (29.3 m)	Unknown	The light station was probably destroyed during WWII.
Cabra Island	Lubang	Occidental Mindoro	1889	67 ft (20.4 m)	216 ft (65.8 m)	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	Burgos	Ilocos Norte	1892	66 ft (20.1 m)	386 ft (117.7 m)	Active	Original lamp was replaced after it was damaged by the 1990 earthquake.
Cape Bolinao	Bolinao	Pangasinan	1906	101 ft (30.8 m)	294 ft (89.6 m)	Active	Original lamp and lantern room were replaced.
Cape Engaño	Palaui Island, Santa Ana	Cagayan	1892	47 ft (14.3 m)	316 ft (96.3 m)	Active	Original lantern room is missing and the buildings are in ruins.
Cape Melville	Balabac Island	Palawan	1892	90 ft (27.4 m)	297 ft (90.5 m)	Active	The tower still retains its original First-order lens and mechanisms.
Cape Santiago	Calatagan	Batangas	1890	51 ft (15.5 m)	89 ft (27.1 m)	Active	Original lamp and lantern room were replaced.
Capitancillo Island	Bogo City	Cebu	1905	83 ft (25.3 m)	98 ft (29.9 m)	Replaced	Old tower was replaced with a new white tower and the dwellings are in ruins.
Capones Island	San Antonio	Zambales	1890	65 ft (19.8 m)	230 ft (70.1 m)	Active	Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. Tower is in good condition, keeper's house is deteriorating.
Capul Island	Capul	Northern Samar	1896	39 ft (11.9 m)	142 ft (43.3 m)	Active	The tower were recently renovated and the original lamp and lantern were replaced.
Corregidor Island (1)	Corregidor Island	Cavite	1853	42 ft (12.8 m)	630 ft (192.0 m)	Replaced	Damaged by the bombings of World War II.
Corregidor Island (2)	Corregidor Island	Cavite	1950	48 ft (14.6 m)	633 ft (192.9 m)	Active	Good
Gorda Point	San Agustin	Romblon	1930	62 ft (19 m)	213 ft (65 m)	Active	Good
Jintotolo Island	Balud	Masbate	1903	51 ft (15.5 m)	187 ft (57.0 m)	Active	Only the tower is in good condition, the original light and lantern were replaced.
Linao Point	Aparri	Cagayan	1896	30 ft (9.1 m)	37 ft (11.3 m)	In ruins	The station was destroyed during a storm, and some of the ruins remain on the beach.
Lusaran Point Guisi Point Lighthouse	Nueva Valencia	Guimaras	1894	38 ft (11.6 m)	111 ft (33.8 m)	Replaced	The original lamp and lantern is gone, the iron tower is all rust and the surrounding buildings in ruins.
Malabrigo Point	Lobo	Batangas	1896	56 ft (17.1 m)	184 ft (56.1 m)	Active	Original lamp and lantern were replaced.
Maniguin Island	Culasi	Antique	1906	97 ft (29.6 m)	191 ft (58.2 m)	Inactive	Replaced with a nearby white tower; Date is not available.
Pasig River Light (1)	Binondo	Manila	1846	49 ft (14.9 m)	52 ft (15.8 m)	Demolished	Demolished and replaced in 1992.
Pasig River Light (2)	Binondo	Manila	1992	46 ft (14.0 m)	43 ft (13.1 m)	Active	Good
Poro Point Light	San Fernando City	La Union	1885	76 ft (23.7 m)	107 ft (32.6 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	Bulusan	Sorsogon	1896	39 ft (11.9 m)	136 ft (41.5 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	Tuburan	Basilan	1915	75 ft (22.9 m)	705 ft (214.9 m)	Active	Galvanized metal tower. Deactivated on Oct. 31, 2001[10]
Siete Pecados	Buenavista	Guimaras	1884	21 ft (6.4 m)	89 ft (27.1 m)	Active	A new tower was erected next to the old one. Original structure is still maintained.
Tanguingui Island	Bantayan	Cebu	1903	113 ft (34.4 m)	128 ft (39.0 m)	Replaced	The original black steel tower was replaced with a new white tower. Dwellings are in ruins.

Gallery

• 
  Pasig River Light, 1846
• 
  Corregidor Island Lighthouse, 1853
• 
  Cabra Island Lighthouse, 1889
• 
  Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, 1892
• 
  Cape Melville Lighthouse, 1892
• 
  Cape Engaño Lighthouse, 1893
• 
  Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, 1895
• 
  Linao Point Lighthouse, 1896
• 
  Capul Island Lighthouse, 1896
• 
  Bagacay Point Lighthouse, 1905
• 
  Apo Reef Light, 1906
• 
  Maniguin Island Lighthouse, 1906
• 
  Cape Bolinao Lighthouse, 1906
• 
  Corregidor Island Lighthouse, 1950s
• 
  Basco Lighthouse, 2003

See also

• Lists of lighthouses and lightvessels

References

1. Central Intelligence Agency. "Geography of the Philippines" . The World Factbook. Retrieved on 2011-04-06.
2. Department of Commerce, "Commerce Reports", p. 1052. Washington Government Printing Office, 1917.
3. Villalon, Augusto (2007-07-27). Adopt a Lighthouse" Archived 2012-08-04 at the Wayback Machine. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on 2011-04-05.
4. Philippine Coast Guard, "Maritime Safety"
5. U.S. Hydrographic Office, "List of Lights, Vol.2", p.74. Washington Government Printing Office, 1920.
6. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Northern Philippines". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
7. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Central Philippines". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
8. "Lighthouse Depot Explorer" Archived 2011-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 2010-03-20.
9. M. Noche, "Lonely Sentinels of the Sea: The Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines". U.S.T. Publishing House, 2005.
10. Philippine Coast Guard. Light Stations of Southwestern Mindanao Archived 2011-10-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2010-05-17.

External links

• Rowlett, Russ. "Spanish Lighthouses of the Philippines". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Northern Philippines". 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