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]
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 in the Philippines safely guiding the vessels that ply its routes.
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The following is a list of historical and notable lighthouses constructed in the Philippines.[5][6][7][8]
| Name | 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 Light (1) | Apo Reef | Occidental Mindoro | 1906 | 118 ft (36.0 m) | 134 ft (40.8 m) | Nonextant | Replaced with a new modern white tower. |
| Apo Reef Light (2) | Apo Reef | Occidental Mindoro | 1990s | 110 ft (33.5 m) | 115 ft (35.0 m) | Active | Good |
| Bagacay Point Lighthouse (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 Lighthouse (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 Lighthouse | Magallanes | Sorsogon | 1904 | 29 ft (8.8 m) | 135 ft (41.1 m) | Active | Original lamp was replaced with a solar-powered modern lamp. |
| Basco Lighthouse | Naidi Hills, Basco | Batanes | 2003 | 66 ft (20.1 m) | n/a | Active | Good |
| Batag Island Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | Bolinao | Pangasinan | 1906 | 101 ft (30.8 m) | 294 ft (89.6 m) | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. |
| Cape Engaño Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | Calatagan | Batangas | 1890 | 51 ft (15.5 m) | 89 ft (27.1 m) | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. |
| Capitancillo Island Lighthouse | Bogo | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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 room were replaced. |
| Corregidor Island Lighthouse (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 Lighthouse (2) | Corregidor Island | Cavite | 1950 | 48 ft (14.6 m) | 633 ft (192.9 m) | Active | Good |
| Jintotolo Island Lighthouse | 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 room were replaced. |
| Linao Point Lighthouse | 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 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 Lighthouse | Lobo | Batangas | 1896 | 56 ft (17.1 m) | 184 ft (56.1 m) | Active | Original lamp and lantern room were replaced. |
| Maniguin Island Lighthouse | 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 |
| San Bernardino Island Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse (1) | Rosario | Cavite | 1879 | 30 ft (9.1 m) | 30 ft (9.1 m) | Active | Destroyed by a typhoon in 1881 |
| Sibago Island Light | 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 Lighthouse | 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 Lighthouse | 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. |
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Timeline of lighthouses in the Philippines
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