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The Philippines include more than 7000 islands stretching over 1750 km (1100 mi) of the western Pacific. The archipelago was a Spanish colony until the Spanish-American War of 1898, which brought the islands under U.S. administration. Japan occupied the islands during World War II (1942-45), and the country became independent shortly thereafter (1946). Luzon, the large island including the capital city Manila, dominates the northern part of the country. Mindoro and Palawan lie southwest of Luzon, stretching toward Borneo. Luzon has a long "tail" extending to the southeast, and south of this tail are the numerous islands known as the Visayas. The principal Visayas, grouped roughly in a circle around the Visayan Sea, are Masbate, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Samar. To the south of the Visayas, Mindanao is the largest island of all. In the list, lighthouses are grouped under the closest major island, although a great many of the lighthouses are actually located on small islands in the nearby shipping lanes. The lighthouse preservation movement is still getting started in the Philippines. Most of the historic light stations have been in very poor condition. However, the Philippines Coast Guard, which operates aids to navigation in the country, has recently repaired and renovated many of the towers. An"adopt a lighthouse" program has taken hold, and there's hope that some of the light stations will be restored within the next few years. Philippine lighthouses are often called parolas. Many Philippine lighthouses are not well known, so better information and photos are needed. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. |
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![]() Old and New Sueste Point Lights, July 2007 photo copyright Jun Avecilla; used by permission |
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![]() Malabrigo Point Light, April 2007 photo copyright Jazz Ramiro; used by permission |
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![]() Lusaran (Guisi) Point lighthouses photo copyright Jazz Ramiro used by permission |
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![]() Balicasag Island Lights photo copyright Jazz Ramiro; used by permission |
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![]() Misamis Point Light, April 2007 photo copyright Jazz Ramiro; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
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Posted July 24, 2005. Checked and revised January 2, 2008. Lighthouses: 73. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.