Lighthouses of the Southern Philippines

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).

This page lists lighthouses in two of the country's three principal regions, the Visayas and Mindanao, plus Palawan. Luzon, the large island including the capital city Manila, dominates the northern part of the country. Palawan lies southwest of Luzon, stretching toward Borneo. Luzon has a long "tail" extending to the southeast, and south of this tail are the numerous islands of 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 gaining some momentum in the Philippines. Until recently, all of the historic light stations were 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 more extensive restorations will be carried out 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.

Liloan Lighthouse
Bagacay Point (Liloan) Light, Cebu, 2007
Creative Commons photo by Loren S. Gibb

General Sources
Philippine Lighthouses: 8 historic photos posted by Johann Stockinger.
Spanish Lighthouses of the Philippines: This is my own list of the Spanish light stations, with notes on their current status.
Palawan Lighthouses
* Culion Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); red flash every 5 s. 3.5 m (11 ft) post mounted atop the watchtower of a small Spanish fort. A 2007 photo is available. Culion is an island in the Calamian Archipelago, northeast of Palawan and southwest of Mindoro. Located on the north side of the entrance to Culion harbor, on the northeast side of Culion Island. Site open; visitors are free to climb to the watchtower. Admiralty F2174; NGA 14496.
Langoy Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 111 m (364 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11 m (35 ft) white tower. NGA mentions a "white dwelling." No photo available. Located on a small, high island off the northeastern end of Damarucan Island at the northeastern corner of Palawan province. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-036; Admiralty F2168; NGA 14516.
Bancaobancaon Point (Puerto Princesa): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); three white flashes every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) white concrete tower. Keeper's house and other light station buildings. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Puerto Princesa, the capital and principal port of Palawan. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-009; Admiralty F2163; NGA 14524.
* [Brooke's Point (3?)]: Date unknown (station established about 1850). Inactive. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square concrete tower, painted white, with a small gallery and an external spiral stairway encircling the tower. Similar to the light at Sablayan Point, Mindoro. Many web sites report that a lighthouse was built near here by Sir James Brooke, the legendary White Rajah of Sarawak, in Borneo, to mark his northernmost outpost in southern Palawan. As far as is known this historic lighthouse does not survive. The 1920 light list mentions a light mounted in 1910 on the "government blockhouse." Brooke's Point is an active seaport 192 km (120 mi) southwest of Puerto Princesa. Site open, tower closed.
* Brooke's Point (4?): Date unknown (station established about 1850). Active(?). Approx. 18 m (60 ft) cylindrical metal tower, flared at the top and bottom. No lantern. A distant view is available. This light has solar panels and appears to be active, but it is not listed by NGA. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-069.
Espina Point: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete tower; NGA mentions a dwelling. No photo available. Located on Balabac Island about 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Cape Melville. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-024; Admiralty F2156; NGA 14536.
* Cape Melville: 1892. Active; focal plane 90 m (296 ft); white flash every 5 s. 27.5 m (90 ft) octagonal stone tower, unpainted, with lantern and gallery. 1-story stone keeper's house and other light station buildings. A photo is available. This historic Spanish lighthouse is located at the southern tip of Balabac Island in southernmost Palawan, marking the southwestern extremity of the Philippines. More information is needed on access to this site. Site and tower reported open. ARLHS PHI-014; Admiralty F2152; NGA 14540.

Sulu Sea Island Lighthouses
* Cuyo Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (42 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (27 ft) concrete tower. There are some Internet references to this tower as being a lighthouse, but no photo is available. The Cuyo group is a collection of low islands at the northern edge of the Sulu Sea, northeast of Palawan. Located on the pier in Cuyo. Site presumably open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-081; Admiralty F2286; NGA 14508.
* Tubbataha Reefs (2): 1980 (station established 1938). Active; two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (50 ft) octagonal concrete tower with gallery rising from the center of octagonal concrete keeper's house. It appears that the lantern has been removed and replaced by a light on a short mast. Paul Stretton has a 2008 photo, Leon Steber has a view from the sea, another distant view is available, and the lighthouse also appears on a postage stamp. The Tubbataha Reefs are two atolls in the center of the Sulu Sea. The uninhabited islands are one of the best known scuba diving locations in the Philippines. The lighthouse(s) are on South Tubbataha. It is not clear if the 1980 lighthouse is a reconstruction, replacement, or addition to the 1938 lighthouse. Site presumably open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-063; Admiralty F2340; NGA 14528.

Masbate Lighthouses
* Colorado Point: 1908. Active; focal plane 33 m (109 ft); two red flashes every 5 s. 5 m (16 ft) concrete tower with keeper's house. No photo available. A tourist site says the light station may date from Spanish times but the present lighthouse is American. Located on the east side of the entrance to the harbor of Araroy, on the north coast of Masbate. Site apparently open, tower status unknown. ARLHS PHI-020; Admiralty F2508; NGA 14604.
* Bugui Point: 1903 (?). Active; focal plane 66 m (218 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) masonry tower. Keeper's house. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears on a postage stamp. A tourist site says the lighthouse was constructed by the Spanish, and an article in the Manila Standard Today dates it to 1890. However, it does not seem to have been in service by 1898; apparently the Americans activated it. Located at the northwestern point of Masbate, a landmark on the traditional Southern Passage to Manila from San Bernardino Strait. Site apparently open, tower status unknown. ARLHS PHI-070; Admiralty F2510; NGA 14600.
* Jintotolo (Gintotolo) Island: 1890s. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15.5 m (51 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. 1-story keeper's house. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears on a postage stamp. Located on an island off the southwestern tip of Masbate in Jintotolo Strait, an important shipping route to and from the central Philippines. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-035; Admiralty F2292; NGA 14624.
Panay Lighthouses
Floripon Point: Date unknown (station established 1910). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) metal tower. No photo available. Located at the entrance to the Aklan River at New Washington on the central north coast of Panay. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-083; Admiralty F2302; NGA 14628.
Manigonigo Island: 1894 (?). Active; focal plane 21 m (68 ft); white flash every 7 s. 9 m (29 ft) tower with dwelling. This is probably a "Tourelle" steel tower. No photo available. Located on a small island about 6 km (4 mi) off the northeastern point of Panay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-090; Admiralty F2308; NGA 14644.
North Gigante Island: 1895. Active; focal plane 23 m (77 ft); white flash every 10 s. 11.5 m (38 ft) tower, painted white. Keeper's house painted white with a red roof. No photo available. Located on an island in the northwestern corner of the Visayan Sea about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of the northeastern point of Panay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-094; Admiralty F2294; NGA 14648.
Tanguingui Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 34.5 m (113 ft) steel tower, painted black, with lantern painted white. Concrete keeper's house painted white with a red roof. No photo available. Located on an island in the middle of the Visayan Sea about 100 km (60 mi) east of the northeastern point of Panay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-100; Admiralty F2296; NGA 14652.
Baliguian Island: 1916 (?). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 7 s. 20 m (66 ft) white octagonal tower. This could be the 1916 tower, or it might be a modern "Apo Reef" tower. No photo available. Located on the island about 22 km (14 mi) east of Conception in northeastern Panay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-007; Admiralty F2314; NGA 14668.
Calabazas Island (2): Date unknown (station established 1884). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); green flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white octagonal concrete tower with gallery. The 1-story keeper's house of the original light station survives, probably in poor condition. The Degree Confluence Project has a photo taken from the sea. Located on an island southeast of Ajuy in northeastern Panay. Accessible only by boat, but apparently there is ferry service available from Ajuy. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-072; Admiralty F2316; NGA 14688.
Siete Pecados: 1904. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (32 ft) tower, painted white. A distant photo appears to show a keeper's house next to the lighthouse. "Siete Pecados" is Spanish for "Seven Sins." Located on the largest of 7 tiny islands off the northern tip of Guimaras Island, marking the entrance to Iloilo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-058; Admiralty F2320; NGA 14692.
Negros Lighthouses
Refugio Island (Sipaway Island): 1913. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 7 s. 17 m (55 ft) "white steel tower" with "concrete dwelling." No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The island is the site of several beach resorts. Located on Refugio (Sipaway) Island, which protects the harbor of San Carlos City on the eastern coast of Negros. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-049; Admiralty F2354; NGA 14744.
** [Apo Island (1)]: Date unknown. Inactive since about 2005. 10.5 m (35 ft) concrete tower with gallery and external ladder, no lantern. 1-story keeper's house, abandoned. No photo available. Located at the highest point of the island southeast of Zamboanguita in southernmost Negros. The island is a popular resort, and the lighthouse is accessible by hiking trails. Site open, tower can be climbed.
* Apo Island (2): 2005(?). Active; focal plane 130 m (428 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) hourglass-shaped white fiberglass tower with gallery; access to the gallery is by an internal ladder. No photo available. Located close to the older tower. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F2344; NGA 14796.
Siquijor Lighthouse
Minalulan Point: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); white flash every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft), "white tower," according to NGA. No photo available, but a Google satellite view reveals what is probably a cylindrical steel tower with gallery. Located on the southeastern tip of Siquijor, an island off the southeastern tip of Negros. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-111; Admiralty F2369; NGA 14793.
Cebu Lighthouses
* Bagacay Point (Punta Bagacay, Liloan) (2): 1874 (station established 1857). Inactive at least since 1908. Approx. 5 m (17 ft) round stone tower. One of Arnold Carl's photos shows the former entrance, and in a second photo the present lighthouse appears in the background. If this is indeed the original tower, it is the oldest surviving lighthouse in the Philippines. Site open, and the ruined tower is also open.
* Bagacay Point (Liloan) (3): 1908 (station established 1857). Active; focal plane 44 m (146 ft); white flash every 5 s. 22 m (72 ft) octagonal concrete and stone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted; lantern painted white. One of the earliest lighthouses to be built in the Philippines by the U.S. administration. It was formerly in poor condition, but in March 2004 a group called Coastal Highpoint Ventures Inc. signed an agreement with the Coast Guard to restore and renovate the light station. The lighthouse looks to be in rather good condition in Loren Gibbs's photo at the top of this page and in an October 2007 photo. Google has a satellite view. Located on the point near Liloan, about 18 km (11 mi) northeast of Cebu City, marking the entrance to the Mactan Channel, which leads to the city. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-066; Admiralty F2402; NGA 14824.
* Cebu Capitol: Date unknown (1937?). Active; focal plane 61 m (200 ft); flash every 5 s, white over the clear channel from the south, red elsewhere. Light mounted atop the dome of the Cebu Provincial Capitol. The building was built in 1937. Located at the northern end of Osmeña Boulevard about 3 km (2 mi) north of the waterfront in downtown Cebu City. Google has a satellite view. Site and building open. ARLHS PHI-102; Admiralty F2392; NGA 14840.
* Sumilon: Date unknown. Active; characteristics unknown. Tall round white concrete tower with gallery. Brennan Mercado has a closeup photo. Sumilon is a small resort island about 1.5 km (1 mi) off Oslob in southeastern Cebu. Site open; nothing prevents courageous visitors from climbing the external ladder to the gallery. The light is not listed by NGA.
* [Toledo]: Date unknown. Active; focal plane unlisted, red flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (36 ft) hexagonal (possibly octagonal) concrete post with a small lantern reached by an external spiral stairway. Located in Toledo City, a town on the west coast of Cebu about 70 km (45 mi) west of Cebu City. Site open, tower status unknown; it may be possible to climb the external stairway. ARLHS PHI-122; Admiralty F2363; NGA 14760.
Bohol Lighthouses

Leyte Lighthouses
Canigao Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (78 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white octagonal tower. A distant photo is available. Located on an island in the Canigao Strait, which separates Leyte from Bohol, off Matalom in southwestern Leyte. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-074; Admiralty F2434; NGA 14952.
Abuyog: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (77 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white octagonal tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the harbor entrance in Abuyog, a town on the east coast of Leyte about 100 km (60 mi) south of Tacloban. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-065; Admiralty F2454.7; NGA 14932.
Tacloban: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); three red flashes every 15 s. NGA describes the light as a "white structure on top of building." No photo available. Located on a peninsula in the city of Tacloban. Site presumably open, building status unknown. Admiralty F2457; NGA 14916.
Canuay Islet: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) white octagonal tower, probably of the "Apo Reef" class. Located on an island marking the northern entrance to the narrow strait separating Leyte from Samar, about 25 km (15 mi) northwest of Tacloban. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-075; Admiralty F2420; NGA 14908.
Samar Lighthouses
* Suluan Island (2): Date unknown (station established 1909). Active; focal plane 138 m (452 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical aluminum tower, flared at the top and bottom, painted white. A 2008 photo is available. This lighthouse marks the northern entrance to Leyte Gulf, off the southeastern corner of Samar. American forces raided a Japanese garrison here on October 17, 1944, a skirmish several days prior to General McArthur's famous landing. Located at the highest point of the island about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Guiuan. Accessible only by boat; transportation from Guiuan is available. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS PHI-060; Admiralty F2454; NGA 15020.
Mindanao Lighthouses
[Loreto]: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) square concrete post mounted on a round concrete pier; a stairway spirals around the post. A good photo is available. Located in the harbor of Loreto, near the northern tip of Dinagat Island, an island off the northeastern tip of Mindanao. Accessible only by boat. Site open; there's no impediment to climbing the stairs. Admiralty F2253.5; NGA 14935.5.
#Macabalan Point: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (58 ft); green flash every 5 s. A 16 m (53 ft) "white steel tower" is listed by NGA. Jazz Ramiro visited this station in 2007 and found that the steel tower had been removed, apparently around 2001. Part of the steel framework of the tower was being used to construct a house on the site. Located on the point marking the entrance to the harbor of Cagayan de Oro. Site open. ARLHS PHI-088; Admiralty F2266; NGA 15092.
Palmas Island: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 130 m (427 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. This lighthouse marks the southeasternmost extent of the Philippines. Located atop an isolated island in the passage between the Philippine and Celebes Seas, about 80 km (50 mi) southeast of the coast of Mindanao. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PHI-112; Admiralty F2138; NGA 15156.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key