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 most of the Central Visayas Region in the central part of the Philippines, including the major island of Cebu and the nearby islands of Siquiyor and Bohol. The shallow Visayan Sea lies to the north of the Central Visayas, the much deeper Sulu Sea to the southwest, and the Mindanao Sea to the south separates the Visayas and Mindanao. Note: Negros Oriental, the southeastern half of the island of Negros, was originally included in the Central Visayas Region. In May 2015 a decree of President Benigno Aquino created a separate Negros Island Region including all of that island. This decree was revoked by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2017, bringing Negros Oriental back into the Central Visayas Region. However, in order to present all the lighthouses of Negros on a single page the lighthouses of Negros Oriental appear on the Western Visayas page. 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.
|
|
Cebu Province Lighthouses
|
|
|
![]() Capitancillo Island Light, Cebu, 2007 Panoramio photo copyright Armand Subingsubing; used by permission |
|
Bohol Province Lighthouses
|
|
Siquijor Province Lighthouse
|
![]() Minarcahan Point Light, Siquijor Philippines Coast Guard photo |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Eastern Philippines | South: Northern Mindanao | West: Negros and Western Visayas
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted July 24, 2005. Checked and revised August 31, 2018. Lighthouses: 50. Site copyright 2018 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.