BULACAN TOWN RESCUES CENTURY-OLD LIGHTHOUSES
HAGONOY, BULACAN—A century-old lighthouse in Manila Bay was lit up this week, 10 years after this beacon for sailors and fishermen of Hagonoy town in Bulacan province went dark in 2011.
Municipal workers and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) repaired the solar power battery of the Pugad Lighthouse on Feb. 11, and brought it back to life, said councilor Kenneth Bautista, who has lobbied for resources to revive the lighthouses of Pugad Island and Barangay San Roque.
Believed to have been built at the start of the 20th century, the Pugad Lighthouse has weathered storms and strong surges from Manila Bay through 11 decades.
But residents were concerned it could wear down beyond repair unless the government steps in to reinforce the heritage facility, Bautista said.
The tower was originally a kerosene-fueled lighthouse until Pugad Island was connected to the power grid in the 1970s. Pugad Lighthouse later shifted to solar power, said Pugad village chair Ramon Atienza, 52.
The lighthouse at San Roque stopped functioning for 25 years, until it, too, was repaired by a work crew deployed by PCG-Central Luzon Cmdr. Michael Andag.
Tourist attractions
In January last year, Bautista had asked the national government for funds to repair the Pugad lighthouse after detecting cracks in its foundation.
He said the PCG responded by deploying a team to fix the Pugad Lighthouse, but the repairs were temporary and the complete overhaul of this aged structure would require P10 million to P12 million.
Restoring Pugad Lighthouse and its San Roque counterpart make them tourist attractions, Bautista said.
Pugad is the only old lighthouse of its kind that still survives along Manila Bay, said Atienza, who is a fisherman. It serves as the main sea beacon for fishermen navigating Manila Bay.
Beach, mangroves gone
Atienza said tourists used to frequent Aroma Beach on Pugad Island during the 1970s and 1980s, but the beach area disappeared following the disappearance of a 4-hectare mangrove forest that surrounded it.
The island has been a consistent Gawad Galing Barangay awardee for maintaining its cleanliness and beautification.
Atienza said 95 percent of Pugad Island’s 2,000 population live off the sea and have been venturing out at night to catch prawns, crabs and various types of fish.
Fishermen from the prov town inces of Cavite and Bataan, and the cities of Navotas and Malabon, have relied on the Pugad beacon and have asked Atienza to operate the lighthouse again.
Lost and found
“They used to come to our community when they lost their way, and begged us to reactivate the lighthouse,” said Atienza.
His parents and relatives used to climb up a ladder to fire up a bamboo lamp at the top of the tower before the island was provided electricity.
The Pugad Lighthouse protected mariners sailing from Cavite, the Metro Manila cities of Parañaque, Navotas and Malabon, as well as the Bulacan towns of Obando, Bulakan and Paombong and the City of Malolos which are south of Manila Bay.
The San Roque lighthouse serves the northern areas of Manila Bay, including Pampanga and Bataan, Bautista said.