Cape Engaño, the last Spanish lighthouse in Philippines that still illuminates the Pacific

The current Republic of the Philippines, established on July 4, 1946, covers territory that was part of Spain for more than 300 years.

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The first Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in 1521 with the Magellan-Elcano expedition, although the first permanent Spanish settlement on the islands, present-day Cebu City, was founded in 1565 by Basque sailor Miguel López de Legazpi. The country's capital, Manila, was founded by Legazpi on June 24, 1571, with the name "Always Loyal and Distinguished City of Spain in the East."

There are 7,641 islands in the Philippines, of which about 2,000 are inhabited. The largest and most populated island is Luzon, which is where Manila is located. Northeast of Luzon is a small island called Palaui, which belongs to the nearby municipality of Santa Ana in Cagayan, Luzon. Palaui is a small green paradise that is inhabited on its eastern part and is a gem for tourists, although it doesn't have hotels. In 2017, CNN ranked this island 10th on a list of the 100 best beaches in the world, stating:

"Glorious white sands meet volcanic rocks and blue-green waters topside, while coral gardens and a rich marine reserve meet divers under the surface. Palaui is all about raw beauty. Treks to get there require battling thorny grass, muddy ground and a mangrove forest."

In the north of the island of Palaui is Cape Engaño, whose name, apparently, was given to it by the Spanish who arrived there and were impressed by the beauty of the place, to the point of believing it was a hoax. On September 21, 1888, the construction of a lighthouse began on this cape, on a promontory located 92 meters above sea level. It was inaugurated on December 31, 1892, the year that marked the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.

The lighthouse has a 14.5-meter-high, octagonal masonry tower. Its original light, now lost, was located 100 meters above sea level. The tower is located in the middle of a courtyard, next to which is the old lighthouse keepers' house, which had space for seven people. It was home to the Jamorabon family for many years. Today the house is in ruins, but the lighthouse continues to project its light over the waters of the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean, equipped with a new light powered by a solar panel. Its light has a range of 27 nautical miles (50 km), emitting a white flash every 5 seconds.

This old lighthouse was the last one built in the Philippines by the Spanish. Four years after its inauguration, the War of Independence began, culminating in 1898 with the separation of the Philippines from Spain. Shortly after, in 1899, another war began that ended in 1902 with the occupation of the Philippines by the United States. In December 1941, the islands were invaded by the Japanese Empire. During World War II, about 300 km from this Spanish lighthouse, the Battle of Cape Engaño took place, fought on October 25 and 26, 1944, in which Japan lost its aircraft carriers Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuihō, and Zuikaku.

Today, this lighthouse has a plaque in Filipino commemorating its construction and opening dates, and noting that it is "among the only examples of Spanish-era lighthouse architecture that remains." If you'd like to see more about this old Spanish building, a few weeks ago, More Outside posted this nice video about this lighthouse:

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Main image: More Outside.