Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
IALA Heritage Lighthouse of the Year 2023 Nominee
Location: PHILIPPINES - Region 1, Ilocos Norte, Burgos
Lighthouse Operator: Philippine Coast Guard
Lighthouse Description and History
(Text extracted from nomination form submitted by Philippine Coast Guard 2023)
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is also known as “Faro Cabo” as it set majestically on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill overlooking the West Philippine Sea, located approximately 35 kilometers north of the City of Laoag. The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is the most accessible of all lighthouses located in the north western island of Luzon. It was first lit on 30 March 1892 and is still functioning to date serving ships passing by the northern part of the West Philippine Sea. It is also one of the famous historical landmarks in the province of Ilocos Norte and the highest elevated, still original and active Spanish era lighthouse in the country and is also a cultural heritage structure in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
The design and construction of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse was initially created by Engineer Magin Pers y Pers but was subsequently reconfigured and finished by Engineer Guillermo Brockman. Its construction was made of locally made bricks with a tower that is octagonally shaped and has an inner dimension of two (2) meters and an exterior dimension of three (3) and a half (½) meters.
Reason For Nomination
(Text extracted from nomination form submitted by Philippine Coast Guard 2023)
Intrinsic Heritage Interest of the Lighthouse
The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte is one of the most frequently visited lighthouses in the Philippines. The lighthouse was erected as part of Spain’s master plan of illuminating the Philippine archipelago. The initial design was made by Magin Pers y Pers in 1887 but it was completed by Guillermo Brockman’s Lighthouse Service. The lighthouse tower is about 65 feet tall and is shaped octagonally. What makes the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse most special is its pretty bronze cupola that crowns the octagonal tower, fitted with glass panes and decorative iron grills, highlighting the Spanish influence in the Philippine architectural design during the colonization era.
The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse was declared as a National Historic Landmark as well as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine Government in 2004 and 2005. The cape used to be very busy infrastructure as galleons used to pass by frequently during the Spanish-era in the Philippines. It’s been more than 100 years since it was first established, yet it is still fully functional-a beacon that prompts the ships that they have entered the Philippine territory. The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is the Philippines’ highest lighthouse in elevation from the Spanish colonial era to date.
Conservation
With the effort and dedication of the Philippine Coast Guard, the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is in its 100 percent operational efficiency through the regular preventive maintenance service (PMS) of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and its lighthouse keeper. Since Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is the most frequently visited lighthouse in the Philippines, the PCG and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Burgos, Ilocos Norte had established a museum to preserve its old Aids to Navigation (ATON) equipment. The museum is filled with items that were once used to run the lighthouse such as the original kerosene lamp, batteries, a part of the original first-order Fresnel lens, among others. Perhaps one of the most striking items in the museum are the samples of the original brickwork and old photos of Cape Bojeador Lighthouse during the glory days of Spanish colonization in the Philippines.
Public Access and Education
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Museum is also present in the same location. The public can access the small, newly restored museum that is housed in the pavilion located at the foot of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse exhibiting many artistic, cultural and historical items bearing relations to the lighthouse. It not only provides the visitors or the students on a field trip knowledge, but it also allows the public to be familiar with the history, culture, civilization, region, art and architecture of the Philippines. Many groups and students both local and foreign, visit the lighthouse as one of their stops in their cultural and historical trips in Ilocos Norte.
