Cabra is a

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

that covers the island of the same name. The island is the north-westernmost of the

Lubang Group of Islands Lubang Island is the largest island in the Lubang Group of Islands, an archipelago which lies to the northwest of the northern end of Mindoro in the Philippines. The Lubang Islands are about southwest of Manila. There are seven islands in the gro ...

in the

Verde Island Passage The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea beyond. Traditionally, the sea lane has been one of the busiest in ...

southwest of the country's main island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

and northwest of the island of

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...

. The barangay is administered as part of the municipality of

Lubang, Occidental Mindoro Lubang, officially the Municipality of Lubang ( tgl, Bayan ng Lubang), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,437 people. The municipality encompa ...

Geography

With a length of about 4.5 km (2.8 miles) and about 2.9 km (1.8 miles) at its widest, the island has a flat

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

with the highest elevation at 60.96 metres (around 200 feet). A particular rock

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

near one beach is considered by locals as a symbol of the island given its shape as a ''cabra'' (Spanish for “goat”). The

Cabra Island Lighthouse The Cabra Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse built on Cabra Island, the north-westernmost of the Lubang group of islands in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. International vessels entering the Philippines from South China Sea were welcome ...

complex is located on Cabra Island.

Formation

Cabra Island may have formed from a gigantic

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

History

The community in Cabra was established by the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

in 1885, the year they started building the Cabra Island

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

. It was named ''Cabra'' (Spanish for “goat”) after the Spaniards saw herds of goats when they landed."Cabra Island"
Lubang Island. Retrieved on 2011-11-01. From 1966 to 1972, a handful of schoolgirls on the island reported experiencing visions of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

. The purported

apparitions Apparition may refer to: Supernatural *Apparitional experience, an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience * A vision, something seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy *Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear ...

, unofficially known by the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

Our Lady of Cabra Island Our Lady of Cabra Island is a title of a purported apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to several schoolgirls on Cabra Island, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, the Philippines, from 1966 to 1972. Visions The supposed visions were first reported ...

, eventually inspired the 1982

Ishmael Bernal Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films ...

drama film ''

Himala ''Himala'' (English: ''Miracle'') is a 1982 Filipino film directed by Ishmael Bernal and produced by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. It stars Nora Aunor as a young woman living in the province who claims to have seen a Marian appari ...

'', starring

Nora Aunor Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (born May 21, 1953), professionally known as Nora Aunor (), is a Filipino actress, recording artist, and film producer. Aunor has also appeared in several stage plays, television shows and concerts. She is known as Ph ...

Cabra Island Lighthouse

The

complex is situated about 656 yards (600 m.) from the west end of the island.U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, "United States Coast Pilot, Philippine Islands Part 1", p.158. Washington Government Printing Office, 1919. Construction on the lighthouse began on May 3, 1885, and it was first lit on March 1, 1889.Noche, Manuel M., "Lonely Sentinels of the Sea, The Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines", p.55. U.S.T. Publishing House, 2005. The lighthouse is closed to visitors due to its dilapidated state.

Geography

Formation

History

Cabra Island Lighthouse

See also