Cape Engaño Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Cabo Engaño (
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
: Parola ng Tangos Engaño), is a historic
lighthouse located at
Cape Engaño on
Palaui Island in the town of
Santa Ana, the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...
,
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 ...
. Located at the northernmost part 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 ...
Island and situated atop the summit of a hill, 92 meters above sea level, the lighthouse provides a 360-degree view of
Babuyan Island and the Dos Hermanas Island (Two Sisters) on the North,
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
on the West and Engaño cove on the East.
Cape Engaño Lighthouse is now under the supervision of the
Department of Transportation and Communications
The Department of Transportation (DOTr; fil, Kagawaran ng Transportasyon) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation systems as eff ...
through the
Philippine Coast Guard's lighthouse division.
History
Faro de Cabo Engaño is one of the four lighthouses built during the Spanish colonial period, which served as gateway lighthouse for incoming ships. The construction started on 21 September 1888 and finished on 31 December 1892, wherein most of the labourers are Filipinos.
The Jamorabon family
The Cape Engaño Lighthouse was for generations the home of the Jamorabons. They also worked as lighthouse keepers, notably Gregorio Jamorabon, the longest-servicing keeper. The complex used to shelter seven crew members tasked to maintain the lighthouse. At that time, according to Teresa Jamorabon, late wife of Gregorio Jamorabon, the lighthouse was the only place where residents enjoyed electricity.
Teresa Jamorabon described how well the government took care of the lighthouse keepers and the station. Their rations of rice, beans, noodles, cooking oil and kerosene arrived every month and were shared equally among the workers, regardless of rank.
According to the Jamorabons, the name of the lighthouse was given by Spaniard seafarers when they first set foot on the cape and were so stunned by its natural beauty that they named it "Engaño".
Structure
The structure was initially designed by Engineer Magin Pers y Pers, who also designed the lighthouses on
Cape Bojeador and
Capones Island; further design work was provided by Guillermo Brockman.
The lighthouse complex is composed of the housing pavilion that served as an office and workers quarter, the service buildings that served as kitchen and storage, and the 11-meter octagonal tower that houses the crown and the copper lantern (but was now a solar-based lighting mechanism) that is visible in all angles of the lighthouse. This was all built using local materials, masonry and hardwood.
See also
*
List of lighthouses in the Philippines
With the Philippine Archipelago comprising over 7,100 islands packed in an area of , the country has the fifth-longest coastline in the world. The Philippine coast has a total length of and is very irregular, with numerous bays, gulfs, and i ...
*
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
Maritime Safety Services CommandLight Stations of Northern Luzonat the Philippine Coast Guard Website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Engano Lighthouse
Lighthouses completed in 1892
Lighthouses in the Philippines
Buildings and structures in Cagayan
Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines
Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines
Tourist attractions in Cagayan