Islas de Gigantes ( Spanish: Gigantes Islands lit: Giant Islands) (variously Islas Gigantes, Higantes group, or Gigantes group) is an island chain within the larger Western Visayas archipelago in the

Visayan Sea The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south. The sea is connected to several bod ...

. It is part of the municipality of Carles, Iloilo, Philippines, and the northernmost part of Iloilo province. The Gigantes islands consist of about ten islands; the two largest are Gigantes Norte (North Gigantes) and Gigantes Sur (South Gigantes). According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,332 residents. There is also a

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 ...

on Gigantes Norte.

Location and geography

The Gigantes islands are located roughly from

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...

Island in the Visayan Sea. Gigantes Norte is at its highest point, while Gigantes Sur is at its highest point. A narrow channel separates the two islands. Nearby islands include

Balbagon Island Balbagon is a teardrop-shaped island in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines. It is one of fourteen islands politically administered by the municipality of Carles. There is a small beach resort on the island. Location and geography Balbagon is a ...

, which is west of Gigantes Sur and is part of barangay Lantangan. In addition to the two main islands, the Gigantes group includes the following minor islets: Bulubadiang, Gigantillo, and Gigantuna are islets southeast of Gigantes Norte, while Antonia, Bantigui, Cabugao, Tanguingui, and Turnina are islands and islets south of Gigantes Sur. The Gigantes group consists of the following four barangays. On Gigantes Norte is Asluman and Granada and on Gigantes Sur is Lantangan and Gabi.

History

The Gigantes group used to be called Sabuluag, or Salauag, which is the name of a species of tree endemic to the islands. During the Spanish colonial era, the name was changed to Gigantes. Local legend describes coffins found inside Bakwitan Cave that contained gigantic sets of human bones, which constituted the name change. For this reason, locals also believe the island is inhabited by engkantos. A lighthouse was built on Gigantes Norte some time before 1895. Designated

ARLHS Founded in 2000 by Jim Weidner, K2JXW, the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) is devoted to maritime communications, amateur radio, lighthouses, and lightships. Its members travel to lighthouses around the world where they operate ama ...

PHI-094, the white tower features a keeper's house and a focal point in the air, which flashes once every ten seconds. Lantangan Elementary School in Gigantes Sur has a student population of 1,144, which is higher than the populations of mainland schools.

Typhoons

Typhoon Fengshen Typhoon Fengshen, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Frank, was the sixth named storm and the fourth typhoon recognized by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center recognized Fengshen as the seventh tropical depression, ...

, known in the Philippines as ''Frank'', struck the Gigantes group in June 2008. Fengshen destroyed the original lighthouse on Gigantes Norte, which was one of the original 27 lighthouses built by the Spanish in the Philippines. Japan donated a replacement tower, which is made of iron and solar powered. The brick keeper's house is all that remains of the original structure. Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as "Yolanda", passed over the Gigantes group, along with the rest of Panay, on November 8, 2013, damaging houses and boats. Unofficial reports stated more than 90 percent of the houses on Gigantes were destroyed. The typhoon also tore the roof off of Lantangan Elementary School in Gigantes Sur. As of June 2014, the roof of the school had not yet been repaired. Many groups conducted relief missions to the Gigantes group, including the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 6 (BFAR-6), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-6), RockEd Philippines-RockEd Iloilo, the ABS-CBN Foundation, Loma Linda University Health (LLUH), and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). In June 2014, Save the Children donated more than a thousand bags of school supplies to students on the island. Aside from food and clothing, the fishing community also asked relief organizations to help rebuild their livelihoods.

Points of interest

Points of interest in the Gigantes group include the Cabugao Gamay Island, Antonia Island, Bantigue Sand Bar, and Bakwitan Cave, one of 73 caves throughout the islands.

Tangke

Tangke (“tank”) is a saltwater lagoon on Gigantes Sur. It is surrounded by cliffs. Local legend says that the waters of Tangke would miraculously rise every year on June 24, the Birthday of Saint John the Baptist.

North Gigantes Island lighthouse

The station was established during 1895 as one of the Spanish lighthouse projects to be built across the Philippines. The current medium-sized lighthouse that is solar-powered, like most of the lighthouses built today, was donated by Japan to replace the one built by the Spanish government due to the destruction brought by Typhoon Frank in 2008. The keeper's house survived but in ruins. The masonry walls were painted white while the roof is made out of corrugated galvanized iron sheet in red paint finish.

Cabugao Gamay

A small island featuring a white sand beach and an observation deck.

Antonia Beach

The private beach which belongs to a resort (Antonia Resort) on the south eastern tip of Gigantes Sur, known for its 1 peso scallops. File:Old Quarters Near the New North Gigantes Medium Lighthouse.jpg, Beside the lighthouse is a single-storey elevated ruin with arched openings on one side File:New North Gigantes Medium Lighthouse.jpg, This is the new solar-powered lighthouse which was once the location of the Spanish-colonial parola File:Entry to the New North Gigantes Medium Lighthouse.jpg, The pathway that leads to the old quarters File:New North Gigantes Medium Lighthouse Lamp.jpg, The signal lamp on lighthouse deck

Transport

via Carles

Boats can be chartered from Bancal Port in Carles. Public ferries leave daily from Bancal Port to either Gigantes Norte or Gigantes Sur. Private boats can also be chartered to reach the islands. It takes approximately an hour from Bancal Port to Gigantes islands.

via Estancia

Daily trips are also available from the port of Estancia, which can be reached via point-to-point bus operated by Ceres from their terminal just outside Iloilo City. The single trip leaves at approximately 1300 hours daily and takes about 1.5-2 hours to complete.

Gallery

Image:Tangke.jpg, Gigantes Norte Limestone Cliffs Image:Isla de Gigantes beach.jpg, A white sand beach at Antonia Island Image:Gigantes Island.jpg, Cabugao Gamay Island Image:Bantigue Island Sandbar.jpg, Bantigue Sandbar Image:Old spanish lighthouse @Gigantes Norte, Carles, Iloilo, Philippines.jpg, Gigantes Norte coast with Gigantes Lighthouse

References

External links

* {{Commons-inline Islands of Iloilo Tourist attractions in Iloilo