Guisi Lighthouse is one of the notable tokens that was left by the Spanish Government in Guimaras. Built in 1894-1896, this old lighthouse was put to up help the navigation of fishermen and sailors cruising the Panay Gulf. Faro de Punta Luzaran is the Spanish name of Guisi Lighthouse. Its construction is just one small part of a big project by the Spanish Government to light up major sea channels in the Philippines.
Surrounding the lighthouse are the ruins of the old Spanish-era buildings. Abandoned after the war and heavily battered by numerous storms—their utter ruin left traces of a downcast past. What remained though, brought out a beautiful melancholic art. This desolate place that’s painted with darkness and grim lets you walk into a haunting shadow of a once glorious past that ended in despair. A site that lets you experience a bitter-sweet taste that’s both horrifying and pleasant.
Beyond the ruins and stories of war, is a wonderful view of the horizon and the coast of Guimaras. The cliff where the lighthouse stand was clearly chosen for a very good reason. Its elevation and corner position makes it a perfect spot to guide the incoming ships. Looking at how broad its view of the sea is, you can easily tell how visible this cliff is from a great distance. Definitely much more when lighted.
Our Experience at Guisi Lighthouse
The mini-jeep that we hired for a tour dropped us near that entrance of the Guisi Lighthouse site. From there, we took a short uphill walk to reach the lighthouse and the ruins of the Spanish buildings in the area. The creepy-wonderful sight of the ruins looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. You can also consider thriller, horror or zombie movie—you name it. But it’s a nice experience to be somewhere that you would mostly see on movies or television only.
The building’s design looks simple but elegant. It displays how the old Spanish architecture is robust and fortified because of the thickness of the walls and how heavy the materials were used. The gates, facade and entry points have that kind of theme that can take you to Europe’s late renaissance era. Now covered with vines and plants, this old building now looks more dramatic and timeless.
After doing a short exploration of the ruins, we checked out the old lighthouse and we were surprised to find out that visitors can still climb up there. Written on its side is the Hiligaynon word “Guina dali-an ang pag saka
The View on Top of Guisi Lighthouse
A stunning view of the horizon can be seen at its peak. The view of the horizon is so broad that it’s already curved and hints about the spherical shape of the earth. The rocky bottom below the cliff is visibly clear from above which was a pleasure to see. A view of Guisi’s coastline that’s filled with lush green trees and plants mixed with some yellow rocks is an astonishing sight.
You can also see what’s on the top part of the modern light tower from the old rusty lighthouse. It has a small solar panel with antennas and seems to serve more purpose like boosting cellphone and television signal on top of giving light. The modern light tower in the midst of the old structures strikes a large contrast between the old and the new. Despite the new innovations, it’s great to see the preservation of ruins and other old structures like these. Their timeless stories will continue to be heard by many generations to come.
Entrance Fee:
Adult – P10.00
Child – P5.00
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