Old Bulacan lighthouse to get face-lift

HAGONOY, Bulacan , Philippines  –For more than seven years, fishermen in Manila Bay have been fishing in the dark every night due to the defective lighthouse in the coastal village of Pugad here.

But their woes will soon be over after a non-governmental organization offered to fix the lighthouse.

Grossman Dax Uy, chairman of the Sigla Movement of the Philippines (SMP)-Bulacan chapter, yesterday conducted an ocular inspection of the more than 80-year-old lighthouse.

Uy said the SMP would lead the repair of the lighthouse by donating solar batteries and lamps.

“This lighthouse is crucial for fishermen at night because it serves as their guide,” he said, adding the facility can also become a tourist attraction if its surrounding areas will be developed.

This was affirmed by local residents who said that in the past travelers from Bulacan to Corregidor Island, Bataan and Manila used to stop to gaze at the lighthouse.

Rommel Santos, a former village councilman, said the lighthouse is more than 80 years old based on the stories of older residents.

Village councilman Alfredo Lunes said the lighthouse stopped functioning more than seven years ago after its solar powered batteries bogged down.           

They had sought help from the municipal and provincial government.

Last year, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado submitted a proposal to the Central Luzon Regional Development Council for the repair of the lighthouse.

The proposal was approved by the RDC along with the installation of additional lighthouses along the coast of Obando and Paombong towns in Bulacan, and in Pampanga and Bataan provinces.

The Central Luzon RDC submitted a resolution to Malacañang through the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) endorsing the repair and installation of additional lighthouses.

However, the national government has yet to act on the endorsement.