There are so many places to visit in Guimaras that it can be quite dizzying to know which ones to visit first. Should you visit the famed Guimaras island resorts first? Or how about trying the island’s world-famous mangoes? And you know what’s best among all of these options? You can actually try all of them out simultaneously!
Of course, there is also one thing that you might not know about when it comes to visiting Guimaras: it also plays host to a rich cultural heritage that is perhaps only rivalled by the ones contained in its sister town, Iloilo. And as it turns out, one of the more popular remnants of its old colonial heritage is one that has helped many a Guimarason find his or her way home during those times: the Guisi lighthouse.
So, what is it about the lighthouse that makes it so special even in its current, crumbling state? Well, allow us to list a few quick facts below for your perusal!
It was constructed during the waning years of the Spanish government
There is a reason why it seems like the entirety of the Philippines contain Spanish influences: Spain did colonize the country for 370 years, after all. Heck, if it wasn’t for the pioneering efforts of the country’s national heroes, the period of colonization would have lasted till 500 years, for all we know!
However, one of the good things to have come out of the late era of Spanish colonization is that many of the country’s more recognizable heritage structures–Intramuros should come to mind–were all finished right after the mid-1800s.
Of course, this is where the Guisi Lighthouse factors into the entire equation: it was finished in 1896, the year where the embers of the Philippine revolution were beginning to burn. Hey, at least the island got a nice souvenir out of it when the Spanish already left the country!
Guisi has the third oldest lighthouse in the entire country
Sure, Guisi Lighthouse may look old, but there are certainly similar structures that are more older than that! The Pasig River Lighthouse, for instance, was completed in 1846–an exact fifty-year difference between its completion and Guisi’s. However, unlike Guisi, the lighthouse at the Pasig River had been demolished in 1992 for reasons that are not known to the public, and it was replaced with a more utilitarian-looking one later on. Sure, Guisi Lighthouse may be crumbling now, but at least it still stands sturdily even to this day. Speaking of which…
The new lighthouse of Guisi is just adjacent to the old one
By all instances, the old Guisi Lighthouse should be irrelevant now because of modern technology. However, what anyone did not count on back in its original construction is that the area around the lighthouse has proven to be a great vantage spot for guiding people to safety more than a century after its construction.
Indeed, this is why the “updated” lighthouse has been constructed adjacent to the old one; if anything, it proves that the remnants of the past can coexist with modernity in this day and age!
So, who says Guimaras island resorts are the only thing you can see there? If you peel your eyes open enough, you would discover that there are a lot of stuff to discover in this pristine island! Hope you get to seeing yours!
