MANILA, Philippines - The Faro de Punta de Malabrigo in Lobo, Batangas has been guiding sailors, fishermen, ship pilots and navigators safely in and out of Manila for almost 116 years. It is one of the 24 lighthouses built in the Philippines during the Spanish Colonial period documented by Manuel Noche of the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture in his book, ?Lonely Sentinels of the Sea.? The lighthouse?s quiet grandeur commands a panoramic view of Balayan Bay and Mindoro Island from a hill at the Southern end of the province of Batangas. Completed in October 1892, the lighthouse guided ships as they navigated through the narrow Verde Island passage of the San Bernardino Strait and headed for Manila or the ports of Iloilo and Cebu. Through the centuries, mariners have seen it glowing beneath the moon and standing strong like a loyal sentry during raging storms and fierce sea battles, its light shining in the darkness as a symbol of hope and trust.

There are approximately 57 century-old Spanish lighthouses in the Philippines. Very few have been restored while the rest continue to fade and fend off rain, wind, vandals and, recently, also illegal film makers and unethical photographers. To address this problem, the Philippine Coast Guard administration launched the Adopt a Lighthouse Program in 2002, the country?s only maritime heritage program. This project aims to preserve the country?s remaining Spanish colonial lighthouses with the support of the private sector and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA). The PCGA is the biggest NGO in the Philippines and an organization with a deep sense of history and reverence for these colonial lighthouses. With their help, the scheme is not only geared toward arresting the deterioration of lighthouses nationwide and preserving their historical significance but also ensuring that they continue to serve their purpose.

In March 2004, Captain James Marsh Thomson and his daughter Akiko formally signed a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Coast Guard making them the official custodians of the Faro de Malabrigo for the next 25 years. Captain Thomson was later appointed to head the program. Through their example and effort, the family hopes to institute an awareness that will not only encourage people to care enough about the future of our century-old lighthouses but to help the public understand that they must comply with conditions and laws set by the Philippine Coast Guard when adopting or visiting a lighthouse.

The National Historical Institute (NHI) installed two cast iron NHI markers at the century-old Faro de Malabrigo Lighthouse on June 29, 2007, in recognition of its historical value and the need to protect it for future generations. It is an irreplaceable cultural resource, a living antiquity deserving of our respect. We?ve left our lighthouses in dismal states, forgetting how faithful they were in their service. With all the modern electronic navigational aids and urban development going on, one needs to think about the essential spirit of our lighthouses. It is said that lighthouses are one of man?s most altruistic inventions. For those who kept the light, the rewards were both intangible and invaluable: the satisfaction of service to their fellow men, the beauty of nature and the unspoken gratitude of every sea traveler. But these lighthouses are all on their way to extinction unless we move now to save and preserve them.

Here are excerpts from the picture chronicle ?Faro dela Punta de Malabrigo Fuerza y Serenidad de Una Gran Dama,? in which seven of the country?s best photographers (Johann Espiritu, Bahaghari, VJ Villafranca, Scott Tuason, Romeo Gacad, Bernard Mejias and Jaime Unson) pay homage to the beauty and dignity of a Philippine coastal monument and to the people who continue to make her a part of their lives.

The manuscript will be submitted for review to the Ateneo de Manila University Press.