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The Parola of Pasig (Pasig River Lighthouse)

Pasig River Lighthouse (Faro de Rio de Pasig)

I find lighthouses romantic, emitting radiant light to guide fishermen, sailors and ordinary beings, acting as lonely sentinels of the sea.

On the tour with Ambeth Ocampo, we caught sight of this landmark dating back to 1642, the oldest in the Philippines and built by the Spaniards, on the north side of the entrance of Pasig River.

Built using gray stone and standing fifteen meters in height, the original structure was demolished, sadly, in 1992 and replaced with the present one said to be architecturally inferior to the original.

managed to include two naked boys swimming using styropor flotation devices

Note that the Parola also refers to the impoverished community in Tondo where the lighthouse is located. A Philippine Coast Guard station is nearby who maintains the place.

Have you been to a lighthouse? I managed to also visit the solar-powered lighthouse in Capones Island in San Antonio, Zambales but missed Cape Bojeador in the Ilocos when I made the Ilocandia tour a few years back. A reason for me to re-visit that part of the world.

I wonder how the famous, no longer extant, lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, looked like.

Related Pasig River Posts:

Pasig River Cruise,
Pasig River Structures,
People of Pasig,
Bridges of Pasig River.

Other Philippine Lighthouses on this site:

Faro de Punta Capones (Capones Lighthouse)
Faro de Isla Corrigedor (Corregidor Lighthouse)
Lighthouse at the Greenery in Baliwag, Bulacan

Labels: Lighthouses, Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Pasig River, Rivers

posted by backpacking philippines @ 8:48 PM,

24 Comments:

At Feb 5, 2007 1:45:00 PM, kyels said...: I like the first photo. Very, very nostalgic.

(:
At Feb 6, 2007 12:23:00 AM, cruise said...: may lighthouse sa olonggapo at camiguin na akong nakita. pero nakakainis meron pala maganda sa pasig na hanggang ngayon di ko pa nakikita, buti nalang pi-nost mo :) sana mabisita ko rin yan. malapit kila ferdz.
At Feb 6, 2007 7:23:00 AM, Senor Enrique said...: Haven't heard of nor seen this. Interesting, Tito!
At Feb 6, 2007 12:07:00 PM, rhodora said...: There is also a lighthouse in Cape Bolinao, Pangasinan, my home province. Haven't been there though, hopefully this summer. Come to think of it, there are so many places which are only under our noses, but we take for granted, until we see them in photos - "Ay, ang ganda pala dito!"
At Feb 6, 2007 4:41:00 PM, Connie said...: A lighthouse in Manila? Wow, who would have known...
At Feb 6, 2007 4:47:00 PM, lino said...: sa may pasig ba mismo to? ang part lang ng pasig river na nasisilayan ko eh yungsa may post office at ayala bridge... san banda to? nice photo by the way...
At Feb 6, 2007 6:00:00 PM, paetechie said...: kyels, nostalgic and romantic much more the old-fashioned ones, not the new solar-powered farolas

cruise, it's at the entrance of Pasig river in Manila near the ghettoes and far from Ferdz. I was riding a ferry that's why I was able to get the picture

Eric, yup heard of this one before but only now that I've seen it with my own eyes.

rhodora, definitely right under our noses. That lighhouse, the original one, was the first one built byt the "white men" who came to our shores

connie, thanks for dropping by :)

lino, opposite the ghetto of Baseco at the mouth of the Pasig river from Manila Bay.

There's another old, historic lighthouse at the other end of Pasig River connecting to Laguna de Bay. Will try to locate it. Heard it's in Napindan, Taguig.
At Feb 7, 2007 11:26:00 PM, Travelling Soldier said...: This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At Feb 8, 2007 12:00:00 AM, bingskee said...: i find it eccentric to see lighthouses as romantic. i have to see one maybe. for me, these structures depict melancholy. it feels so alone.
At Feb 8, 2007 12:11:00 AM, christine said...: Wow. First of all, beautiful blog with breathtaking photos! Second, a lighthouse by the Pasig river? I love lighthouses, how could I not have known of this! Thank you for showing it to us. :)
At Feb 9, 2007 11:35:00 AM, the amateur misanthrope said...: Is the cruise available for everybody else? I guess not, pero sana pwede.
At Feb 10, 2007 9:50:00 AM, paetechie said...: travelling soldier,

thanks for dropping by. Love photoblogs giving me a peek at other people's culture

Bingskee,

viewing lighthouses as such is just another facet of my eccentricity. I prefer the old style of lighthouses with fire and not solar-powered ones but they can only be seen in the movies nowadays.

christine,

thanks for dropping by. let's also exchange links

amateur misantrope,

the cruise was only held twice and no follow-up event by the Ayala Museum. I heard though that it's the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission who's holding this event regularly under the radar of most of us.
At Feb 17, 2007 1:38:00 PM, manolo said...: If ever there are people out there who are interested about lighthouses in the country you may want to get hold of the book "Lonely Sentinels of the Sea: the Spanish Colonial Lighthouses in the Philippines" it documents 23 lighthouses around the country. There is also an exhibit pertaining to this which is touring various schools and institutions around Manila. If anyone is interested in having this exhibit too, let me know.

Manolo
At Feb 18, 2007 2:39:00 PM, paetechie said...: manolo,

yes, i once saw your book at Fullybooked in Cubao once and scanned the pages.

too bad i heard about the exibit a bit late :(
At Jul 26, 2007 12:33:00 PM, BraveHeart said...: been to Capo Bojeador and it's great. Mang Vic, the Lighthouse keeper tells me that the structure is the same with the one in Capo Merville, the southwesternmost lighthouse (Palawan). Capo Engaño is already dilapidated but im glad i visited it when i was a kid (12 years ago) i had pictures pa. hehehe.

Checklist: Calatagan and Capones.

Paetechie, how's the quest for el Parola de Napindan going?
At Jul 26, 2007 12:36:00 PM, BraveHeart said...: there is this book: ANGELS an STONES. It documents the building of Capo Bojeador since its was the Agustinian Friars who "built" it.

The book is present in Agustinian school libraries (CSA makati).

Again, Manong Vic (Junior) introduced the book to me.
At Jul 26, 2007 1:24:00 PM, paetechie said...: braveheart, like the name :)
planning to visit Calatagan and Bolinao lighthouses someday. The Napindan one I will try to visit once the Pasig River Ferry station in Napindan, Taguig is finished.
At Jul 4, 2008 5:54:00 PM, IO Ramos said...: Is this place open to the public? Can it be rented out for a photography demo?
At Jul 5, 2008 8:19:00 PM, tutubi philippines said...: io ramos, i don't know. btter ask the phil coast guard for they're the ones maintaining the place. it's near squatters colony, btw
At Jan 19, 2009 4:56:00 PM, passionate lightwriter said...: I plan to visit to produce my own coffee book table of different lighthouses this year. So far last year I've been to Capones Lgihthouse in Zambales, Cape Bolinao in Pangasinan and Cape Bojeador in Ilocos. Hope to visit this one in Pasig and the one in Corregidor this quarter. wish me luck :)
At Jan 19, 2009 9:34:00 PM, backpacking philippines said...: passionate lightwriter, care if i tag along? :P
At Jan 28, 2009 2:04:00 PM, passionate lightwriter said...: you can tag along if u want :)anyway would you know where's this lighthouse located exactly and how to go there. i've been trying to figure it out. drop me a message at my site if you can.
At Jan 29, 2009 9:37:00 PM, backpacking philippines said...: passionate lightwriter, it's within the compound of the Philippine Coastguard so you might need permission from them to shoot...note also the ghetto nearby
At Feb 14, 2010 11:17:00 AM, deansoca said...: hello, am about to begin my "pilgrimage" to philippine lighthouses, too. would be nice if i can join any group or anyone who is planning to visit the NCR ones soon. thanks a lot! :)