Backpacking Philippines: Manila: Parola of Pasig (Pasig River Lighthouse)

Manila: 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, Rivers

posted by GingGoy @ 8:48 PM,

26 Comments:

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

(:
At Feb 6, 2007, 12:23:00 AM, Anonymous 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, Señor Enrique said...: Haven't heard of nor seen this. Interesting, Tito!
At Feb 6, 2007, 12:07:00 PM, Anonymous 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, Anonymous said...: A lighthouse in Manila? Wow, who would have known...
At Feb 6, 2007, 4:47:00 PM, Anonymous 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, GingGoy 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, Gypsy@Work said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At Feb 8, 2007, 12:00:00 AM, Anonymous 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 ear said...: Is the cruise available for everybody else? I guess not, pero sana pwede.
At Feb 10, 2007, 9:50:00 AM, GingGoy 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 18, 2007, 2:39:00 PM, GingGoy 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, Anonymous 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, Anonymous 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, GingGoy 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, Anonymous 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, GingGoy said...: passionate lightwriter, care if i tag along? :P
At Jan 28, 2009, 2:04:00 PM, Anonymous 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, GingGoy 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! :)
At Apr 26, 2011, 1:25:00 AM, Thunderbird Poro Point Casino said...: I'm not familiar with the location of that Pasig river lighthouse. But I want to see it and take some photos on it. This is to compile the old Pasig River into latest images of the said river.
At Sep 10, 2013, 1:57:00 PM, Keeping Traces of Melay Palaboy said...: Lighthouses are among the places that are meaningful to visit. It feels like they have so many stories of long ago to tell. Just like Bingskee, for me their sight feels so melancholic.... Thanks for this post. I'm from Taguig and currently I am finding ways on how to locate the Napindan Lighthouse, that's why I stumbled upon your post. It should not be far from where I live because we're in the same town - Tipas, Taguig City. I hope to see it this month and feature it in an article.

In our blog, we featured one of the oldest lighthouses in our country.... Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.....

http://keepingtraces.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-lonely-sentinel-of-burgos-cape.html
At Jul 16, 2014, 12:22:00 AM, Gwen said...: nice

Manila: Parola of Pasig (Pasig River Lighthouse)

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