Malabrigo Lighthouse

Last weekend, we braved conquering the road to Lobo, Batangas. We were invited by relatives to spend the weekend in a simple beach resort at Lobo. Little did we know how far this little town was. We were told that it would only took us three and a half hours to Lobo. On the contrary, we made it there in five hours – rest and food indulgence included. Mind you, we were only guided by Google maps. Thanks for the apps I have on my Android phone.

At first, we were happy when we reached Ibaan exit at the Star Tollway.We decided to stop by a Lomi House along the road because we thought we were almost near, not until the store owner told us we still have to drive for an hour an a half to reach the place.

And so we proceeded using my apps as guide, we head on to the mountainous part up to the rough and edged zigzag road. We were jesting about backing off  because with the long time we consumed along the way to Labo, we would have reached Baguio already.

We made it to Lobo town proper quarter to four and as we passed by each village, we were so happy when we saw the arch of Barangay Malabrigo and so we continued moving on until we reached the upward part of the road again. I said, we were lost, we passed by a lot of beach resorts yet we didn’t find the one we were looking for – El Bryan. And now we were heading up the mountain again.

While we were contacting our relatives, we suddenly saw a lighthouse beside the road. Out of curiosity, we went off the van and took a peek of the place. As if I found a pot of gold, I told my family that we reached a national historical site – Faro de Punta de Malabrigo!

According to Resolution Number 3 S. 2006, Faro de Punta de Malabrigo was declared as National Historical Landmark in November 27, 2006. It is designed by Guillermo Brockman as a cylindrical brick tower with metal staircase and built by Chinese contractor, Jose Garcia, 1896, during the Spanish colonial period.

All of us were tired, but this place made us feel more relaxed because the view of the lighthouse almost atop the mountain facing the blue sea was very astounding.

And then we got a call from our relatives instructing us to get back the road we traveled because they were waiting at the corner before the road sign to Malabrigo Lighthouse.