Faro de Sibulac-Babac de Gigantes, or
commonly known as Isla De Gigantes Lighthouse, is located in Carles, Iloilo. It is primarily
built to assist ships entering the Visayan Sea going to Port of Iloilo. It was
made operational in August 1895.
The design and specifications of Faro de
Sibulac-Babac de Gigantes was similar to those of Faro De Punta Luzaran, Faro
De Islas Calabazas, Luz Del Puerto De San Fernando,Luz De Isla Bagatao and FaroDe Islote Siete Pecados, which towers were made of metals and manufactured in
France. These towers, however, are called tourelle.
The original tourelle tower of this
lighthouse is nowhere in sight but the foundation where it used to stand is
still intact. Currently, a new aluminum tower manufactured in Japan was
installed next to the original location of the old tower.
Islas De Gigantes, a group of islands located
in Carles, Iloilo, is now becoming a major tourist destination in northern Panay
but would not beat the popularity of Boracay, of course. The islands are
accessible from Port Of Estancia, which is a two hour bus ride from Roxas City
in Capiz. As of this writing, only one boat is scheduled daily to transport
everyone and everything (personal supplies, construction materials, fresh
catch, almost everything) to Islas De Gigantes. Boat leaves Estancia at exactly
2:00pm for Gigantes Norte and arrives at 4:00pm.
Once you reach the island, several tour
guides are waiting to take you to the resorts – well, most of them are hired
guides of Gigantes Hideaway Resort. I opted to stay here since this is the
cheapest and most accessible from the pier, since I only intended to visit the
lighthouse and stay for one night. But if one had the luxury of time, I would
choose other beach resorts available in the island even if it means it would
cost me more.
It was almost 5:00 pm when the boat finally
reached Gigantes. Immediately hired Junjun to be my official guide, checked in
and went to the lighthouse in no time all before it gets dark. He offered me to
go caving and island hopping the next day – but as I have said, I don’t have
that luxury of time to spend.
My wish to be alone with the lighthouse never transpired, as everyone in that boat also went to the lighthouse and climbed the top of the tower to witness what they consider a romantic sunset. Romantic indeed, but I wished they didn’t acted as lighthouse photo bombers. I waited for them to step down but to no avail - therefore I was not able to get a perfect shot of the lighthouse.
It was most probable that these tourists went to Gigantes Lighthouse mainly because it is part of the tour package the guides are offering, in addition to caving and island hopping. Other than gazing at the sunset on top of the lighthouse, learning about the significance this magnificent historical structure is most likely not part of their itinerary,
Overall, I was happy I was able to explore this remote part of the Panay Island, but with a little bit of frustration on how less seriously the people in this island work to preserve the historical value of the lighthouse.
Updates: Islas De Gigantes August 2017
I went to Islas De Gigantes for the second time, this time taking the what I think is the shorter route to the islands. With some assistance from people I met during my last visit in Manigonigo Island, Ms. Vema and her son JR, I was able to return to Islas De Gigantes on my own pace and time.
The lighthouse has been partially renovated. The roof and ceilings were added, the floors, even some of the old windows were fixed and restored. The metal tower, which was popular to tourist for catching the sunset in the island, is now closed for visitors. For me it is a good thing, as these people would go up just to watch the sunset and block the photographer's view of the entire structure, not mindful of the lighthouse's significance and relevance. Nevertheless, it was a delight to see the lighthouse again in its better condition now.
The accommodation, transportation and the entire tour was arranged by Joed Secorata (09304663302/09163804279), my official island tour guide for this trip. Aside from the lighthouse, I was able to visit and enjoy the waters in some of the islets composing Islas De Gigantes - they are the Pulupandan, Cabugay Gamay, and the Bantigue Sandbar.
