BALTAZAR'S LIGHTHOUSE FOR TABLAS NAVIGATORS

In the early 1900's the Americans built a lighthouse and a building made of hardwood on the island of Baltazar. The tower has long been destroyed by numerous typhoons that battered the island over time. It was replaced by a new one built in the 1980s under a grant from JICA. The wooden structure on this island occupied by a watch (in photos) may well be the oldest American-built standing structure in all of Marinduque.

The three islands used to be called "Los Tres Reyes" under the Spanish regime, but many natives,particularly in Gasan still call them by their local names, Laki (Gaspar), Man-nga (Melchor) and Pangikog (Baltazar). The solar-powered lighthouse is an important navigational aid to maritime vessels traversing Tablas Strait that separates the islands of Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon with Panay islands.

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