Restoration Program of the Cape Santiago Lighthouse in Batangas, Philippines: Inputs to A Proposed Preservation Plan

In the Philippines, the importance of lighthouses as aids to navigation has been the concern of maritime administration and the local government. The primordial significance of the lighthouse is to alert sea goers nearby, as well as to provide landmark navigation. One of the lighthouses is the century-old Cape Santiago Lighthouse, which is an imposing 51-foot white and red brick built in December 15, 1890 that monitors the Verde Island Passage. For over one century, the lighthouse survived natural calamities like typhoon and earthquakes. (Reyes, 2014) This historic landmark is prone to deterioration due to their rocky and uphill location near the sea, severe storms, and continued rise of the water during high tide. To preserve its structure and serves its primary purpose, a Restoration Program has been done through detailed examination, cleaning, repair, and in-kind replacement of worn-out materials. Thus, this study aimed to assess the Restoration Program in Cape Santiago Lighthouse in order to provide possible inputs to a Proposed Preservation Plan. This study used the descriptive method of research to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. The characteristics used to describe the situation or a population is usually some kind of categorical scheme also known as descriptive categories. (Cornell, Mendoza, and Bolotaolo, 2014). This study employed convenience sampling in the selection of community residents since it involves choosing the nearest individuals to serve as respondents and continuing that, process until the required sample size has been obtained or those who happen to be available and accessible at the time while purposive sampling was utilized in the selection of employees from the Local Government Unit-Tourism Office and National Historical Commission of the Philippines in order to access ”knowledgeable people who have in-depth knowledge about particular issues. ( Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2007)The respondents of the study were selected forty (40) Community Residents, ten (10) Local Government Unit- Tourism Office Employees and five (5) Employees of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. They are classified according to age, gender, civil status, and educational attainment. A researcher-made questionnaire was used in order to get the needed data for the study. Data gathered were tabulated, presented and analyzed to come up with the findings. Results of the study revealed that, the Restoration Program of Cape Santiago Lighthouse was rated “very good” in terms of preventive maintenance, cleanliness, repair, and combining old and new materials; no significant difference existed as to assessment of the selected groups of respondents; there were problems encountered in its restoration program, and finally, a Proposed Preservation Plan was developed based from the findings of the study and rated highly acceptable by the selected groups of respondents. Based from the results, the conclusions are the Restoration Program of the Cape Santiago Lighthouse in Batangas, Philippines was rated good in terms of preventive maintenance, cleanliness, repair, and combining old and new materials in the restoration process; the respondents shared the same assessment as to the Restoration Program of the Cape Santiago Lighthouse; there were certain problems encountered as assessed by the three groups of respondents; and a ProposedPreservation Plan was developed to maintain its primary purpose and historical landmark as one of the cultural heritages in the Province of Batangas, Philippines. The Plan shall concentrate on the Exterior of the Lighthouse such as Ground, Coatings (Paints, Stucco, Iron,), Masonry (Cleaning of the Masonry), and Wood while the Interior such as Lantern, and Lens.