BALUARTE WATCH TOWER

The Baluarte Watch Tower is a historic coastal watchtower located in Luna. Likely built in the late 16th or early 17th century (possibly around 1690 when Namacpacan—now Luna—was founded), it served as an early warning post to spot approaching ships and alert local authorities.

Today, only the lower part of the tower remains—a roughly 5.6-meter-high cylindrical brick structure. About 80% of it was destroyed by Typhoon Lando in 2015, but the damaged sections were later reconstructed by the municipality. A portion of the original wall still survives on the northwest side. The tower was built from durable materials such as adobe, bricks, and coral blocks bonded with egg-and-lime mortar. Inside, small holes in the walls indicate where wooden beams once supported interior floors that no longer exist.