[3][4] Don Santiago Zobel, the rich landowner of Hacienda Bigaa in Calatagan, donated the one-hectare property where the lighthouse was constructed.

[3] Made of brick and lime cement, the red round structure is 15.5 metres (51 ft) tall and was modeled after Europe's medieval castles.

[8] During World War II, the lighthouse suffered minor damage after American warplanes strafed a Japanese garrison in the area.

On April 18, 1995, the PCG, then under Commodore Arturo Capada, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with former Batangas Governor and Resort Association of the Philippines Inc. (RAPI) president Jose Antonio Leviste to develop Cape Santiago into a tourism site.

RAPI reclaimed around 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft) of sea along the shoreline of the lighthouse, an action that was not part of the MOU, which only authorized the improvement of the existing building and development of the surrounding land area.