FUN IN TACLOBAN - The City's Hidden Wealth - Part 2

Day 2 - Discovering Tacloban City's Hidden Wealth

We have gone to the countryside on our first day so we opted to spend the next day walking around the city. Again, with our Waray friends' help, we were able to visit the following historical places.

Leyte Provincial Capitol

Constructed in 1907, it became the temporary seat of the Philippine Commonwealth government when Pres. Osmeña landed at Palo with the American troops. Within the halls of this massive building, important strategies and decisions were formed leading to the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation. 
 

 

The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum

The house (OR PALACE) was built by Imelda Marcos as a Romualdez ancestral house but as in most things historical in this country, it has since fallen into a sad state of decay. The museum charges P250 for five persons and P30 for every person in excess of five. There is additional charge for the use of camera and video camera. Considering the vast collection of treasures given to the Marcos family during their 20-year in power, what a waste to see the government neglecting this part of history merely on the basis of its being a part of the Marcos memory.

Some of the wood furniture, including bed posts, religious images and the 32-seater dining table had been eaten by termites. The museum survives on the entrance fees, which are barely enough for the salary of the museum staff and payment of electricity bill. As it is, the museum is poorly lighted and maintenance of the whole place is clearly wanting.

Despite this, we were held in awe at the opulence this place once was and marveled at the value of every piece of foreign gift given to Imelda by such people as Mao Zedong.

MacArthur Landing Memorial Park in Palo, Leyte

Leyte abounds by historical sites where battles once took place along beach fronts and hilltops. Among these places is the McArthur Landing Memorial Park with larger than life bronze statues of the landing of the Allied Forces. Inside the park is the Stone Garden of Peace where world leaders have inscribed pledges of peace.

Other natural points of interests include The Philippine-Japan Commemorative Monument and Park and the Maria Kannon Madonna of Peace Shrine. The scenic San Pedro Bay is also worth visiting.

FUN IN TACLOBAN - That Bridge That Links Leyte and Samar - Part 1

Taking advantage of a a treat by my balikbayan nephew, I was able to convince him to go to Tacloban City in what we planned to be a nature and heritage trip to historical places in Leyte. And it was a pleasant surprise to find out how interesting and pleasurable this trip could be.

Day 1 - See the very famous San Juanico Bridge

Together with my nephews Nomer and Jay, we took the earliest flight to Tacloban City from Manila. We arrived at the Daniel Romualdez Airport shortly after sunrise. We wanted to maximize our time so we called everyone we knew on our way to the city proper to take us to interesting places in Tacloban City .

We checked in at the Hotel La Rica (Php 1,200 - twin bed good for three to four) along Zamora St. adjacent to the city market and the pier.

Our friendly Waray friends have managed to lend us a van to roam in and out of the city.

First in our list is the San Juanico Bridge, the longest in the country. The 2.16-km bridge is convincingly one of the most beautiful bridges in the country. Sadly, police have banned picture taking along the bridge so one has to get off at either end of the bridge if one wishes to have a souvenir shot.

Upon crossing from Leyte to Samar via San Juanico Bridge, the search for a good beachfront begins. We ended up in a beach in Kaluwayan. The sand may look like mud but the beach, being dotted with islands, offers a breathtaking view. Kaluwayan Resort has facilities for overnight stay and other outdoor activities such as boating and mountain climbing.