Leyte

After the sighting of the island of Samar, Magellan landed on the small island of Homonhon at the mouth of the Leyte Gulf. There he made a blood compact with Rajah Kolambu and held the First Mass in Philippine soil. Jesuit missionaries established Catholic mission in Leyte towards the end of the 16th century although there were revolts in 1622 and 1649 against Catholicism in an attempt to restore the old ways. The latter revolt was in sympathy of a revolt that broke out in Samar. Leyte and Samar were part of the old Cebu province until 1735 and then existed as a single province until they were separated in 1768. In more recent times, the old Leyte province has been divided into Leyte, Southern Leyte and Biliran. In World War II, Leyte was the scene of one of the largest naval battles - The Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Dulag Palo Tacloban City Tolosa

Dulag

Dulag is one of the oldest towns in Leyte, dating back to 1595. Under Spanish rule, the first school and hospital in Leyte were established in Dulag. It was one of the first towns liberated by the Americans during World War II. It was also in Dulag that the US flag was first raised during the liberation.

Hill 120 (Catmon Hill)

At the top of Hill 120, commonly called Catmon Hill, where the US flag was first raised by liberation forces on October 20, 1944, since the fall of Bataan.

A view of Leyte Gulf taken from the top of Hill 120.

Palo

It is believed that settlement of the area now called Palo began in the 10th and 13th centuries and more settlements in the area emerged from the 14th to the 16th century. In the 16th century, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi named the settlements Palo. Palo became the province capital of Leyte three times; in 1768, 1886 and finally 1898-1901 under the Aguinaldo revolutionary government. Palo was the first town liberated from the Japanese in World War II with the landing of MacArthur and the American liberation forces on October 20, 1944, at Red Beach.

Palo Cathedral

During the liberation in World War II, Palo Cathedral was converted into an evacuation hospital and a place of refuge for civilians.

A brief history of Palo Cathedral. Constructed as a church in 1596 and proclaimed a cathedral in 1938.

An interesting feature of Palo Cathedral is the glass tower situated towards the rear of the cathedral grounds.

MacArthur Park

The MacArthur Park in Red Beach where Douglas MacArthur landed with the American liberation forces in 1944.

The right plaque titled Proclamation is MacArthur's promise to return to the Philippines. The left plaque is titled A Memorial for a Fulfilled Promise.

Directly behind the two plaques are MacArthur's footprints from the Leyte landing.

The General Douglas Macarthur Landing Memorial. The statues are 1.5 times larger than life size and stand in a pool.

General Douglas MacArthur accompanied by President Sergio Osmeņa, stepped ashore on Leyte on October 20, 1944.

For the 50th anniversary of the Leyte Landing, the commemorative Rock Garden of Peace and this monument within were built.

Tacloban City

Tacloban City was originally called Kankabatok, meaning Kabatok's property, after the first inhabitant of the area. It was under the administration of Palo by the end of the 16th century. The Agustinians discovered the area in 1770 and the Franciscans arrived in 1813. It is during this time that Tacloban got its present name. Native fishermen used a bamboo contraption called Taklub, for catching crabs, shrimps or fish. When the fisherman asked where they were going, they would reply Tarakluban, meaning the place they went to use their bamboo contraptions to catch the fish, etc. The area then became known as Tarakluban and later Tacloban. It is believed Tacloban became a municipality in 1770 although the exact date isn't known as the relevant records were destroyed in a typhoon. It became the province capital of Leyte on February 26, 1830, and a chartered city on June 12, 1952. The Japanese forces arrived in Tacloban City on May 25, 1942, however, the city was one of the first places liberated on October 20, 1944. Three days later, Tacloban City became temporary seat of the Commonwealth government during the liberation. General Douglas MacArthur made a final visit on January 8, 1960.

San Juanico Strait and San Juanico Bridge

The San Juanico Bridge (also known as the Marcos Bridge) is currently the longest bridge in the Philippines at approximately 2 kilometres in length.

The San Juanico Bridge is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway which runs from Laoag City to Zamboanga City. However, there are two points on the highway which are crossed by ferry.

Constructed during the Marcos regime, the bridge spans the San Juanico Strait which lies between the islands of Leyte and Samar.

SOS Children's Village

SOS Children's Village is a welfare organisation devoted to the rights and needs of orphaned, abandoned and destitute children.

Some of the older (and a younger) children at SOS Children's Village in Tacloban City and one of the ladies who helps look after the children.

Santo Niņo Shrine and Heritage Museum

The Santo Niņo Shrine, one of the 29 presidential rest houses that the late President Ferdinand Marcos had built. There is an Olympic sized swimming pool the behind the building.

The entrance to the Santo Niņo Shrine. The Santo Niņo is at the far end of the entrance. On both sides are a number of guest rooms with various themes.

Santo Niņo, a representation of the infant Jesus Christ, is the patron saint of Leyte.

One of the 13 guest rooms in the Santo Niņo Shrine. The theme is Ifugao for this guest room.

The staircase to the upper floor of the Santo Niņo Shrine. A family tree of the Romualdez family hangs over the staircase.

The Romualdez Family Tree. The Romualdez family was a powerful and influential family in the Philippines.

A sitting area overlooking the staircase. There are numerous items, including vases and a piano in this area.

The room behind this sitting area has a table to seat 20 people. The room downstairs directly below it can seat 30 people.

To the front of the upstairs of the Santo Niņo Shrine is this large ballroom with seated tables at both sides of the room.

This is the bedroom where Ferdinand Marcos would stay. There is an adjoining bedroom which is where his bodyguard would stay.

This desk was used by Ferdinand Marcos in his bedroom. Note the framed pictures of the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos on the desk.

This large spacious bedroom is where Imelda Marcos would stay. Her many hundreds of pairs of shoes became a world wide symbol of excess.

From Imelda Marcos' bedroom there is this large bathroom with a separate dressing room beyond.

There are other bedrooms for each of the Marcoses three children. This bedroom was used by one of the daughters. It is decorated in an English theme.

Tolosa

Tolosa was founded as an independent town from Tanauan in 1861.The most famous part of the town is Olot, the birthplace of Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Olot

In Olot, there is a high wall that surrounds a large area of land. This is the former home and birthplace of Imelda Marcos.

The estate has since been taken over by the government. It now serves as a beach club with guest rooms.

This was once a private beach belonging to the estate. The walls surrounding the estate were built to keep out the regular residents of Olot who used to walk freely around the area.

This Romualdez estate was tiny before the Marcoses came to power and local residents could roam freely then. Within the estate is a golf course which gives some idea to the size of the estate.