STO NINO SHRINE MUSEUM

TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES

Who says you could only find castles and dream rooms in EUROPE?

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

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

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


It is located in Real Street, Tacloban City. Paintings of the 14 stations of the Cross done by Filipino artists, wooden bas-relief of the legend of the First Filipino man-woman (Si Malakas at si Maganda); tastefully decorated guestrooms of varied Filipino motifs; image of the Holy Child; a collection of original paintings by Fernando Amorsolo; spacious ballroom; priceless. collector's.

some of the must see things inside are the antiques which was brought from different places. the mirrors, the statues, the furnitures, chandeliers, and the paintings.

13-room first floor has different unique themes that is on both sides and on the center is the

MACARTHUR PARK LEYTE GULF LANDING

PALO LEYTE, PHILIPPINES

Today we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the “MacArthur Leyte Landing”.

October 20, 1944: After weeks of heavy bombardment executed by American fighter planes and battle ships on the Leyte beach shores against the defending Japanese forces, the Sixth Army regiment of the combined USAFFE forces arrived at Red Beach in Palo, Leyte. By 1 PM, the combined Allied forces have established enough foothold around the beach area as well as the outskirts and terrains of Palo and Tacloban against the Japanese resistance. With a secured beachhead, the coast was cleared for the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur as he fulfilled his promise to liberate the Filipino people – in his own words, “I Shall Return”.

LAND MACARTHUR

The personalities that accompanied General MacArthur on his dramatic return on the Leyte shore were President Sergio Osmeña, General Carlos P. Romulo, Major General Basilio J. Valdes, and other key officers of USAFFE and the combined Allied liberating forces. After they arrived at around 1:30 PM, MacArthur addressed the following statement and was broadcasted nationwide via radio – “People of the Philippines, I have returned! By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil.”

The return of General MacArthur in Leyte was a turning point of the Philippine liberation campaign during the Second World War primarily because it marked the first decisive win of

THE LEYTE PARK RESORT HOTEL

TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES

Built by former First Lady, Imelda Marcos in 1979, the hotel closed for 3 years until 1994 when it reopened following renovation and refurbishing. The Resort is now a major tourism and convention complex with its 6-hectare parkland nestled on a hill overlooking beautiful San Pedro Bay. It exudes the distinctive luxury of a hotel and the ambiance of a resort.

Leyte Park Resort Hotel offers the Discovery of various eco-tourism based tour activities anchored on its marine and terrestrial beauties, that covers a wide range of destinations from "islands to highland".
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LOCATION

The Leyte Park Resort Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Tacloban City, 55 minutes from Manila by plane.

Road Directions/How to get to Leyte Park Resort Hotel
From Sumulong Highway facing East going to Cainta, turn left at Balanti bypass road, then left at Katipunan and right at Pio del Pilar.
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GUIUAN'S TREASURE CHEST, NATURAL WONDERS

GUIUAN EASTERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

 

THE 16TH CENTURY church of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, and its belfry.

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar—Perhaps no other place in Eastern Visayas has been endowed with so much tourist attractions than the ancient town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar. Not only is it rich in history and culture but it also boasts of many natural wonders.

Thus, when Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim visited the province last month, he was impressed by what he saw in Guiuan: “a long white beach which can rival other beaches in the Philippines.” It has all the elements of a tourist come-on, he added.

Among Guiuan’s “treasures” is the 16th-century Immaculate Conception Church at the town proper. Originally made of wood, the structure was rebuilt by the priests and natives using stones after it was razed by fire.

It is within a 42-square-meter fortress, its corners mounted with artillery.

At that time, it was “the best and most regularly planned in all the Visayas” and that it “exceeds in grandeur the celebrated fort in Zamboanga.” But with the passage of time, the walls were destroyed.

Most of the church, including its belfry is still preserved, however.

National treasure

SHELL embellishment can be seen inside the baptistry of the church. 

According to Prof. Eric Zerrudo, an expert on cultural heritage and museum development, the Guiuan church has been declared a “national treasure church”—one of only 26 in the country.

“Guiuan, had there been a chance, should have been catapulted to a world heritage level. Why? It has a very high authenticity. Everything here is original. Everything has been left intact; (only) very few interventions,” Zerrudo says.

The church has a main altar and two altars along the nave. One has a retablo built by the Franciscans while the other has a rococo frontal built by the Augustinians.

Shell embellishments are seen in the baptistry, side altars, side windows and niches. Zerrudo

SAMAL ISLAND

DAVAO, PHILIPPINES

Samal island offers an unending fascination with its white-sand beaches, thick mangroves, coral reefs, rolling hills and rock formations. It is an archipelago of nine islands located in the Davao Gulf about 700 meters south of Davao City. An ideal model for resort and development, it provides a fabulous site for sunrise and sunset. Samal Island, like the rest of Mindanao, is outside the typhoon belt, and enjoys relatively calm weather. Its coastline is characterized by tall, swaying coconut trees, white-sand beaches, rock formations, mangroves, coral reefs, and small fishing villages — all suggestive of a tropical paradise.

Almost all of the beach areas have white sand, with widths varying from only a few meters to more than 10 meters. It provides ample space for picnic huts, reclining chairs for sun bathing, or for simply relaxing and enjoying the tropical scenery.

The water is crystal clear throughout the coastline, which varies in terrain from gently sloping sand beaches to steep cliffs and rock formations. The colors of the coastline at the beach areas transform itself from the green lush vegetation of coconut trees, to the white sandy beaches, to the dark blue color of the sea, with its deep waters and coral reefs.