Tourist spots
Gen. Douglas MacArthur Landing Memorial
Location: Red Beach, Palo, Leyte; can be reached by public transport or private vehicle
Description: Spacious parking space; garden with a variety of Philippine flowers and shrubs; beautiful landscaping
Attraction: Monument marking the spot where General MacArthur landed with the Liberation Forces; lagoon where the statues of the liberators stand 1.5 times bigger than life-size; beautiful beach; Leyte Gulf and Samar Island; 50th Leyte Landing Anniversary Commemorative Rock Garden.
Palo Metropolitan Cathedral
Location: Palo, Leyte; 12 kms. from Tacloban City.
Description: Catholic Church; landscaped grounds; gold-plated altar and stations of the cross carved by local artist.
Attraction: Converted into an evacuation hospital of the Allied Forces of Liberation and refuge of civilians during World War II. Founded in 1596 by Augustinian friars; view of the famous Hill 522 overlooking Palo.
Hill 522
Commonly called Guinhangdan Hill, from the root word: "hangad" which means to look upward (522 ft. up), was the entrance to the first liberated town of Palo in 1944 after having been heavily bombarded to destroy the garrisons built by the Japanese artillery units; foxholes built by the Japanese still exist; memorial marker built by Mie Prefecture. Fierce fighting for the control of this strategic hill lasted two days (Oct. 20-21, 1944) and cost the lives of about 50 Japanese soldiers and at least three American soldiers.
Guinhangdan Hill is located near the Bangon River, where the La Purisima Shrine is built. The shrine was constructed in 1887 by the Spaniards to dispel evil spirits which people believed to be the cause of many accidents and deaths on the premises. Hill 522 provides a scenic view of Leyte Gulf, with the southwestern part of Samar Island across the sea, and the northeastern part of Leyte. It has also provided solemn moments for reflection by the study tour participants.
< The Oriental Hotel – Leyte: A sneak preview
This seems to be the battle-cry of everybody working at “The Oriental Hotel – Leyte” – the new hotel taking shape at the former site of the MacArthur Beach Resort at Red Beach, Palo, Leyte – when we visited the site today, December 15 for a first hand view of the project.
Singaporean-backed conglomerate LKY Property Holdings is rushing construction of its P300-million resort hotel; its soft opening has been set before the end of the year. See more...
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Created By Rhalf E. Aldas