After breakfast at the Filamor Residence, Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I, together with Manny, Paula, Mark, Nenette, Daddy, Mommy and Cheska’s new friend Kookie Bal left for our tour of Tacloban City. We secured the services of a guide and a van at the Department of Tourism Region 8 office. Our first destination was to be the San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country as well as Southeast Asia. At the foot of the San Juanico Bridge is the 15-hectare, Japanese-funded multi-million peso National Maritime Polytechnic, a merchant marine training school and the most modern graduate institution for seamen in Asia.
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| Posing along the San Juanico Bridge |
We finally made our way midway up the bridge and made a short stopover. Here, we had a panoramic view of the San Juanico Strait, located between the islands of Leyte and Samar. It is considered the narrowest but most navigable strait in the world. The strait has a number of beautiful islets. The San Juanico Bridge, which crosses this strait, is also called the Marcos Bridge. Inaugurated on July 2, 1973 and located 10 kms. from Tacloban City, it is a major link in the 3,000-km. Pan-Philippine Highway.
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| San Juanico Strait |
This impressive S-shaped bridge, said to be the most beautifully designed bridge in the country, is 2,162.4 m. (7,092 ft.) long, 10.62 m. wide with 43 spans and towers 41 m. above the sea at its highest point. The S-shaped structure on the Samar side had to be adopted to make use of the importance of the existing islet, the Cabalauan islet that lies in the middle of the strait. This islet serves as resting point and provides added support to the massive structure soaring over the swift currents of the strait.