Category Archives: Leyte

Lake Danao Natural Park (Ormoc City, Leyte)

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From Kananga, we again boarded the AUV for the 2,193-hectare Lake Danao Natural Park.  Declared as such on June 2, 1972, this outstanding trekking area is part of the 40-km. Leyte Mountain Trail which starts from the 365-hectare Mahagnao National Park (established in 1937), between Burauen and La Paz, to Lake Danao and Tongonan National Park.  The trek offers a rain forest tour, beautiful Lakes Mahagnao, Malagsum, Kasudsuran and Danao, the spectacular Guinaniban Falls and breathtaking views of the mountains, forest, plains and the islands of Samar and Leyte from the crest of the central Amandiwing Mountain Range with its near-virginal tropical rainforest.

Lake Danao

Located 25 kms. from Tacloban City and 15 kms. (a 30-min. drive) northeast of Ormoc City, the violin-shaped, 148-hectare Lake Danao, formerly called Lake Imelda, is situated at an elevation of 1,600 ft. above sea level and is hemmed in by the cloud-capped Amandiwing mountain range.  Considered to be one of the most beautiful and cleanest lakes in the country, it is 3 kms. long, 200 m. deep and has a cool and invigorating climate.  We parked our vehicle near the Ranger Station and went up the nearby wooden viewing tower for a beautiful view of the lake.

We were greeted by Mr. Antonio Elias, station utility man, who offered to row me and Jandy in his small banca to the middle of the lake.  Upon our return, we paid a visit to the lone ranger (any similarity to a fictional character is purely coincidental) assigned to the station, Mr. Quinciano C. Abiertas, Jr., who gave us additional information about the lake.

Me and Jandy at the viewing tower

The lake is home to giant and native tilapia, shrimp (awang), mudfish (bul-a), shellfish (kaykay and taab) and is also said to be the habitat for giant eels  (igat or kasili).  The 2,045-hectare surrounding cloud-capped mountains has a dense secondary rain forest and a mossy forest on top.  It is planted with narra, agoho, lauan, nato and gmelina trees plus wild ferns, pitcher plants and wild orchids.  It is also home to much wildlife including monkeys, wild pigs (baboy damo), monitor lizards (bayawak), deer and iguanas (ibid).  Birds include wild chicken, hornbill, kingfisher, hanging parakeet, parrots, serpent eagle, kite eagle and wild ducks.  The park is ideal for swimming (near the river’s mouth), picnicking, hiking and horseback riding.  Hunting is prohibited but can hardly be enforced due to Mr. Abiertas’ lack of personnel. Kaingin (slash and burn) farming is also a problem.  The lake can be reached by jeepneys from Ormoc City’s jetty.

The Pineapples of Kananga (Leyte)

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The following day, Jandy and I woke up at 7 A.M..  Mr. Roy Perez, a medical representative of Astra Zeneca and an Ormoc resident,  picked us up at 9 A.M. and we traveled on board an open-sided AUV.  First item on our itinerary was a tour of Mr. Sabin Larrazabal’s 60-hectare pineapple plantation in Brgy. Toril in nearby Kananga town. 

Rows of pineapples

Kananga, as well as Ormoc City, is famous for its pineapples, its leading fruit product.  Not just any pineapple, but the distinct queen or formosa variety, acclaimed as the sweetest pineapple in the land and grown only here and the Bicol province of Camarines Norte. Ranging from 0.45 to 1.3 kilograms in weight, it has deep eyes and a yellow to deep yellow flesh color.  The plantation grows one crop in 15 months and our arrival was timely as some of the pineapples were being harvested.

Roy, Jandy and I trying some pineapples
Our driver chose about five pieces for us to sample. After returning to the caretaker’s house, one fruit was pared and divided for me and Roy.  It was indeed sweet and succulent and so crispy that even the core could be eaten.  According to Roy, canning these pineapples is not feasible as less juice can be derived from one fruit unlike the other variety.  It is best eaten in its natural state, without preservatives.  Fruits here are sold around Leyte and Samar as well as shipped to nearby Cebu.

Leyte Landing Memorial (Palo, Leyte)

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From the Sto. Nino Shrine & Heritage Museum, we were next driven 12 kms. to the next town of Palo where we visited our final destination, the Leyte Landing Memorial along Red Beach, 2 kms. north of the Palo town center.  Marking the spot of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s Leyte landing, this beautifully landscaped memorial was established in 1973.

Leyte Landing Memorial
The memorial contains the 7 bronze statues (1.5 times bigger than lifesize) of MacArthur (taller than the others to create perspective, it was designed by the late National Artist Leandro V. Locsin), Pres. Sergio Osmeña, Sr., Brig.-Gen. CarlosP. Romulo, Gen. Richard K. Sutherland (MacArthur’s Chief of Staff), Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid followed by two staff members, standing on a shallow, man-made lagoon.
 
Red Beach

Fifty meters away is the Philippine Commemorative Rock Garden of Peace, designed by Renato L. Punzalan and built in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the landing.  It has messages of peace from leaders of different countries etched in stone slabs indigenous to these countries.  These are set around a bronze sculpture of the Eternal Flame of Peace.

Rock Garden of Peace

Leyte Landing Memorial: Brgy. Candahug, Palo, Leyte.

Sto. Nino Shrine & Heritage Museum (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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After lunch at Agus Restaurant, Grace, Jandy, Cheska and I, with Manny, Paula, Mark, Nenette, Dad, Mom and Cheska’s new friend Kookie Bal, continued on our tour of Tacloban City, this time visiting the Sto. Nino Shrine & Heritage Museum, one of 29 presidential resthouses built by the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos and Tacloban’s top tourist attraction because of its association with Mrs. Marcos.  This 20-room, colonial-style structure, designed by Arch. Jorge Ramos and built from 1979 to 1981, houses former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos‘ vast collection of art objects from all over the world.  

Sto. Nino Shrine & Heritage Museum

At the ground floor is the 100-pax chapel, lit with beautiful chandeliers from Czechoslovakia; with narra pews and a replica of the image of the Sto. Nino of Leyte (made with Italian ivory) as the altar’s centerpiece.  This is where the Sto. Nino connection ends.  Everything else speaks of the Marcos family, especially the former First Lady.

Posing in front of the replica of the Sto. Nino de Leyte

On the chapel’s periphery, elevated by 2-3 steps, are 13 tastefully decorated guestrooms of varied Filipino motifs, each unique and exceptional as they represent the different regions of the country. Each room had a diorama of the First Lady.

One of the themed guestrooms
At the second floor is a spacious ballroom, a 30-pax dining/conference room and 7 magnificently designed and decorated private bedrooms for the First Family.  Imelda’s bedroom had a very large bathroom.  The whole place just screams grandeur, power and magnificence. 
 
Wooden bas relief of Malakas and Maganda
The whole mansion was furnished with original paintings done by by the late National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, Amadeo Y. Manalad and Malang; the 14 Stations of the Cross done by Filipino painters; priceless furniture; musical instruments; fine English, French and Chinese porcelain; Austrian mirrors; Argentinian and Persian carpets, grandfather clocks; Italian tiles; wooden bas-relief of the legend of Malakas and Maganda, ivory and wooden sculptures of local and foreign  origin; Russian dolls; Chinese Qing Dynasty vases: a whole glass case filled with ivory carvings; and other priceless collectors items. 
 
One of the 7 bedrooms
Sto. Nino Shrine & Heritage Museum: Real St., Tacloban City, Leyte.  Tel: (053) 321-9775. Admission: PhP60 (maximum of 6 per group).  Open daily, 8 AM to 5 PM.  Guided tours from 8 to 11 AM and 1 to 4 PM.

CAP Building (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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Back in our van, we made our way back to the city proper.  Near the wharf, we made another stopover at the CAP Building.  Formerly the Price Mansion, this American colonial house was built in 1910 by American businessman Mr. Walter Scott Price, founder of the Leyte Transportation Co., Ltd. (Letranco). During World War II, it  was used as a Japanese Officer’s Club. 
 
CAP Building
For three months during the liberation, it served as Gen. Douglas MacArthur‘s headquarters and residence.   Here, the general escaped injury when a Japanese bomb penetrated the roof over his room but failed to explode.  The hole left by that attack can still be seen.  It is now the headquarters of the College Assurance Plan, Inc..
 
Aside from being the company’s office, the building also houses a MacArthur memorabilia room (second floor), an art gallery and a conference center.  On the right side of the mansion, facing Romualdez St., is a statue of Gen. MacArthur and Pres. Sergio Osmena.
 
Statue of MacArthur and Osmena
CAP Building: Justice Romualdez cor. Sto. Nino St., Tacloban City, Leyte.  Tel: (053) 523-9856.

San Juanico Bridge (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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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.  

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.  
 
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.