Historic Palo, Leyte
Sixty-four years ago today, the Allied Forces’ invasion plans to retake the Philippines from the Japanese Empire was already in motion with Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theatre in World War II, setting foot ashore at Palo, Leyte on October 20, 1944, thus fulfilling his promise to return and liberate the nation.
Let me feature then some photos I’ve taken of Palo, Leyte - a sleepy, conservative and historic town 12 kilometers south of Tacloban City.
The Bernard Reed Bridge crossing Bangon River upon entering Palo poblacion.
Bangon River
Bangon River
My mother, Nieves Dolina-Ruiz, was a native of Palo. I remember her regaling us with stories on how, when they were kids, they’d go out and spend the day swimming and diving from what was then a narrow, creaky wooden bridge into the Bangon River in photo above. The river then, I’m sure, wasn’t murky yet.
The ancestral home of the Pedrosa’s with the Palo Public Library at the ground floor, at the junction of the Maharlika National Highway. Turning left leads motorists to Liloan, Southern Leyte and on to Mindanao; turning right leads one to Ormoc City/Biliran Province.
The Palo Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord founded in 1596 by the Jesuits, served as an evacuation hospital of the Allied Forces and civilian refugees during World War II in 1944.
The MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park at Red Beach, Palo, Leyte.
Updated Feb 29, 2008:
Palo as viewed from the air (photo taken Oct. 29, 2007)
Gerry,
Saw my name at the bottom of your Historic Palo page so, might as well.
Me and Tess are, as of now, surrounded by huge volumes of water (after having been in the midst of the recent Orange County firestorms recently): Lake Ontario and Lake Erie that feed the Niagara Falls. We are looking down over the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side (specifically, from our 18th floor Sheraton at the Falls hotel room). Hmmm.
Nag-share pala ako kan Mae (Delgado) hinin akon estorya by e-mail so might as well, padayon nala an parayaw. A few days back, we sang together with her other sisters and selected members of An Taclobanon ha L.A. as a choral group dubbed “Friends in Harmony.” Ambot ano nga hangin, we got an invitation from a friend to join their yearly church songfest named “Singing Up His Praise.” Pag e-mail pala ni Tita Mae wishing us a good time.
And now, Bangon River in Palo - tubig na liwat. The Niagara Falls’ grand fluffy baritone never fails to keep me thinking of this life’s magical sideshows. And so does the humble hum of the mini falls that the Bangon river water makes under the “Purisima” bridge. I do have the best of both worlds having been born and raised there before doing DWU, and ultimately marrying and living in Tacloban before migrating to the US.
The not-so-distant noise that the Niagara Falls makes into our hotel room reminds me so much of the raging sound Bangon makes when you go really up close, especially after a heavy rain. As kids, we would go under the Purisima bridge and challenge each other to hop on the uneven slippery rocks. We’d try to scare each other about the deep “kaban-kaban” near the mini falls “where all who go under are sucked in by the current and never make it back - one would just drown and stir a huge small town news.”
I just want to thank you for taking the time to do this. You can never imagine how many times I have played with my imagination about this river, being surrounded by walkways on both sides and littered with food and souvenir shops then, well-lighted at night.
This is getting longer now and it’s getting late in here. We will be back in Orange County Thursday so we will make the most of what we have left of our trip here.
Peace and greetings.
Nonong and Tess Corpin-Agner
Hi Nongski! You just confirmed it - that old creaky bridge (now rehabilitated with steel iron stuff) is Purisima Bridge. I had nobody to ask info from and get an immediate reply, so I opted not to mention about its name.
Thanks for dropping by. Gee, Niagara Falls I haven’t been to - it remains in my travel wish list.
best regards!
Mano Gerry and Man’ Nonong,
This is Carlito Agner, han mga Agner dida ha ubos han Bernard Reed Br. tabok ha Luntad. Aadi na ako yana naukoy ha Raleigh, North Carolina after moving from Michigan. From that picture of the bridge I can still see Kadoy doing the “American dive” all the way to the river in a perfect “10″. My brother also died on that spot where the bridge begins. Damo nga salamat hini nga imo mga pictures. Palo is still beautiful.
Regards ha iyo ngatanan ngan maupay nga Pasko!
Carlito Agner and family.
Hello everybody, especially to Mano Gerry and Mano Nonong:
I was awed struck by this statement by Mano Nonong which I would like to connect with the description given to us by Mano Gerry about Bangon:
These statements are very meaningful to me as team leader for the conduct of the Pre-Master Planning for the Rehabilitation and Development of Bangon, River.
1. The rehabilitation plan intends to make the river suitable for swimming and diving and where households could culture fish/aquatic resources and conduct economic activities as means to improve quality of life.
2. The development plan on the other hand would like to transform the area, as what Mano Nonong dreamed, into a place one can visit and spend quality time. Construction of walkways at the river banks (funds already alloted), transfer of buildings constructed at the river banks, construction of park near the Purisima Bridge, promotion of floating restaurants, boating activities, fresh fish culture, establishments of gift shops, among others.
These are in line with Palo’s strategic thrust to be the center of eco-cultural tourism destination of Region 8 with the Bangon River as the icon. Tourists will have the option to enter Palo by boat through the Bangon River from the MacArthur Park, disembark at the Purisima Bridge, visit the Cathedral, view old houses, museum, etc. and and go mountain climbing at Hill 522, either by foot thru a mountain trail passing the Miraculous Purisima Shrine or through the 90 degrees cliff. The nature trekking proceeding to the cross and the Japanese foxholes, to the eco-tourism park at the Danao Lake, waterfalls at Barangay Barayong, and down to Campetik and back to MacArthur’s Park.
In our research, we found out that Bangon was once the cradle of trade and commerce in this part of Leyte and Samar endowed with historic importance and natural resourcest that could be one of the eco-tourism destinations in this part of the globe.
Mano Nonong and Mano Gerry, your dream about the river is about to come true… it would take sometime but it’s always nice to start with a single step. And that step started from all of us…our dream.
Asisbel, this is truly wonderful news! If you don’t mind, would appreciate it if you could tell us more about your organization and, of course, your name.
Thank you!
Gerry,
Thank you for your outstanding job in featuring the historic spots in our beloved Palo. Mauli-uli na naman. Hina-ot unta nga matuman ito nga mga inop pag pa-upay ngan pag pahusay hiton kapaligiran hit Bangon. It’s no wonder if in the near future Palo will be crowded with tourists from all over the world… malipayon gud kami nga duro. Continue the super job, Gerry! Sayonara, Fel & BB
Damo nga salamat, Fel & BB. The pleasure’s mine
Update: Asisclo Belena (asisbel in an earlier comment above) is with the Department of Trade and Industry Regional Office No. 8 and also helps Palo’s Local Government Unit thru the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, Engr. Federico Lago. He is also actively involved with the Palo Parish.
Again, thanks a lot Asisclo for your comments here.
Gerry, thanks for this blog of yours I got to send a Priest friend pics of Palo Cathedral for a sacred Arts class at UST. Just would like to comment on the Palo Cathedral’s History: Palo Cathedral was founded by the Jesuits in 1596 and not by Augustinians as what you have written. The Jesuits founded the town of Palo on the same year and built the church just the same first out of nipa and later on in coral stone once the town became a permanent mission station. It’s so sad from conservationists and historians alike that the Cathedral was renovated without considering its historical and heritage value by changing the original design of the church. I would say whoever was responsible had committed a crime. Hope you could do some corrections for history’s sake. God Bless. Continue this blog; it’s really awesome. You must be a pro in photography! kudos to all!
Hi Ferderiz Cantiller! I humbly apologize for the erroneous entry about the founding of the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral. I have seen the cathedral’s historical marker which clearly states it was “…constructed by the Jesuits in 1596, taken over by the Augustinians 1768, by the Franciscans 1843…”
I have made the proper correction in the photo caption above.
I must have gotten the erroneous data from any of the following:
http://www.globalpinoy.com/travel/province/leyte.php
http://www.philtourism.com/spots/mpbr_spot3.html
Thanks for pointing this error out to me. Mabuhay ka!
Hi Ferderiz and Gerry,
Big thanks for all these info’s about Palo Cathedral. Now I have an additional interesting story to brag about to my friends hehehe..
Palo is still the best! Better than Manila! Sa Palo, hindi polluted… pero sa Manila ang itim ng langit…