Go Tacloban!
By Nickky Faustine De Guzman
Published: June 9, 2013
The MacArthur Landing Memorial Park in Palo, Leyte is one of the province’s tourist attractions.
Tacloban, Leyte’s small airport was overflowing with tourists and locals to and from the city on a mundane Thursday afternoon. Some visitors, to an extent, had to go outside and waited to be accommodated. If the state of an airport is one of the portals that mirror a city’s status, then Tacloban is on the threshold of becoming an alternative tourist destination.
Tacloban City is the melting pot, the regional hub, and the only highly urbanized city in Eastern Visayas. Tacloban is located right in the heart of Region 8. It lies along the northeastern seaboard of Leyte. As a major tourist service center among other cities and municipalities, Tacloban City has the most facilities and infrastructure that cater to the needs of its visitors.
While the region is most often associated with General Douglas MacArthur, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and San Juanico Bridge, Leyte, in particular, Tacloban, which comes from the word taklub (a bamboo contraption for catching fish) is a setting waiting to be uncovered.
It’s More Fun in Tacloban
Leyte is surrounded by Camotes Sea and Leyte Gulf thus, it isn’t surprising to spot several swimming sites that show off sand, sea, and surf. The Patio Victoria Beach Resort in San Jose, Tacloban for instance has black fine sand that sparkle under the sun. The steady breeze lulls anyone to slumber on hammocks and rattan-made chairs. It is also a good primer for activities such as sea strolling, surfing, and playing games with friends and families. In our case, friends from the media and Robinsons Land Corporation enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon of game relay, limbo rock, spa and massage sessions, and seafood.
Ah, seafood. Tacloban boasts of a wide array of fresh shrimps, shells, seaweeds, crabs, clams, fishes. The city also has the classic tuba, wine, and suka (vinegar). Besides, Tacloban is a culture-rich nation of well-preserved statues, rest houses, and World War II mementos.
Among its attractions include the Price Mansion, now the CAP building, which served as the headquarters of Gen. MacArthur for three months during the war. It now features his memorabilia and has an art gallery. Then, there is the Madonna of Japan located in the city proper, which is a carved Miyagi rock that symbolizes peace between the Philippines and Japan. The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum is Tacloban’s number one tourist destination because of its association with Imelda Marcos, a Tacloban native. The palatial mansion is one of the 29 rest houses of the Marcos family. The palace has 13 guest rooms, spacious ballroom, Olympic-size swimming pool, state dining rooms, and private bedrooms. Imelda only stayed there once.
Not to be outdone is the 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge, which is 15 minutes away north of Tacloban City. It connects Samar and Leyte and was once considered as Asia’s longest bridge in the ‘70s. Just like the rest house, San Juanico is built as a testimony of Ferdinand’s affection for Imelda. A trivia: the shape of the bridge changes depending on the origin of the travelers; those coming from Samar will notice an “L” shaped bridge, while it will eventually form into an “S” figure when coming from Leyte. We traversed the San Juanico Bridge at night hoping that like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it would be glittering and shimmering with lights—but to no avail. Nonetheless, to be in two places at the same time was enough.
Booming Economy and Tourism
Leyte is noticeably a jumble of a laid back, bucolic, and an active metropolis. At night, it slumbers with the community; at daylight, the city market and the malls, (Tacloban has two shopping centers, Robinsons Mall and Gaisano) mingle with the natives and visitors.
According to the latest statistics, Tacloban City increased its tourist arrival by 154% from 123, 291 in 2011 to 190, and 674 in 2012. Meanwhile, City Mayor Alfred Romualdez says that Tacloban is the fourth province with the largest money circulation; its tourism and economy are indeed booming as evidenced by the growing number of modern infrastructures like the Gohotels.ph.
A Place for Every Juan
“Why Tacloban? Why not! Tacloban is a potential tourist spot, and highly accessible with untapped destinations,” Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) PR Roseanne Villegas says. The construction of the RLC hotel was brought about by the warmth welcome from the people of Tacloban. In fact, this branch enjoys 100% occupancy and thus holds the top spot among its provincial counterparts in Dumaguete, Bacolod, and Palawan. It will open one in Iloilo soon.
As a budget hotel that offers value for money, Gohotels.ph follows the early booking, lower rate scheme, which is considered as an innovation in the hotel industry. This is inspired by its sister company, Cebu Pacific, which rewards the lowest possible fare to anyone who books the earliest.
Tacloban Go Hotel has 98 rooms (50 Twin Rooms and 48 Queen Rooms). Each room is fully equipped with modern bathroom facilities, free in-room Wi-Fi access, flat screen LCD TV, deposit box, comfy customized Windsor bed with duvets and pillows, and tight security. The rooms are smaller than its counterpart in Negros but Tacloban has a spacious lobby area for chows, chitchats, and whatnots. The hotel is also adjacent to the Robinsons Mall Annex.
Fresh seafood, iconic tourist spots, languid destination, and blooming industry; now, the only problem with going to Tacloban is leaving it. But like what Gen. MacArthur said, one will definitely revisit Tacloban. We shall return.
Tacloban City is the melting pot, the regional hub, and the only highly urbanized city in Eastern Visayas. Tacloban is located right in the heart of Region 8. It lies along the northeastern seaboard of Leyte. As a major tourist service center among other cities and municipalities, Tacloban City has the most facilities and infrastructure that cater to the needs of its visitors.
While the region is most often associated with General Douglas MacArthur, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and San Juanico Bridge, Leyte, in particular, Tacloban, which comes from the word taklub (a bamboo contraption for catching fish) is a setting waiting to be uncovered.
It’s More Fun in Tacloban
Leyte is surrounded by Camotes Sea and Leyte Gulf thus, it isn’t surprising to spot several swimming sites that show off sand, sea, and surf. The Patio Victoria Beach Resort in San Jose, Tacloban for instance has black fine sand that sparkle under the sun. The steady breeze lulls anyone to slumber on hammocks and rattan-made chairs. It is also a good primer for activities such as sea strolling, surfing, and playing games with friends and families. In our case, friends from the media and Robinsons Land Corporation enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon of game relay, limbo rock, spa and massage sessions, and seafood.
Ah, seafood. Tacloban boasts of a wide array of fresh shrimps, shells, seaweeds, crabs, clams, fishes. The city also has the classic tuba, wine, and suka (vinegar). Besides, Tacloban is a culture-rich nation of well-preserved statues, rest houses, and World War II mementos.
Among its attractions include the Price Mansion, now the CAP building, which served as the headquarters of Gen. MacArthur for three months during the war. It now features his memorabilia and has an art gallery. Then, there is the Madonna of Japan located in the city proper, which is a carved Miyagi rock that symbolizes peace between the Philippines and Japan. The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum is Tacloban’s number one tourist destination because of its association with Imelda Marcos, a Tacloban native. The palatial mansion is one of the 29 rest houses of the Marcos family. The palace has 13 guest rooms, spacious ballroom, Olympic-size swimming pool, state dining rooms, and private bedrooms. Imelda only stayed there once.
Not to be outdone is the 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge, which is 15 minutes away north of Tacloban City. It connects Samar and Leyte and was once considered as Asia’s longest bridge in the ‘70s. Just like the rest house, San Juanico is built as a testimony of Ferdinand’s affection for Imelda. A trivia: the shape of the bridge changes depending on the origin of the travelers; those coming from Samar will notice an “L” shaped bridge, while it will eventually form into an “S” figure when coming from Leyte. We traversed the San Juanico Bridge at night hoping that like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it would be glittering and shimmering with lights—but to no avail. Nonetheless, to be in two places at the same time was enough.
Booming Economy and Tourism
Leyte is noticeably a jumble of a laid back, bucolic, and an active metropolis. At night, it slumbers with the community; at daylight, the city market and the malls, (Tacloban has two shopping centers, Robinsons Mall and Gaisano) mingle with the natives and visitors.
According to the latest statistics, Tacloban City increased its tourist arrival by 154% from 123, 291 in 2011 to 190, and 674 in 2012. Meanwhile, City Mayor Alfred Romualdez says that Tacloban is the fourth province with the largest money circulation; its tourism and economy are indeed booming as evidenced by the growing number of modern infrastructures like the Gohotels.ph.
A Place for Every Juan
“Why Tacloban? Why not! Tacloban is a potential tourist spot, and highly accessible with untapped destinations,” Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) PR Roseanne Villegas says. The construction of the RLC hotel was brought about by the warmth welcome from the people of Tacloban. In fact, this branch enjoys 100% occupancy and thus holds the top spot among its provincial counterparts in Dumaguete, Bacolod, and Palawan. It will open one in Iloilo soon.
As a budget hotel that offers value for money, Gohotels.ph follows the early booking, lower rate scheme, which is considered as an innovation in the hotel industry. This is inspired by its sister company, Cebu Pacific, which rewards the lowest possible fare to anyone who books the earliest.
Tacloban Go Hotel has 98 rooms (50 Twin Rooms and 48 Queen Rooms). Each room is fully equipped with modern bathroom facilities, free in-room Wi-Fi access, flat screen LCD TV, deposit box, comfy customized Windsor bed with duvets and pillows, and tight security. The rooms are smaller than its counterpart in Negros but Tacloban has a spacious lobby area for chows, chitchats, and whatnots. The hotel is also adjacent to the Robinsons Mall Annex.
Fresh seafood, iconic tourist spots, languid destination, and blooming industry; now, the only problem with going to Tacloban is leaving it. But like what Gen. MacArthur said, one will definitely revisit Tacloban. We shall return.
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