A Quick Escape at McArthur Landing Park at Palo Leyte, Philippines

It was a hot sunny afternoon in Palo Leyte. I went volunteering with some friends in cleaning the venue where we'll be holding an assembly the next day. We just had lunch so one of my friend and I were looking for a place to spend the remaining lunch break and breath some fresh air. I remembered, we are somehow close to one of the historical sites in Palo-the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park. So, we decided to go there by tricycle from our venue.

Location and How to Get There
The park can be found in the Visayas region of the Philippines and is considered as the region's major tourist attraction. It is specifically located in Barangay Candahug, Palo Leyte. From downtown Tacloban you can ride a cab going to Palo. And from the junction, there are jeepneys or tricycles that can take you there with a reasonable fare. Thus, commuting is really not a problem. But, of course, it would always be more convenient to go there using a private vehicle.

MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park History
The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park is also known as Leyte Landing Memorial Park or MacArthur Park for short. MacArthur Park makes one of the Philippines history. This commemorates the historic landing of Douglas MacArthur, a famous American general and his entourage in Leyte Gulf fulfilling his promise to the Filipino people with his notable line "I shall return". On October 20, 1944, he did return at the start of the campaign of liberating Philippines from the Japanese colonization. It was declared a National Park on July 12, 1977

The park's main view are the seven double-life-sized bronze statues at almost 10 feet tall on a shallow man-made pool recreating MacArthur and his company wading ashore. This is designed and sculpted by Anastacio Caedo. In front of the sculpture, you can find two information plaques which are stated in both English and Filipino. The plaques states what the statues symbolize and the reason why they were positioned that way.

The park is said to symbolize freedom, resilience and fulfillment of a promise thus, attracting many history enthusiasts and tourists.

What's more to enjoy?
What I love about the park is that it's located by the sea and is also surrounded with trees and benches. I also love the pathways and the clean grass. There are guards that also watches around so you would feel safe. I would say it is really well protected and maintained. You can also go there to have a picnic and the area is so clean and beautiful, there is a lot of places where you can take beautiful pictures. I recommend to come here either in the late afternoon or early morning as it is too hot to take picture with the statues when you come at noon. Still, during our visit, many people kept coming to the park and took pictures even if it was extremely hot. There are also stalls nearby the park where you could enjoy snacks especially street foods and by the evening there are also barbecue stalls.

After taking enough pictures, we went back to the venue. So glad with our quick escape.

Photos are mine and edited with Canva