A Visit to the Historical and Religious Town of Palo, Leyte

Now, you might be asking why I decided to visit the town of Palo. Well, the first reason was to visit and have a picture of the UP Oblation in the UP School of Health Sciences, an extension school of UP Manila. I have this goal to collect pictures of myself with the UP Oble of all UP Units. Secondly, my visit was my act to pay tribute to the Filipino and American soldiers who fought gallantly during WWII. For those who didn’t know, it was in the town of Palo, in Brgy. Candahug specifically, where MacArthur first landed with a goal to liberate the Philippines.

From Agas-Agas Bridge, I took a van to Palo town which is around 10km away from Tacloban City. The driver dropped me off near the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral few minutes before 12 noon. For me, it was not as grand as and as big as other cathedrals, but its simplistic and homey appeal makes you feel more of God’s presence. If I could have lived near there, I would have loved to get wed in Palo Cathedral. The cathedral became an evacuation/hospital site of the wounded soldiers during the war. Outside, one could have a view of Hill 522 (Guinhangdan Hill) where a fierce battle between the Filipino and Japanese soldiers occurred. The hill is now a protected forest, and I think would be a good place to do some hiking.

  

  

  

In front of the cathedral is a small town plaza and municipal hall across it. While across the plaza on the other side is the UP School of Health Sciences.

Palo is a small town but according to some, it is a very religious town. One proof would be the 79 sons of Palo town who became priests and 106 daughters who became nuns.

Next Stop: The Boy Scout Monument and MacArthur Landing Site Memorial