The Beautiful City of Taclobanons
This will be my first time to write a blog so I might disappoint you due to my unfavorable skill on writing. I will try my very best not to disappoint you, but if I did, I am sorry. Anyways, I know this will be fun, especially I’ll be sharing with you the beautiful places and most patronized product here in Tacloban City, Leyte, also known as the beautiful home of resilient people.
You might ask “Why resilient people?” Bakit nga ba?
Have you recall the time of how Yolanda devastated the land of Tacloban? It was the most unforgettable and unbearable experience that we have ever encountered in our whole life. I can’t even take a glance to every corpse lying in the street, the ruined infrastructure, and the garbage everywhere. It was a chaos that time, everyone were searching for food, clothes, shelter, and the most painful part is to see someone crying for help while searching for their loved ones who didn’t survived the tragedy. That was truly a nightmare to us. It served as a trauma and at the same time a lesson to Taclobanons.
Despite of the outrageous situation that happened during that time, we remained firm and bold in order to uplift ourselves from the unfortunate event that we’ve been through. That was the reason why Taclobanons were named resilient people of the Philippines.
Before I share to you the attributes of Tacloban City, let me tell you first the history of my town. This palce was known as a small fishing village of Basey, Samar. Before it was named Tacloban, the small village was commonly called Kankabatok. The change of name transpired because of those fishermen of this town. Whenever they are asked “Makain kamo?” they often answered “Ha Tarakluban” which meant the place where they used to taklub or to catch crabs. Later on, the name was shortened to Tacloban.
Years have passed; the small fishing village became a well-known City in the Philippines, not just because they see us as resilient individuals, but also because of our impressive infrastructure/places that were built here in Tacloban, the Festivals that we celebrate annually, and perfect native delicacies we offer to every travellers who visit Tacloban.
Beautiful Places in Tacloban City
We have prominent infrastructure/places in Tacloban and these are San Juanico Bridge, Kanhuraw Hil, Madonna of Japan, Sto. Nino Shrine/ Heritage Museum, and M/V Eva Jocelyn Shrine. Those are the places that are worth the visit.
San Juanico Bridge
Have you heard about the San Juanico Bridge?
The Longest Bridge here in the Philippines?
Yes, it is the longest bridge in the Philippines that was made of steel girder viaduct and reinforced with concrete piers, making it an arch-shaped truss design. This was the project of our former President Ferdinand Marcos which started 1969 and was completed in 1973. According to my grandparents, Marcos made it easier for the Taclobanons to travel from Tacloban to Samar. You will surely love San Juanico Bridge, because it offers great scenery that is pleasing to look at. Just like the calm sea, and the beautiful sunset and sunrise.
Kanhuraw Hill
Kanhuraw Hill is also known as Cuty Hall facing Kankabato Bay with its grassy look and shady trees. It is a perfect place to calm your soul from stress that is bothering you. You will see jogger out on their daily run, couples and families having their picnic, and friends having their conversation. This serves as the center of the city, used as a gathering spot for locals from every walk of life.
Madonna of Japan
Right in front of Magsaysay Boulevard and Cancabato Bay, you’ll find the Madonna of Japan. After the World War II, Japan decided to give this statue that will serves as an honor of friendship between Filipinos and Japanese.
Sto. Nino Shrine
Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, also known as Romualdez Museum, in Tacloban City is one of the many displays of the lifestyle of the Marcoses during their decades-long reign of former President Ferdinand Marcos. The entrance fee was 100 pesos and it was cheaper than I thought. When we entered the museum, you will see the altar with the image of Jesus Christ made from tiny rectangular cuts of tiles. I felt that I time travelled to the past because of its native design and aesthetic look. The rooms, comfort rooms and dining areas are old fashioned but it perfectly fit the aesthetic style of the heritage museum. Everything that surround you look so old, yet so beautiful. If you visit Tacloban City, make sure you won’t miss the chance to tour yourself inside Sto. Nino Shrine.
Sangyaw Festival
Taclobanons celebrate Sto. Nino de Leyte Fiesta every month of June. It is a popular native festival held on 29th of June. This is not just a religious or cultural activity, but this also helped the people to create camaraderie and show their creativity to the public. It is more likely an exhibit of Taclobanons work of art and their way of showing their devotion to our beloved Sto. Nino.
Delicacies of Tacloban City
If you want to taste the special delicacies to satisfy your cravings, I advise you to visit Tacloban City to try our specialties made with love. Some of the products of Tacloban that you should try are Chocoloate Moron, Binagol, and Suman Latik.
Ennairacus 