We were invited by second-termer Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and his wife, second-termer Councilor Cristina "Kring-Kring" Gonzalez, to watch the Sangyaw Festival (June 29) and to attend the city fiesta (June 30) in honor of Señor Sto. Niño.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred
and his wife Cristina ..
From the airport, we stop at the modest residence (a bungalow within a compound) of Alfred and Kring-Kring who, with their daughters Sofia and Diana, welcome us with a merienda of native delicacies (moron, binagol, etc.).
Hotel Alejandro - Tacloban City ..
It's almost 6 o'clock when we check into Hotel Alejandro. Kring-Kring has reminded us to be ready by 7:30 at the lobby where we will be fetched for the Air Supply concert at the Tacloban Astrodome which is packed full with people by the time the show starts at 9 o'clock, one hour behind schedule.
Air Supply - Tacloban City Concert ..
We are seated at the front row, together with Alfred and Kring-Kring with their other guests (including Mega magazine editor Sari Yap). In a while, we are joined by second-termer Leyte Congressman Martin Romualdez, Alfred's first cousin (Martin's father is Kokoy Romualdez and Alfred's is Bejo Romualdez, both former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos' brothers).
Air Supply - Tacloban City Concert ..
What a show it is! The Taclobanons are a happily uninhibited audience, much to the delight of Air Supply duo Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock who must be pleasantly surprised that the audience knows all their songs since they...we!...sing along with them.
By the time the perspiration-soaked Graham and Russell are doing Making Love Out of Nothing At All, their encore song, the space between the front row and the stage is throbbing with dancing ladies, Kring-Kring included. There are shouts of "More, more, more!" but the duo has given more than enough.
It's whole-morning city tour the next day. Sto. Niño Chruch - Tacloban City ..
Our companions have gone ahead. Raoul and I go to the Sto. Niño Church and join them at the San Juanico Bridge that connects Leyte and the Samar provinces, the same bridge from the top of which Dante Varona jumped in a breathtaking, death-defying stunt for a scene in his movie.
San Juanico Bridge - Tacloban City .. Rafael Farm and Restaurant in Babatngon, Leyte
Next stop is the sprawling San Rafael Farm which is ideal for those who want to do some soul-searching. Then we proceed back to the city proper for a quick tour of the PCGG-sequestered Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum which houses domestic and foreign collections of art, furnitures and musical instruments, with thematic bedrooms.
Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum - Tacloban City ..
After lunch at the Balyu-an Amphitheater along Magsaysay Boulevard facing Cancabatok Bay (the place is a popular venue for cultural, sporting and religious events), we are driven to Kring-Kring's spa in front of which a stage has been put up. That's where we watch the Sangyaw Festival Parade featuring colorful floats.
Sangyaw Festival - Tacloban City .. (by Gerry Ruiz)
To cap the day, Kring-Kring invites us to try the foot massage at her spa's branch at the newly-opened Robinsons Mall across from which is the Stephanie Smoke Haus where we are treated to an eat-all-you-can dinner of seafood and other mouth-watering goodies.
Stephanie Smoke Haus - Tacloban City ..
Back at Hotel Alejandro, Raoul and I drift into sweet slumber muttering superlatives in Waray - Ay, kaupay hindoro!!!
We fly back to Manila via PAL on Wednesday, June 30, promising to go back to Tacloban to see and enjoy more of what Mayor Alfred calls "The Gateway to Eastern Visayas."
Our Trip to Tacloban City: Mixing the educational
with "pure pleasure"
By Minnie Advincula
Jan/14/2010
Overall:
Taking advantage of a promo fare by Zest Air, our family hied to Tacloban in what we planned to be an educational trip to historical places in Leyte.
The plan sounded subdued enough so it was a pleasant surprise to find out in the end that the children enjoyed the trip a lot and did not resent our mixing the "educational" with pure pleasure.
SAN JUANICO BRIDGE The San Juanico Bridge - Tacloban City ..
First in the list is San Juanico Bridge, touted to be the longest in the country. The 2.16-km bridge is convincingly one of the most beautiful bridges in the country.
Built during the martial law years, we told the children of the tales and popular belief that have gone into the bridge construction such as its being a gift of Ferdinand Marcos to Imelda Marcos.
Nowadays, police have banned picture taking along the bridge so one has to get off at either end of the bridge if one wishes to have a souvenir shot.
BARANGAY TINGIB
Upon crossing from Leyte to Samar, the search for a good beachfront begins. We ended up in a beach in Barangay Tingib. The sand may look like mud but the beach, being dotted with islands, offers a breathtaking view.
Barangay Tingib is less developed with just a few cottages and simple facilities for local tourists. Its rusticity, however, is a welcome treat for those running away from the crowded cities. We even took time to see all the rare flowers and plants near the beachfront.
CALUWAYAN RESORT Caluwayan Palm Island Resort in Marabut, Samar ..
Farther into Samar, there is Caluwayan which has facilities for overnight stay and other outdoor activities such as boating and mountain climbing. Caluwayan hosts trainings for corporate functions and the package is priced reasonably.
RAFAEL FARM Rafael Farm and Restaurant in Babatngon, Leyte
Back in Tacloban, another stop is Rafael's Farm where one can enjoy a beautifully-landscaped garden with a restaurant. There is a man-made lake where one can hire a boat to take you around for P50 for 30 minutes.
PALO CATHEDRAL &
MACARTHUR NATIONAL PARK MacArthur Landing Memorial Park in Palo, Leyte
Visit the Palo Cathedral and tour some of the old houses nearby. The cathedral is on the way to the MacArthur National Park. Traveling with children, it took longer for us to visit the place as we had to explain every personality involved in the Leyte landing.
STO. NINO SHRINE AND HERITAGE MUSEUM The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum in Tacloban City
The Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, to our surprise was the favorite among the children. It was built by Imelda Marcos as a Romualdez ancestral house but as in most things historical in this country, it has since fallen into a sad state of decay.
The museum charges P250 for five persons and P30 for every person in excess of five. There is additional charge for the use of camera and video camera.
Considering the vast collection of treasures given to the Marcos family during their 20-year in power, what a waste to see the government neglecting this part of history merely on the basis of its being a part of the Marcos memory.
Some of the wood furniture, including bed posts, religious images and the 32-seater dining table had been eaten by termites.
The museum survives on the entrance fees, which are barely enough for the salary of the museum staff and payment of electricity bill. As it is, the museum is poorly lighted and maintenance of the whole place is clearly wanting.
Despite this, we were held in awe at the opulence this place once was and marveled at the value of every piece of foreign gift given to Imelda by such people as Mao Zedong.
BALYUAN AMPITHEATER The Balyuan Ampitheater in Tacloban City at night
To cap the night, we went to Balyuan, across the city hall where the ampitheater is. Feasting on P5 per stick barbecue and "pinuso" rice beside the Leyte Gulf, it was such a delight to be eating street food in a non-threatening environment.
If this is not enough, walk to the nearby Lion's Den restaurant for a proper meal.
WITH SPIDER TAXI TO THE AIRPORT Spider Cab in Tacloban City
Finally, ride the Spider taxi to get to the airport - or wherever you want to go. It's Tacloban's version of Metro Manila's FX taxi. At P10 per person with an additional P5 for every succeeding kilometer, this vehicle provides the amenities and services of a taxi.
AIDA'S PASALUBONG
But before leaving, drop by at Aida's in downtown to buy "pasalubong." Highly recommended is the pili hopia and special pastillas from carabao milk. Binagol, moron, and sagmani can also be bought along the sidewalks.
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