Quick! Where did General Douglas MacArthur land when he returned to the Philippines to “liberate” the country from the Japanese invaders? It’s in the Imeldific island of Leyte, where a park, formerly called the MacArthur Park, was erected to commemorate the historic day. The bronze statues tower over everyone, including the larger-than-life statues of President Sergio Osmeña and General Carlos P. Romulo, who were with the landing party of Gen. MacArthur.
Statues at Leyte Landing Memorial (MacArthur Park)
It’s now called the Leyte Landing Memorial, located at the Red Beach, Palo, Leyte. Just in case you go past the Memorial and gaze at the sea, you’ll notice that the beach brown to black — not red. The “red” in Red Beach doesn’t refer to the natural color of the sand, but its color after being drenched in blood.
The town of Palo is adjacent to, and the Memorial is a few minutes from, Tacloban City, the capital of the province of Leyte. There are no taxis in Tacloban City, so you could hire a tricycle, a ubiquitous mode of Philippine public transportation that resembles the famous German sidecar, in going to the park (yes, the Germans were also part of the Axis powers during World War II, but they were confronting the Allied powers in Europe, not here in the Pacific). There are at least four flights going in and out of Tacloban from Manila. You could also opt to go there by ship or by land (through the roll-on-roll off or “RORO” ships).
During the height of the Japanese attack in the Philippines, Gen. MacArthur had to leave the country. Gen. MacArthur vowed, upon reaching Australia, “I shall return“. Contrary to some misconceptions, these famous lines were uttered not when Gen. MacArthur left the Philippines, from his headquarters in Corregidor.
Gen. MacArthur and company during Leyte Landing
The Leyte Landing Memorial commemorates the historic return of the flamboyant general, together with hundreds of thousands of men and hundreds of ships, on October 20, 1944. It was the start of the end of Japanese occupation in the Philippines. October 20 is celebrated every year, as the anniversary date of the Leyte Landing.
The original photo of the Leyte Landing on October 20, 1944 is at the right, showing Gen. Douglas MacArthur (front-middle), President Sergio Osmeña and Gen. Carlos Romulo.
So, the next time you’re stuck in Tacloban City, soak up a piece of history and drop by Leyte Landing Memorial (or you may still want to call it the MacArthur Park).
(Copyright, per Wikipedia: This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made during the course of the person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)
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#1 by eunice on March 31, 2009 - 12:03 pm
i want to transport my car from manila to tacloban. What is the cheapest way to do this? Ro Ro? or are there other means?
#2 by Fred on April 2, 2009 - 9:22 am
Eunice, perhaps others who already transported their cars from Manila to Tacloban could answer that question. I’m planning to do that this May and, in all probability, I’ll take the RoRo through Matnog to Samar. I’m not aware of any other way (of course, there’s the Manila-Cebu-Isabel, Leyte route, but I guess that would be more expensive). Please update us on how you transported your car, for reference. Thanks.