TACLOBAN CITY- As part of the 75th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings this October 20, the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park is now undergoing major repairs.
For this major repairs, a first in 25 years, the national government has allocated P158 million, said Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla.
The national park, where the legendary American general Douglas MacArthur made his iconic ‘I shall return’ promise which resulted to the liberation of the country from the Japanese invaders on October 20,1944, is located in Barangay Candahug, Palo town.
Mayor Petilla said that among to be refurbished are the bronze-painted statutes of MacArthur, President Sergio Osmeña, General Carlos Garcia and four others, located in a man-made pool depicting their arrivals, the centerpiece of the 6.78 hectare national park.
The scraping and repainting of the larger-than-life statutes are to be undertaken by the National Historical Commission.
The statues were first unveiled in 1981 during the 37th anniversary and made by sculptor Anastacio Caedo who was also behind the Bonifacio Monument in Balintawak.
“We are now 80 percent of the physical preparations and we can finished it on time,” the mayor said.
The repair works at the national shrine, among Leyte’s top tourist attractions, started in December last year and expected to be finished before the 75th anniversary on October 20, this year.
The P158 million funding of the repair of the national park came from Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority(TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism,P104 million; and P54 million from the Yolanda Repair and Rehabilitation Project.
The national park suffered damages when Leyte was pummeled by Super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in November 8,2013.
Aside from statutes, the works at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park includes the construction of a viewing deck; an amphitheater that has a 700-setting capacity; landscaping; and installation of lights, among others.
The last time the national park underwent major repairs were in 1994 during the 50th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
