Palo, Leyte

The municipality is located in the north-eastern part of the province of Leyte, 8 miles from the capital city of Tacloban.

Palo is well known as the site of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's return to the Philippines together with Philippine and American military forces after a period of exile in 1944.[6][7] Hill 522, a hill located near the town center, was the site of fierce fighting between Allied and Japanese forces during the Second World War. The metropolitan cathedral of the archdiocese, located right across Palo's municipal hall, was used as a hospital for wounded Filipino and American forces. A memorial now stands at the beach site where MacArthur and his troops landed, locally known as the MacArthur's Park. The first Gabaldon Building is also situated in Barangay San Joaquin Palo, Leyte. It was inaugurated by President Sergio Osmeña.

Palo was also once the capital of Leyte. The town's Purissima Bridge was the first steel bridge built in the province.

In 1957, sitio Campitic was converted into a barrio,[8] while barrio Baras-Candahug was divided into two: Baras and Candahug.[9] Barrio Malirong was renamed as Libertad.[10]

On November 8, 2013, Palo was severely struck by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which destroyed a large portion of Eastern Visayas and killed a number of residents in the town.[11] On January 17, 2015, Pope Francis visited the town as part of his papal visit to the Philippines to meet with the surviving victims of the typhoon. He also blessed the Pope Francis Center for the Poor and met with priests, seminarians, other religious figures, and surviving victims of the typhoon at the Palo Cathedral before leaving Leyte.[12]

The Palo Municipal Building

In the 2015 census, the population of Palo, Leyte, was 70,052 people,[3] with a density of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre or 830 inhabitants per square mile.

Literacy rate in Palo is 99.5%.

The town's native language is Waray-Waray, the major language and lingua franca in the Eastern Visayas region.

Palo is the seat of the 6.8-hectare Leyte Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Park and the 22-hectare Leyte Mikyu Economic Zone.[16] The Leyte ICT Park hosts two BPOs while the Leyte Mikyu Ecozone is undergoing development.

The town's historic Municipal Building was the former Seat of the Provincial Government of Leyte.

Agriculture is the dominant industry. The area produced and ferments the local coconut wine "tuba".[17][18]

The giant cross at the top of Guinhangdan Hill

• MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park
• Guinhangdan Hill, a destination of Holy Week pilgrims. The hill is now a forest reserve.
• Japanese Shrine in Barangay Caloogan
• Red Beach - The landmark that has brought Palo to the annals of world history is the Red Beach, in barangay Candahug, where Gen. Douglas MacArthur first landed to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese occupation on October 20, 1944.[6]
• WW2 Memorial for the Filipino Soldiers
• Palo Metropolitan Cathedral
• Palo Binangalan coral reefs
• Palo Mangrove Reservation (open season for duck hunting whole year round)
• Palo Municipal Library and Heritage Museum
• Korean Park

• Francisco Alvarado - Waray-language poet and playwright[19]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palo, Leyte.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Palo, Leyte.

• Palo Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System