MY TOWN

PALO
By:
Lenrey p. Cobacha
 PALO, LEYTE
PALO is the third class municipality in the province of LEYTE,
PHILIPPINES . the municipality is the place where most of the
Government Departments and Bureaus of region VIII is located. Some
of the government agencies regional offices are located in the
municipality and some are still seated and located in the neighboring
city of Tacloban.
 The municipality is the home of the offices of the ecclesiastical
government of the Archdiocese of Palo; the archbishops
residence; as well as the secondary, tertiary and theology
seminaries of archdiocese of all located in town.
 The discovery of advancing communities in Palo dates back to
the early 16th century A.D. along the bank of Bangon River.
However, local historians believe that the settlement of Palo
started as early as the 10th to 13th century A.D..

The first known settlement were the kingdom of Takuranga, first

name of Palo under King Guban, and the kingdom of Kaluugan,
the second name of Palo under King Pitik.

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, some other settlement were
formed which also became the succeeding names of Palo, until
finally in 1550 Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi coalesced the
settlements and name the new confederation PALO. The other
 settlements were Kasangitan, Binangalan Kasuguran, Bunga,
Bangon and Guindapunan.

The settlers of Bunga played a vital role in the history of Palo,

having formed the settlement of Bangon which is now the town
center. Palo formally became a town in 1768 with Kapitan
Balasabas as its first administration.

Accordingly, the early settler of Palo were the clans of

Panganuron, Kadampog, Manlangit, Kumago, Kawaring, Kabalhin,
Kumagong, Maglain, Bilyu, and Dilyu.

At the time Palo was only a Barrio of Dagami. It was also during
this era that Palo became the capital of Leyte when the seat of
the provincial government was temporarily transferred from
Carigara. In 1899, Palo for the second time, was made capital of
province during the short lived Philippine Republic. In the later
part of 1768, when Palo was made a distinct municipality from
Dagami, the Jesuit Order left the Philippines and the mission was
handed over the Franciscans.
 Palo is considered to be the one of the most historical towns of
Leyte. It is well known as the site of Gen. Douglas MacArthurs
return to the Philippines together with the Philippine and
American military forces after a period of exile in 1944. 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 across

Palos municipal hall, was used forces. A memorial now stands at
beach site where MacArthur and his troops landed, locally known
as the MacArthurs Park. The first Gabaldon building is also
situated in Brgy. San Joaquin Palo, Leyte. It was inaugurated by
President Sergio Osmena.

The landmark that brought Palo to the annals of world history is

the Red Beach, in Brgy. Candahug, where Gen. Douglas
MacArthur first landed to liberate the Philippines from the
Japanese occupation on October 20, 1944. Palo was also once
the capital of Leyte. The towns Purissima Bridge was the first
steel bridge built in the province.

t
 On the spiritual side, Palo is believed to be a sacred place by
clerical observers. It is the seat of the ecclesiastical province, the
Archdiocese where the Roman Catholic Archbishop resides in
Bukit Tabor. One can find the Metropolitan Cathedral in Palo. Also
the seedbed of vocations to the priesthood is found in the Sacred
Heart Seminary and the St. John the Evangelist School of
Theology.

The Palo Cathedral has been rebuilt twice- in years prior to 1897
after destruction by fire and typhoon, and later in in 1897 when a
big typhoon unroofed the church, destroyed the convent and
other houses in town. Other notable Franciscans who stayed in
Palo were: Fr. Sebastian Almonacid ( whose grave inside the
church 1882- 1885); Fr. Juan Perez ( 1858 1861); Fr. Florentino
Garcia (1879-1882); Fr. Gil Martinez (1186-1887) and Fr. Dela
Fuente (1887-1898). The years in the parenthesis their stay in
Palo.
 Palo Cathedral was used as a site for holding a Leyte-Samar holy
synod in 1910 when Leyte and Samar clergy threshed. Out
problems of Catholic dogmas under the presidency of Bishop
Pablo Singzon and later in 1935 under the presidency of Bishop
Sofronio Hacbang .

Hill 522, near the outskirt of town on the banks of Bangon River
was cannoned and shelled on the fateful day. In its sides are
embedded hundreds of iron shrapnel. This majestic hill is actually
Guinhangdan, rich in gravel. However, this 522 is indicated in
army maps. The La Purisima Shrine, built on Guinhangdan Hill
sometime in 1887 by Spaniards was to dispel evil spirit which
people believed to be the cause of many accidents and deaths
on the premises. A steel bridge built by Pacific and Atlantic Gulf
Co. of manila in 1905
replace the wooden
span of the Spanish
time.