The Leyte provincial government said the newly-renovated MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park will be opened to the public on or before Oct. 20, in time for the 80th Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration.
Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said the local government-funded park maintenance and rehabilitation that started last June 13 is on track.
“The plan is to make sure that it is up and running by Oct. 20. People are disappointed to see it is closed, but we are making it worthwhile for our visitors,” Petilla told reporters on Tuesday.
The governor said the park renovation is their priority since the site is considered a center of attraction for both visitors and locals.
“We want to bring in more tourists. It will become a worthwhile place for them to go since there are restaurants, other park amenities, and lagoons,” he added.
The MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park is situated on a 6.78-hectare area in Candahug village in Palo, Leyte, that features seven double-life-size bronze statues on a man-made pool depicting the return of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Leyte province.
MacArthur Park was declared a national park on July 12, 1977, through Letter of Instructions No. 572 signed by then President Ferdinand Marcos.
The site is the same spot where Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived on Oct. 20, 1944, during the largest naval battle of World War II that led to Japan’s eventual surrender after almost three years of occupying the Philippines.
This year, Leyte province will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the historical event.
“It’s not going to be a big celebration. Ours is to commemorate, and to some extinct, it will be noticed. We want to make sure that people still remember,” Petilla told reporters.
It was on Oct. 20, 1944, when MacArthur, together with President Sergio Osmeña and Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, again set foot on Philippine soil, their first after they left Corregidor in 1942.
Their arrival started a battle that spanned 100,000 square miles of sea and was fought for three days, from Oct. 23 to 25, 1944, during the invasion of Leyte by the Allied forces.
The battle signaled the fulfillment of Gen. MacArthur’s famous words, “I shall return,” in Australia to muster support from the Allied forces in the quest to liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation. (PNA)
