Tourism office calls on Leyteños to set up wartime museum

DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) in Eastern Visayas has called on various stakeholders, including local governments to establish a wartime museum in the province of Leyte.

“It is ideal to have a museum that will showcase World War II memorabilias in Leyte. The museum could be one of the tourist spots in Leyte, where the world’s greatest naval battle took place 68 years ago,” DOT Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said during Wednesday’s Harampang ha PIA (Philippine Information Agency).

Tiopes said during the time of then governor Remedios Petilla, the Provincial Government had planned to build a museum within the area where the MacArthur Landing Memorial is located.

Based on the initial plan, the museum will have interactive displays and a docent who will tell what happened during the war.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history. It was fought in waters near Leyte ad Samar from October 20 to 26, 1944 between combined US and Australian forces and the Japanese imperial Army.

“I hope that the next governor will prioritize the building of a wartime museum where memorabilia, photo and other historical items related to the Leyte Gulf Landings could be displayed and visited by tourists,” Tiopes said.

Some wartime memorabilia are currently displayed in private galleries such as Hotel Alejandro, the former Divine Word University, College Assurance Plan Building (formerly Price Mansion) and Redoña Residence.

Tiopes also challenged the private sector to help the local government in the undertaking since a museum could be an earning entity through receipts.

Meanwhile, Tiopes said the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) has asked the local government unit of Palo to submit a work program for the rehabilitation of the MacArthur Landing Memorial Park.

“The project actually involves the putting up of rest areas, lighting facilities and improvement of the beachside perimeter. The Tieza budget for this undertaking usually ranges from P1 to 5 million,” Tiopes said.

The landing memorial is a monument marking the spot where American general Douglas MacArthur landed with the liberation forces on Oct. 20, 1944. Other attractions on the site include the lagoon where bigger than life-size statues of the liberators; the Red Beach and the 50th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary commemorative rock garden. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)