Tacloban is the capital city of Leyte, having a population of 217,199 according to the 2007 census. It was first known as Kankabatok, a name that alluded to the first inhabitants of the place – the Kabatok. They established their dwelling in the vicinity of the present day Santo Niño church. Others who came later were thee Gumoda, Haraging and Huraw tribes who erected their own settlements in nearby sites. The Huraw’s domain was the hill where the city hall now sits. As a whole the combined settlements acquired the name Kankabatok, meaning Kabatok’s property.

By the end of the 16th century, Kankabatok was under the political administration of Palo and part of the parish of Basey, Samar. In 1770, when the Augustinian Mission discovered the place, they were superseded by the Franciscans in 1813. During this period, Kankabatok was changed to Tacloban. It is believed the change of the name came about in this manner: Kankabatok was a favorite haunt of fishermen. They would use a bamboo contraption called "Taklub" to catch crabs, shrimp and fish. When asked where they were going, the fishermen would answer, "to Tarakluban," which meant the place where they used the devise to catch these sea foods. Eventually, the name Tarakluban or Tacloban took prominence.

It is not definitely known when Tacloban became a municipality because records supporting this fact were destroyed during a typhoon. It is commonly believed that Tacloban was officially proclaimed a municipality in 1770. In 1768, Leyte and Samar were separated into two provinces, each constituting as a politico-military province. Due to its strategic location, Tacloban became a vital trading point between the two provinces.

On May 25, 1942, when the Japanese Forces landed in Tacloban, they fortified the city, improved its airfield and, since San Pedro Bay was an ideal port for large vessels, the Japanese Imperial Naval Forces made Tacloban a port of call and entry and initiated their three year occupation of Leyte. That event is considered to be the darkest day in the history of Tacloban and the entire nation, because men, women and even the aged were tortured. During this time, many guerilla groups sprouted in Leyte the most notable was the group commanded by Colonel Ruperto Kangleon.

Leyte was the first place to be liberated by the American Forces upon their return to the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur’s assault troops landed on the Tacloban and Palo Beaches (White Beach and Red Beach, respectively) and on the shores of the neighboring town of Dulag (Blue Beach) on October 20, 1944. These landings signaled the eventual victory of the American Forces and the fulfillment of McArthur’s now infamous promise of "I Shall Return." Worthy of special notation: The quote "I shall return" is probably the most widely remembered and respected quotes, from anyone at anytime, in the Filipino culture. It symbolized Gen. McArthur's true love of and sympathy for the Filipino people and demonstrated a humanitarian quality that is sorely lacking, sadly to say, about Filipino culture in general . . . that someone would actually keep their promise. There surely is no other foreigner more greatly respected in Filipino culture than Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and with good reason. As a former US NAVY submarine sailor, I am very much honored by this act of compassion and duty and the intense respect for the United States of America it earned with the Filipino people as a whole.

Three days later on October 23, at a ceremony in front of the Capitol Building in Tacloban, General McArthur, accompanied by President Sergio Osmeña, made Tacloban the temporary seat of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines and subsequently the temporary capital of the Philippines until the final liberation of the country. The provincial government of Leyte and the municipal government of Tacloban were also re-established.

Tacloban is literally loaded with points of interest and historical sites, considering its WWII significance and also that it was the hometown of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. Although there are island hopping and eco-tourist attractions here, same as everywhere else in a nation of 10,000 islands, the sheer abundance and historical significance of sites found in the local area greatly overwhelms the exotic allure of this island paradise. Additionally, having just spent the previous 2 days exploring exotic points of fancy and considering that the rest of the tour will primarily focus on the same, we will dedicate the guided tours in Tacloban to enriching your multicultural intellect and in putting your feet on the grounds where history was made and will never be forgotten by the Filipino people, as well as many Americans, Europeans and Japanese.

We will have 2 separate tours on the full day we are in Tacloban, starting with a morning tour of the city sights and attractions which also include some sites of WWII significance including the Provincial Capital Building, Santo Niño Shrine and Museum, the Redoña Residence, the Joseph Price Mansion, The Philippine Statue of Liberty, the Philippine-Japan Peace Memorial, The Marie Kannon Statue (Japanese Madonna) and gardens, the Crucified image of Christ statue and White beach. All of which are easily within walking distance of the resort but we will still ride the motorcycles.

After returning to the resort for lunch, we will embark on the second leg of our tour to visit the nearby town of Palo and the historical WWII sights in this town including the Monument of the Filipino Soldier, Hill 522, Red Beach, the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Landing Memorial and the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral. Returning to Tacloban, we will also visit Cavalry Hill and the San Juanico Bridge that spans the San Juanico strait, the narrowest (natural) navigable seaway in the world, and connects the Island of Leyte to the Island of Samar.