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Region 8: Eastern Visayas ••• Leyte Tacloban Located
on the western coast and facing Basey on Samar Island, Tacloban,
lso called Cancabatoc and Casiromlan although presently Leyte’s
capital, was for many centuries a visita of Palo.
In
1596, The Jesuits founded Tacloban as a satellite of Basey and a
visita of Palo. Its
foundation as a town is uncertain.
Tantuico (107) gives the date 1669 while Braganza (table
5) gives 1770, although he interprets it the date for the erection
of the parish, under the advocacy of the Sto. Niño. In
1768, Palo was ceded to the Augustinians. In
1774, 15 October, The casa real and prison were constructed; and
the capital of Leyte transferred from Carigara to Tacloban. In
1804, According to Redondo the oldest parochial records as of 1884
date to this year. On
31 May 1824, Leyte’s capital was returned to Carigara. But on 26 Februrary 1830, Tacloban was
constituted capital again. That
year, Fray de la Fuente remodeled the church. Heritage sites: Church—Because
of the Leyteños’ fervent devotion to the Sto. Niño,
the church has been enlarged and renovated so often that it is no
longer possible to make out what traces back to de la Fuente’s
time. Delicate neogothic retablos decorate the
sides of the church, however, their dates are uncertain. Neogothic styles were used in Philippine
churches as a late as the 1930s. The ivory image of the town patron is certainly from colonial
times. Tacloban
still celebrates the memory that it was once a visita of Basey. Before the annual feast of the Sto. Niño,
celebrated in January, the ivory image is brought to the town of
Basey. Then on the
feast day, it is brought by a fluvial procession, lead by Basey’s
town mayor, to a special dock near the Tacloban church from which
the image is transported to its altar.
The people of Basey are warmly welcomed for the feast. Price
Mansion: Red
Beach: |
