Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TYPHOON YOLANDA
On November 8, 2013,
Typhoon Yolanda
(known internationally as Haiyan) hit the southeastern
tip of Samar with wind speeds of up to 315 kph. The superstorm left a broad band of destruction
through northern Leyte, northern Cebu, northeastern Panay and finally Busuanga, in Palawan,
before leaving the archipelago. Yolanda made landfall near Guiuan, which was almost completely
destroyed, and 2m-plus storm surges wreaked havoc in Tacloban. In spite of a huge
international
relief effort
, many of the worst affected areas remained without power, clean water and supplies
for weeks. Looting became a major problem, while in unaffected regions local businesses and
individuals rallied to raise funds and support.
Economically the recovery period will be counted in years, but for the families of the six
thousand dead the losses are clearly irreparable. Aid groups were camped out in Tacloban until
at least mid-2014, but sustained support is needed to help rebuild.
Tourism
can have a role
here, and in popular areas (Malapascua for example; see p.285), tourist dollars have catalysed
recovery. However, the worst hit areas in Samar and Leyte were still - at the time of writing
- reeling from the effects of Yolanda and principal tourist sights including Sohoton National
Park remained inaccessible. Though there would be an argument to encourage tourism to the
hardest hit areas in Samar or Leyte, as per the Department of Tourism's nationwide “
Bangon
Tours
” programme, whereby at least five percent is donated to recovery projects (see
W
tpb
.gov.ph/bangon-tours), six months on infrastructure is still sketchy, many buildings are roofless,
storm debris lines the streets and, unfortunately, the best advice for now is to avoid further
straining limited resource in the worst affected areas, particularly Guiuan and Calicoan.
6
attractive town of
Ormoc
, the coastal road takes you through the ferry ports of
Baybay
and
Maasin
before reaching
Padre Burgos
, renowned for its scuba diving. Off the
southern tip of Leyte is
Limasawa Island
, an isolated outcrop where some believe
Magellan conducted the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
LEYTE
By plane
Leyte's only major airport is at Tacloban, served
by several daily flights from Manila with Cebu Pacific,
Philippine Airlines and Air Asia. Cebu Pacific also has two
daily flights to Cebu.
By boat
Fast ferry connections link the port of Ormoc with
Cebu, and there are also slower boats from Cebu to Bato,
Baybay, Hilongos and Maasin on Leyte's west coast. There
are also sailings between Cebu City and Naval on the island
of Biliran.
By bus
Buses to Leyte operate from Manila (a long haul
through Bicol and Samar) and there are also regular daily
services to Tacloban from Biliran, and from Samar via the
San Juanico Bridge.
Tacloban and around
On the northeast coast,
TACLOBAN
is associated by most Filipinos with that tireless
collector of shoes, Imelda Marcos, who was born a little south of here in the small
coastal town of Tolosa to the prominent Romualdez family. Numerous streets and
buildings bear the Romualdez name, including the airport. In her youth, Imelda was a
local beauty queen, and referred to herself in later life as “the rose of Tacloban”. The
famed
San Juanico Bridge
, presented by Ferdinand to Imelda as testimony to his love, is
another legacy of the Marcos connection.
Several months after
Typhoon Yolanda
, recovery efforts were still in full swing at the
time of writing, and although most hotels and restaurants were starting to get back on
their feet, there were still huge encampments on the outskirts of town to house those who
lost their homes in the storm. In many ways, though, it's business as usual in the city
itself and Tacloban remains a typically busy, dirty city, with most activity centred around
the port and the market. here are few tourist attractions, though if you are here for a day
or two you'll find the city has everything you need: some good accommodation,
numerous ticket outlets for onward journeys and banks and restaurants huddled in the
compact centre to the south of
Magsaysay Boulevard
.
