TACLOBAN CITY – Having a museum is essential for the preservation of historical artifacts in the province of Leyte where the public can to visit to learn its rich history.

Thus said the regional director of the Department of Tourism Regional, Karina Rosa Tiopes, reacting on the plan of the provincial government to convert the old provincial capitol building into a museum.

Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla announced last month that they will be converting the old capitol building located here in the city into a museum while the legislative building will be use as events place.

Work for this plan will start within this year, according to him.

“Leyte is rich in history but we don’t have place to go where we can really tell that story. We go of course to the site like World War II engagement site but we do not have one place where we can show and learn the history of Leyte not just probably centered on World War II but all throughout,” Tiopes said.

The museum may also feature or showcase milestone of its people in their journey towards the quincentennial commemoration of Ferdinand Magellan and Roman Catholicism arrival in the country which the Philippines celebrated this year.

Recently, two groups had visited the province, one from Metro Manila while the other from the United States.

The group from Metro Manila specializes in World War II memorial tour that bring in US nationals, some of veterans while others are their relatives to engagement sites in the country.

Tiopes said that the group had long been bringing in foreign tourists to the country but they only visits the World War II engagement sites in Luzon area.
This year, the group will be bringing in foreign tourists to the province.

“This time they are including Leyte because this year their theme is victory in the Pacific, and that victorious event happened here in Leyte,” Tiopes said.

“The market is there, just waiting for us to say, we are ready for this kind of tour,” the tourism official added.

Every 20th of October, the province of Leyte is celebrating the Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration which celebrates the arrival of Allied Forces headed by General Douglas Macarthur in Philippine soil in 1944.

His arrival together with hundreds of Naval fleet with more than 200, 000 personnel was dubbed to be the biggest Naval battle in human history.

Another visitor the province had in relation to Word War II was Nathan Huegen, Director for Travel of the National World War II Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Huegen visited some World War II engagement sites in the province with the help of the provincial tourism office.

After his visit, he had a feedback meeting with the provincial government and the DOT on how to enhance some areas and on tour guiding.

“By next year probably they will bring in guests. They brings in about four groups in a year from the US who do memorial tour,” Tiopes said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Vows to give PH back-to-back Miss Globe crown

TACLOBAN CITY- Binibining Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez made a two-day homecoming to this city as she promised to do her best to retain the international crown to the country.

The 23-year old Taclobanon returned to the city on Wednesday(Sept.21), more than two months since bagging the crown that will bring her to compete its international version in Tirana, Albania on October 15.

She paid a courtesy visit to City Mayor Alfred Romualdez at his office on Thursday(Sept.22) to express her gratitude for the support of the city government on her journey for the title.
According to Fernandez, crowned as Miss Tacloban in 2017, she is feeling the pressure as the Miss Globe crown is being held by a Filipina, Maureen Montagne.

“I have to admit that there is a pressure considering that the current holder is from our country, the Philippines. Its kind hard to achieve for a back-to-back win but it is not impossible,” she said in a press conference called by the city government.

And for her to achieve this, the 5’7 beauty queen has embarked a strenuous training like doing her own ‘pasarela’ walk and improving her speaking skills.

She said that she is giving focus on her speaking skills as one of the categories in the Miss Globe competition is a head-to-head debate challenge among candidates.

The winner of the head-to-head debate eventually gets a spot for the final round.

Fernandez is a graduate of mass communication major in broadcasting in one of the private colleges here in the city.

Aside from a press conference and a meet and greet with her fans and a motorcade, Fernandez visited an elementary school and a women and children’s center for the abused.

In her visit to the facility, she met a girl who was also named as Chelsea who asked her for a hug and told her that she is an inspiration, the beauty queen said.

“I told her to tread her own path and I am pretty sure she will make it on her own. But it is nice to be inspiration to our young children,’ Fernandez said.

Meantime, Fernandez admitted that if she will not get the Miss Globe crown, she is not discounting the possibility of joining another ‘big’ beauty contest in two years’ time.

She declined to say if she is eyeing the Miss Universe-Philippine pageant.

Prior to her being crowned as Binibining Pilipinas-Globe, among the titles Fernandez won was the Miss Philippines Earth-Water in 2019.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)