Tacloban to Ormoc to Cebu Sights and Scenes 140317
Circumstances are as if leading me to prove what I have been saying all along... that there will always be something notable, even on the common routes we take often!
Take this route I keep traveling: Catbalogan-Tacloban-Ormoc-Cebu. Here I was again, passing-by, like I did 2 weeks ago. And I've seen things 'worthy of space' in my brain.
Oops, let's clarify that last pronouncement... yes worthy of space in my head, but, the human brain forgets, therefore let me rephrase that into: worthy of space in my blog!
My title says "Tacloban to Ormoc". What ever happened to "Catbalogan to Tacloban" before that? Aw, 2 things: 1) nothing much caught my attention; and 2) nakatulog ako!
Maybe that satisfying 'silog' lunch at Cafe Maria Rosario made me drowsy!
Anyway...
It was the same old route as before: 1) Catbalogan-Tacloban on a Grand Tours van; 2) Tacloban-Ormoc on a Grand Tours van; 3) Ormoc-Cebu fastcraft via Weesam this time.
Only when I departed Tacloban, did things started catching my attention. Like this:
At 4:35PM and 4:38PM on a Monday, why were jeeps already too full to the roof? Ah well, maybe those folks were on 'morning shift' of their respective jobs at city center!
Never assume, especially if it's something negative about people. Istoryaheee hahaha!
Alright, 6 minutes thereafter, my Grand Tours van was exiting Tacloban City...
As I took that photo, I mused that 'it should take time for Tacloban City Government to repair that arch signage, since it has no priority value in recovery from Yolanda/Haiyan.'
Oist, I'm saying that because, I remembered, I happen to know someone, who happen to have intimated to me, some of the things that his company intended to do (to help in the Yolanda-recovery efforts) - and one of those was/is to "repair signage on that arch".
And I sarcastically said... asus, yung "L" lang na natanggal, recovery effort nyo na yun? If I know, gusto nyo lang magkaroon ng 'x-deal' na maglagay ng mga company ads nyo!
Then we were in Palo, Leyte. This is the most prominent (historical) corner of town.
Turning left on that corner goes to Abuyog, down to the east side of Southern Leyte. Turning right (where my van was headed) goes to Ormoc all the way down to Baybay.
The fame of that corner was c/o an imposing old house ahead. Can you see it?
I took another shot when the van was nearest that ruined ancestral house. This...
It was big with a red roof, and quite appealingly imposing. I always liked looking at it every time I'd passed by. And just when I started knowing more about it, na-Yolanda!
It was the ancestral house of Pio Pedrosa, a prominent 'civil servant' from this town. In fact, the street at left is named Pio Pedrosa Ave. He was a Budget Commissioner under President Manuel L. Quezon, retaining that role until President Manuel A. Roxas.
Became Finance Secretary, Chairman of the Monetary Board, Chairman of National Economic Council, and also the President of PNB under President Elpidio R. Quirino.
After retiring, he went on to become the President of Prudential Bank. And OMG, he was even a Housing & Urban Development Secretary under President Fidel V. Ramos!
No wonder there is even a book written about him!
Yet (bago pa nag-Yolanda) I discovered something else too. Paloanons (the people of Palo - especially jeep & trike drivers) call that house "Library". That is because, ground level was the town's municipal library & mini-museum, touted as a first in the region.
As the van turned right on that corner, to my right was the recovering Palo Cathedral.
You can see the roof is not yet done, but compared to many edifices in the Yolanda-devastated areas, that is even fast. Buti naman kung ganun (aw, iba na ang me pera)!
Oh, that tube-like thing standing on foreground is the 'glass tower' that I also visited back in 2009. I heard talk about it being miraculous, since it was spared by Yolanda.
I keep quiet, but in my mind I beg to differ. The shape of that structure saved it!
Anyway, sayang the big trees that surrounded this cathedral. Too many are gone.
Well, silver lining for us passers-by, you can already see its beauty without stopping!
Last na (driver already wondering why I kept clicking. I think he slowed down for me)!
2 things that I wanted to capture in that shot: 1] church roof was/is almost finished. Almost lang but not yet (look at the right edge of the photo); 2] nandyan si bubuyog o!
For those who didn't know, behind that truck is the cathedral's main entrance, where Love Añover and her GMA TV news camera crew took shelter from Yolanda's wrath.
Oist, from that last picture above, I stayed ready for mere seconds to catch this:
My van was zooming fast, but I knew this was coming, just after the plaza, from the church. That is the municipal hall of Palo - not totally, but very heavily damaged too.
One of these days, I should take time to roam these areas on foot. Sana soon.
Two minutes after passing by the munisipyo, I was in "the killing fields" again hehe!
I'm guessing, this was in the vicinity of Palo's Brgy. Arado. It is not heavily populated like the central barangays, but devastated areas are easily seen as vehicles pass by.
That's why I jokingly call this "the killing fields" for indeed it looks cinematically so!
Look at the coconut trees, they're just like sticks or posts since the leaves are gone.
And by the way, from this area going west (left), the terrain starts to be wide plains of ricefields, so that much of everything became visible from the hi-way, after Yolanda.
A little onwards, as the van sped-thru, I saw this "roofless" elementary school.
Help (from wherever), at least already afforded 3 or 4 of their buildings to sport new roofs. And yet there are still 2 big white tents (temporary classrooms) on the ground.
I think this was Brgy. Libertad (still of Palo), so that must have been Libertad ES. And I could see remnants of a concrete fence, plus a humungous fallen tree still around!
Maryusep 'no?! But surely there were no children in that area when Yolanda came.
A few meters on, there was this basketball court surrounded by what looked like the remnants of a barangay hall, a multipurpose building and a chapel or church? OMG!
Hard to tell if you're just zooming-by on a V-Hire and not familiar with this place. Yet easy to tell, that Yolanda must have caused very serious damage to their structures.
Of the many Yolanda-stricken places I have seen, if we remove the storm-surge as a factor, these plains of Palo, Sta. Fe, Alangalang & Jaro are probably most devastated.
These areas now teem with blue, silver, gray or white (mostly temporary) new roofs.
Many of those blues, grays and whites are (still) tents. Some are the very same tent-materials made as roof for the mean time.The shiny silvers are (donated) GI sheets.
Well, there are a scattering of green or maroon new roofs. Those are also GI sheets, but more on the sturdier type, therefore permanent. Me pambili lang sila o ang donor.
When passing by these areas, you'll really silently say "thank you world for the help".
Alright, enough of those devastated scenes (since it was getting dark anyway). But, Yolanda/Haiyan or not, the many pasaway on the roads of this country still abound!
That is a school girl riding habal-habal style with probably his father. Forget helmets, nobody wears them when not at metropolises, even if wearing them is a national law!
Did you know (this is common from Luzon to Mindanao) There are safety-concious or law-abiding riders who do try to wear helmets in the provinces. Pinag-tatawanan pa!
But helmets were not even the main issue why I took that picture. My van was about to overtake that tricycle; we were already accelerating and in the middle of the road.
Suddenly that motorbike came zooming (at least from our left) to overtake us, then it abruptly swerved to the right (middle of this 'national hi-way) and wobbled unsteadily.
Our driver had to slam on his brakes. If that motorbike crashed on its own (because it wobbled on its own), our van wouldn't have had time to stop and avoid crushing it.
Kung nagkataon, makukulong pa ang driver namin, sa kagaguhan ng ungas na yan!
I almost laughed at a voice from behind me saying "hubog ada it nga manunulay"!
Anyway..,
Make the long story short dahil wala na akong makita sa dilim, we arrived in Ormoc.
I clicked not to photograph anything but just to record the time of day! It said 1855H.
And by 1942H this was my next picture, on board a Weesam Express to Cebu!
Why does it look too narrow with only a few seats? That's business class section on the upper deck and behind it (behind me as I took that shot) is an open viewing deck.
Of course I went to experience that viewdeck, but what do you see at night, at sea?!
Ayan hehehe, the moon playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. And amoy usok dyan!
Maybe if I rode this Weesam during day-time, I may probably patiently bear with the smell of engine smoke, just to see islets, other boats, etc., along the way. Ok, noted!
Anyway..,
At 2227H, here I was walking by the side of Cebu's Pier 1, going out to catch a cab.
Aw yes, you can see the "insides" of the building from outside those glass windows, as you walk to exit. It gets empty late at night, when all boats have departed. Noted.
Why the need to note that down? Ay, that means there'll be few (or no) cabs outside.
'Nya kay Lacion pa ra ba ko! Ah, ay na ta aning gabii m'dunggo. Kuyawness!
Take this route I keep traveling: Catbalogan-Tacloban-Ormoc-Cebu. Here I was again, passing-by, like I did 2 weeks ago. And I've seen things 'worthy of space' in my brain.
Oops, let's clarify that last pronouncement... yes worthy of space in my head, but, the human brain forgets, therefore let me rephrase that into: worthy of space in my blog!
My title says "Tacloban to Ormoc". What ever happened to "Catbalogan to Tacloban" before that? Aw, 2 things: 1) nothing much caught my attention; and 2) nakatulog ako!
Maybe that satisfying 'silog' lunch at Cafe Maria Rosario made me drowsy!
Anyway...
It was the same old route as before: 1) Catbalogan-Tacloban on a Grand Tours van; 2) Tacloban-Ormoc on a Grand Tours van; 3) Ormoc-Cebu fastcraft via Weesam this time.
Only when I departed Tacloban, did things started catching my attention. Like this:
Never assume, especially if it's something negative about people. Istoryaheee hahaha!
Alright, 6 minutes thereafter, my Grand Tours van was exiting Tacloban City...
Oist, I'm saying that because, I remembered, I happen to know someone, who happen to have intimated to me, some of the things that his company intended to do (to help in the Yolanda-recovery efforts) - and one of those was/is to "repair signage on that arch".
And I sarcastically said... asus, yung "L" lang na natanggal, recovery effort nyo na yun? If I know, gusto nyo lang magkaroon ng 'x-deal' na maglagay ng mga company ads nyo!
Then we were in Palo, Leyte. This is the most prominent (historical) corner of town.
The fame of that corner was c/o an imposing old house ahead. Can you see it?
I took another shot when the van was nearest that ruined ancestral house. This...
It was the ancestral house of Pio Pedrosa, a prominent 'civil servant' from this town. In fact, the street at left is named Pio Pedrosa Ave. He was a Budget Commissioner under President Manuel L. Quezon, retaining that role until President Manuel A. Roxas.
Became Finance Secretary, Chairman of the Monetary Board, Chairman of National Economic Council, and also the President of PNB under President Elpidio R. Quirino.
After retiring, he went on to become the President of Prudential Bank. And OMG, he was even a Housing & Urban Development Secretary under President Fidel V. Ramos!
No wonder there is even a book written about him!
Yet (bago pa nag-Yolanda) I discovered something else too. Paloanons (the people of Palo - especially jeep & trike drivers) call that house "Library". That is because, ground level was the town's municipal library & mini-museum, touted as a first in the region.
As the van turned right on that corner, to my right was the recovering Palo Cathedral.
Oh, that tube-like thing standing on foreground is the 'glass tower' that I also visited back in 2009. I heard talk about it being miraculous, since it was spared by Yolanda.
I keep quiet, but in my mind I beg to differ. The shape of that structure saved it!
Anyway, sayang the big trees that surrounded this cathedral. Too many are gone.
Last na (driver already wondering why I kept clicking. I think he slowed down for me)!
For those who didn't know, behind that truck is the cathedral's main entrance, where Love Añover and her GMA TV news camera crew took shelter from Yolanda's wrath.
Oist, from that last picture above, I stayed ready for mere seconds to catch this:
One of these days, I should take time to roam these areas on foot. Sana soon.
Two minutes after passing by the munisipyo, I was in "the killing fields" again hehe!
That's why I jokingly call this "the killing fields" for indeed it looks cinematically so!
And by the way, from this area going west (left), the terrain starts to be wide plains of ricefields, so that much of everything became visible from the hi-way, after Yolanda.
A little onwards, as the van sped-thru, I saw this "roofless" elementary school.
I think this was Brgy. Libertad (still of Palo), so that must have been Libertad ES. And I could see remnants of a concrete fence, plus a humungous fallen tree still around!
Maryusep 'no?! But surely there were no children in that area when Yolanda came.
A few meters on, there was this basketball court surrounded by what looked like the remnants of a barangay hall, a multipurpose building and a chapel or church? OMG!
Of the many Yolanda-stricken places I have seen, if we remove the storm-surge as a factor, these plains of Palo, Sta. Fe, Alangalang & Jaro are probably most devastated.
Many of those blues, grays and whites are (still) tents. Some are the very same tent-materials made as roof for the mean time.The shiny silvers are (donated) GI sheets.
Well, there are a scattering of green or maroon new roofs. Those are also GI sheets, but more on the sturdier type, therefore permanent. Me pambili lang sila o ang donor.
When passing by these areas, you'll really silently say "thank you world for the help".
Alright, enough of those devastated scenes (since it was getting dark anyway). But, Yolanda/Haiyan or not, the many pasaway on the roads of this country still abound!
Did you know (this is common from Luzon to Mindanao) There are safety-concious or law-abiding riders who do try to wear helmets in the provinces. Pinag-tatawanan pa!
But helmets were not even the main issue why I took that picture. My van was about to overtake that tricycle; we were already accelerating and in the middle of the road.
Suddenly that motorbike came zooming (at least from our left) to overtake us, then it abruptly swerved to the right (middle of this 'national hi-way) and wobbled unsteadily.
Our driver had to slam on his brakes. If that motorbike crashed on its own (because it wobbled on its own), our van wouldn't have had time to stop and avoid crushing it.
Kung nagkataon, makukulong pa ang driver namin, sa kagaguhan ng ungas na yan!
I almost laughed at a voice from behind me saying "hubog ada it nga manunulay"!
Anyway..,
Make the long story short dahil wala na akong makita sa dilim, we arrived in Ormoc.
And by 1942H this was my next picture, on board a Weesam Express to Cebu!
Of course I went to experience that viewdeck, but what do you see at night, at sea?!
Maybe if I rode this Weesam during day-time, I may probably patiently bear with the smell of engine smoke, just to see islets, other boats, etc., along the way. Ok, noted!
Anyway..,
At 2227H, here I was walking by the side of Cebu's Pier 1, going out to catch a cab.
Why the need to note that down? Ay, that means there'll be few (or no) cabs outside.
'Nya kay Lacion pa ra ba ko! Ah, ay na ta aning gabii m'dunggo. Kuyawness!
#EasternVisayas #TravelPhilippines #Leyte
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