Historic Leyte town lines up activities for fiesta celebration

PALO, Leyte, July 27 (PNA) -– This town, the center of Roman Catholic faith in Eastern Visayas, will celebrate its 186th Fiesta Day with series of activities geared towards acknowledgment of the town’s development over the past decades.

Topping the list of activities are the launching of the Palo Tourism and investment promotion office and the opening night of several activities held at the town’s plaza.

The nightly activities will kick off Wednesday and will end on August 5.

During the opening, there will be a fireworks display and dance competition. The following night, the highlight is the presentation of students from the Saint Paul School of Professional Studies.

On July 30, the Saint Marys Academy of Palo will present socio-cultural activities.

Local poems will be read on the night of July 31 to be followed with a presentation from Loboc Youth Ambassador Band. Song and dance presentation will continue the following night through the Tug-tug Sayaw Awit and Birit Idol grand finals.

On August 2, a job fair will be conducted together with Agri- Aqua Trade Fair at the town’s plaza. A concert dubbed as music and dance icon, variety show, and magic show is scheduled at night.

Highlights on August 3 is the hip hop challenge grand finals and night of the faculty and students of the Eastern Vsiayas State University.

On fiesta eve, local town officials, employees and village officials will showcase their talents.

On August 5, the town’s youth group will have a big celebration. It will be followed with a fireworks display. It will be capped with a dance party sponsored by Love Radio Tacloban.

“I want to enjoin everyone to celebrate the 186th Palo Day Celebration. Let us be one in the joy of celebrating the development of Palo,” said Mayor Remedios L. Petilla.

Palo, a neighboring town of Tacloban, the regional capital, is a 3rd class town in Leyte province. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 70,052 people.

The town is the seat of most government departments, bureaus and regional offices in Eastern Visayas, although some are situated in Tacloban.

The town is also home to the offices of the ecclesiastical government of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo; the archbishop's residence; as well as the secondary, tertiary and theology seminaries of the archdiocese.

Palo is considered to be one of the most historical towns of the province. It is well known as the site of General Douglas MacArthur’s return to the Philippines together with Philippine and American military forces after a period of exile in 1944. (PNA)

PGL/SQM/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/EGR