PALO,
Leyte, July 25 -- This town will light up the Association of Southeast Asian
Nation (ASEAN) landmark at the historic MacArthur Landing Memorial Park, tagged
as one of the 50 significant sites in the country.
The activity
is one of the highlights of the 50th ASEAN anniversary, in which Philippines is
the chairman this year.
Palo town
Mayor Remedios Petilla said they have been preparing for the event, which will
take place two days after the town fiesta celebration.
“The town
will celebrate the fiesta on August 6 and this will be extended until August 8
to celebrate ASEAN. The national government will provide huge lanterns with 10
logos signifying the 10 ASEAN member countries,” Petilla said during a press
briefing on Tuesday.
The
official said that ASEAN organizers picked the park, also known as Red Beach,
as one of the 50 sites considering its significance in Philippine history.
On
October 20, 1944, Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur, head of the largest US fleet of
transport and warships, accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña and
Gen Carlos P. Romulo, landed at Red Beach of this town to reclaim the
Philippines from the Japanese.
In the
afternoon of August 8, local government officials will lead a walk for peace
from the town center to the park with a distance of about 10 kilometers.
The
lighting will be held at 7:00 p.m. to be witnessed by local officials from
different towns in Eastern Visayas. At least 10 huge lanterns will be released
by key officials.
“We
expect that this is one of the best ASEAN celebrations because of community
participation,” she added.
As part
of the commemoration, there will be fireworks display, fire dances, concert,
and cultural performances. Also invited are the top three 2017 Kasadyaan
Festival winners – Tribu Buraburon of Burauen, Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, and
Sanggutan Festival of Barugo town .
ASEAN was
established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Alecxis L. Panganiban,
OJT/PNA)
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