Philippine's Notorious Gang Leader Baby-Ama

This is Baby-Ama, the youngest leader of the notorious Sige-Sige Gang. Imprisoned for theft but in jail for years due to successive murders inside New Bilibid Prison in Muntinglupa.

Mastermind of the biggest riot in the history of Muntinglupa, accused of killing 9 people, one beheaded. Electrocuted October 4, 1961.

Friday, April 25, 2014 by Anonymous · 0

Leyteño you should know: Daniel Romualdez

Daniel Z. Romualdez (September 11, 1907 – March 22, 1965) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1957 to 1962. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Daniel Romualdez, of Pandacan, Manila and former owner of the Malacanang Gardens, the huge expanse of land dedicated to entertaining guests of the Philippine presidents. Another namesake is a first cousin once removed, Daniel Gomez Romualdez, the New York architect and son of former ambassador and governor Benjamin Trinidad Romualdez (brother of Imelda Marcos).

Daniel "Danieling" Romualdez was born in Tolosa, Leyte. His father, Miguel, once served as an assemblyman for Leyte and mayor of the city of Manila.[1] His great-grandfather was involved in the Sumoroy Revolt but narrowly escaped Spanish execution when he was allowed by David Dula to visit his ailing mother. Dula and his seven trusted men were later executed in Palapag, Northern Samar and were buried in unmarked graves without Roman Catholic rites. Superstitions existed that a Romualdez was to die that day in Palapag. More than fifty years later, Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Norberto Romuáldez, Danieling's famous uncle and the man who made their surname distinguished in society, would suddenly die of a heart attack in Palapag, hometown of his second wife Beatriz, daughter of the parish priest Fray Salustiano Buz, who insisted on campaigning at the grassroots level for the Philippine Senate elections when he was almost guaranteed to win on account of his nationwide reputation.

Romualdez enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila. He obtained his law degree in 1931.

Thursday, October 10, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum

The Sto Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum sits beside the People’s Center in Real Street, Tacloban City. The Shrine houses paintings of the 14 stations of the Cross done by Filipino artists, wooden bas-relief of the legend of the First Filipino man-woman (Si Malakas at si Maganda); tastefully decorated guestrooms of varied Filipino motifs; image of the Holy Child; a collection of original paintings by Fernando Amorsolo; spacious ballroom; and priceless collector’s items. Former First Lady Imelda Marcos built the Shrine as the First Family’s Residence in Tacloban City.

Thursday, September 19, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

People’s Center and Library

An imposing neoclassical structure along Real Street, Tacloban City, People’s Center is a huge social hall space on the ground floor and a library in the second floor. It has a huge collection of historical documents recording the rich cultural heritage of the people of Samar and Leyte; a collection of dioramas of the 82 ethnic tribes of the Philippines; a collection of books on the humanities, and reading rooms. Serious bibliophiles, and curators will be dismayed by the conditions of the books. Numerous antique tables and chairs along the hallways for ordinary library use.

Thursday, September 19, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Redona Residence

The Redona Residence in T. Claudio Street, is one of the remaining house built in the turn of the 19th century. It is a showcase of Filipino craftsmanship, and architecture. This historic mansion is in need of serious restoration for the legacy of historical architecture. It was the official residence of President Sergio Osmeña, Sr. in 1944, when Leyte was the seat of the Philippine government during the Liberation from the Japanese campaign until Philippine Commonwealth was re-established in Manila.

Thursday, September 19, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Colonel Ruperto Kangleon

Very few people outside of Leyte may have heard the name of Colonel Ruperto Kangleon. He was the famous guerilla leader during the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II. Although he had done a lot to help the American forces by organizing underground resistance and also providing valuable intelligence information, his career was not without the usual detractors who questioned his motives.

He was once captured by the Japanese forces and imprisoned. However, many believed he was freed by his captors to become a double agent who also provided intelligence to the Japanese forces. In short, his military career is shrouded in controversy even to this day as historians have a hard time placing his whereabouts on certain important days and events during the war. Col. Kangleon is Leyte’s most famous son and he was posthumously given the rank of brigadier general 36 years after he died.

He had previously served as the Secretary of National Defense and also ran and won as a senator of the republic.

Headquarters, U.S. Forces-Pacific, General Orders No. 258 (1946)
Born: March 27, 1890 at Macrohon, Leyte, Philippine Islands
Home Town: Leyte, Philippine Islands.

Friday, September 13, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

History of Tacloban City, Leyte

Tacloban was known as Kankabatok, a name alluded to the first inhabitants of the place – Kabatok. They established their dwelling in the vicinity of the present day Sto. Niño church. Others who came later were Gumoda, Haraging and Huraw who erected their own settlements in nearby sites. Huraw’s domain is the hill where the city hall now sits. As a whole the combined settlements acquired the name Kankabatok, meaning Kabatok’s property. By the end of the 16th century, Kankabatok was under the political administration of Palo and part of the parish of Basey, Samar. In 1770, the Augustinian Mission discovered the place, they were superseded by the Franciscans in 1813. During this period, Kankabatok was changed to Tacloban. The change of the name came about in this manner: Kankabatok was a favorite haunt of fishermen. They would use a bamboo contraption called "Taklub" to catch crabs, shrimps or fish. When asked where they were going, the fishermen would answer, "(to) Tarakluban," which meant the place where they used the devise to catch these marine resources. Eventually, the name Tarakluban or Tacloban took prominence.


It is not definitely known when Tacloban became a municipality because records supporting this fact were destroyed during a typhoon. It is commonly believed that Tacloban was officially proclaimed a municipality in 1770. In 1768, Leyte and Samar were separated into two provinces, each constituting as a politico-military province. Due to its strategic location, Tacloban became a vital trading point between the two provinces. The capital of Leyte was transferred from one town to another with Tacloban as the last on February 26, 1830. The decision to make Tacloban the capital was based on the following reasons: 1. Ideal location of the port and 2. Well-sheltered and adequate facilities. On June 12, 1952, Tacloban was proclaimed a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act No. 760. Tacloban is a Waray speaking city. The language is also officially called Lineyte-Samarnon ("Leyte-Samarnon"). A decade before the end of the Spanish sovereignty, the place was dominantly a typical colonial community. Most of its residents were either pure Iberian families or the new generations of Spanish-Filipino blood. Today’s population consists of a healthy mix of Spanish and Chinese mestizos, foreign expatriates and the native Leyteños.

The arrival of Colonel Murray in 1901 made him the first military governor of Leyte. His first official act was the opening of Tacloban port to world commerce. Before World War II, Tacloban was the commercial, education, social and cultural center of the Province of Leyte. Copra and abaca were exported in large quantities. The leading institutions were: The Leyte Normal School, Leyte High School, Leyte Trade School, Holy Infant Academy and the Tacloban Catholic Institute. On May 25, 1942, The Japanese Forces landed in Tacloban, they fortified the city, improved its airfield, a since San Pedro Bay was ideal for larger vessels, the Japanese Imperial Naval Forces made Tacloban a port of call and entry. The Japanese started the three years occupation of Leyte. That event was considered the darkest in the history of Tacloban and the entire nation, because men and women and even the ages were tortured. During this time, many guerilla groups sprouted in Leyte the most notable was the group of Colonel Ruperto Kangleon.

Leyte was the first to be liberated by the Americans. General Douglas MacArthur’s assault troops landed in the Tacloban and Palo Beaches (White Beach and Red Beach, respectively) and in the neighboring town of Dulag (Blue Beach) on October 20, 1944. These landings signaled the eventual victory of the American Forces and the fulfillment of MacArthur’s famous promise on "I Shall Return."

Friday, September 06, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Lucy Marie Torres Gomez

Torres was born on December 11, 1974, in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines to Manuel “Manoling” Torres, Jr. and Julie Martinez. Her family owned several hectares of land in the province. She is of German, Spanish, Chinese, and native Malay descent. Torres attended elementary and high school at St. Peter's College in Ormoc City. In college, she studied at the University of the Philippines Cebu, where she graduated with a degree in Business Management.

Commonly known as Lucy Torres and Lucy Torres-Gomez, is a Filipina actress, model, television host and Representative-elect of the 4th District of Leyte. She is the wife of actor Richard Gomez. In 1993, Torres was introduced as the new model for Lux shampoo together with her future husband, actor Richard Gomez. They were married at the St. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Ormoc in 1998.

The two were cast in the ABS-CBN television series Richard Loves Lucy along with Gloria Romero and Jolina Magdangal. She has also hosted All About You, Shall We Dance?, and The Sweet Life. Torres is also presently an endorser in the clothing brand Bench and one of the celebrity designers for Kashieca, another clothing brand.

Thursday, September 05, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Monica Sacay

Pop singer born in Leyte, Philippines. Monica Sacay is the third runner-up of Star Power: Sharon Search For the Next Female Superstar. She is dubbed as "The Charming Biritera of Leyte".

Monica was adopted at an early age. She sang in weddings, birthday parties and even wakes to earn money for her foster parents. Monica gained popularity by joining the Philippine singing competition hosted by Sharon Cuneta, Erik Santos, and Christian Bautista. She finished the competition in 3rd place.

She also has a half-brother and a half-sister from her mother side but both of her biological parents are already dead. Her half-sister, Davelyn Cuenco, sings well like Monica.

Tuesday, September 03, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Mario Teodoro Failon Etong

Mario Teodoro Failon Etong (born March 29, 1962) Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, better known by his names Ted Failon or Teodoro Failon is a Filipino broadcast journalist, radio commentator, and a former congressman representing the first district of Leyte, Philippines, from 2001 to 2004.

Winner, Best Male TV Newscaster "TV Patrol" - 26th PMPC Star Awards For TV 2012. Winner, Best Male TV Newscaster Metro Manila "TV Patrol" - KBP Golden Dove Awards. Winner, Best Male Radio Newscaster Metro Manila "Radio Patrol Alas Siyete" - KBP Golden Dove Awards.

Thursday, August 29, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

The History of Southern Leyte

About Southern Leyte Southern Leyte is one of the six provinces of Eastern Visayas or Region VIII. Canigao Channel bound it on the north by Leyte province; on the east by the Pacific Ocean; on the south by Mindanao Sea; and on the west the Canigao Channel. It covers about one-fourth (1/4) of the island of Leyte. It has 19 municipalities. Four islands and islets are within the territorial jurisdiction of Southern Leyte: Panaon, the only island linked to the mainland by a bridge, the historic island municipality of Limasawa which is the site of the first Christian Mass in the Far East, and the islets of San Pedro and San Pablo in Hinunangan.

Southern Leyte has a total land area of 173,480 hectares or 1,734.8 square kilometers equivalent to about 8.1% of the total land area of Eastern Visayas. Even before the fall of the Spaniards to the Americans on August 13, 1898, a Western Leyte a Court of First Instance had been established. There was the office of "Promoter Fiscal" equivalent to the Provincial Fiscal and the office of "Administrador de Hacienda" equivalent to the Provincial Treasurer.

With the change of sovereign power the positions were abolished except the Fiscal's who remained hearing cases from Palompon to Hinunangan. Because of the difficulty of transportation and managing the affairs of government in Tacloban, the division of Leyte into two provinces was thought to be the only solution. Prominent leaders of the West Coast rallied to the general movement of a Western Leyte. In 1919, Rep. Ciriaco K. Kangleon representing the 2nd district from Inopacan to Cabalian from 1919-1922 presented the first bill for the division of Leyte but lost in the Senate by one vote. In 1922, Tomas Oppus renewed the move by presenting House Bill No. 254, which became Act No. 3117. According to the said law, occidental province would embrace the towns of Villaba to Hinunangan, inclusive. The law never became effective since the governor-general did not proclaim it. Then in 1957, Nicanor Espina Ynigues, Jr. defeated Rep. Pajao. Ynigues filed a bill in the house creating the Province of Southern Leyte no longer the original Western Leyte of Occidental Leyte but only the Third District of Leyte comprising the municipalities of Maasin to Hinunangan, as specified under Act 3788. Then Act No. 3788 was passed redistricting Leyte province into five representative districts modifying the Division Law.

On Friday, May 22, 1959 at 10:00 o'clock in the morning, President Carlos P. Garcia signed the bill into law. Republic Act No. 2227, otherwise known as an "Act creating the province of Southern Leyte". Present and witnesses to the signing were Congressman Ynigues, Mayor Alfredo K. Bantug of Maasin, Atty. Manuel Enage, Sr., Erlinda Capili and Atty. Floro Kangleon, among others. On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was inaugurated as a province with sixteen municipalities: Maasin, as the capital town and seat of the provincial government, Malitbog, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Pintuyan, San Francisco, St. Bernard, Cabalian (now San Juan), Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. Three more municipalities were created subsequently, namely; San Ricardo from Pintuyan, Tomas Oppus from Malitbog and Limasawa from Padre Burgos.

Sunday, August 25, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Tessie Tomas

Tessie Tomas who has made a profession of imitating Imelda herself from her hairdo to the shoes to the way she speaks and carries herself. This quintessential comedienne pioneered the art of “stand up comedy” and has done some 100 impersonations with astounding effect.

Saturday, August 24, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Justene Jaro.

Photo: Justene Jaro - Penthouse Magazine [United States] (October 2008)

If Justene Jaro breaks into the news, it will be a flash of nudity. Justene Jaro (born 17 November 1983 in Philippines) is a Filipino nude model named Penthouse Pet of the Month for October 2008. Birth location: Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Thursday, August 22, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Kim Chiu

Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu, April 19, 1990. Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines.

Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu (born April 19, 1990), is a Filipino actress. She lived in Cebu City before moving to Manila for Pinoy Big Brother. Chiu was the first winner of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition and is currently part of ABS-CBN's Star Magic contract artists. She also launched the album Gwa Ai Di (我爱你; Minnan, "I Love You"). Aside from Tagalog and English, Chiu also speaks Hokkien. She studied college in Far Eastern University, Manila.

Thursday, August 22, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leytenyo you should know: Nicanor Espina Yñiguez

Nicanor Espina Yñiguez (November 6, 1915–April 13, 2007) was a Filipino politician and Speaker of the Regular Batasang Pambansa from 1984 to 1986. Considered the "Father of Southern Leyte", he authored the law that created the province of Southern Leyte.

Congress was dissolved when President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in September 23, 1972.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

History of Palompon Leyte

Palompon is a second class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 54,163 people.

Along the strip of fertile coast, the community was founded circa 1620 and originally named Hinablayan. Fish, sea shells and other marine products abounded. People fished along the shore with arrows tied to vines. Its abundance attracted not only migrants but also Moro raiders from the south. Legend tells that local defenders used to hang the dead bodies of Moros on tree branches, so that the place come to be known as Hinablayan (from the word sablay which means "to hang"). The legend continues that when the Spaniards came they saw floating at the bay a cluster (pong pong) of mangrove propagules locally known as "Tungki", they decided to change the name of Hinablayan to Paungpung, after the cluster of mangrove propagules to erase the bloody memory of the Moro raiders. Gradually the name evolved to Palompong, then to Palumpun, and its current spelling of Palompon sometime in 1700 or 1800. It is said that cluster later got stuck to the shoal until they grew up as trees, forming an islet which is Tabuk Island today.

In 1737, Jesuit missionaries arrived and built the first chapel which was later burned during a Moro raid. It was rebuilt and, as a refuge from attack, the chapel was enclosed with piled stones, with a "cota" along the frontage. When the people saw Moro vintas coming, the big church bell would ring the alarm and people rushed inside the church, fighting back with bows and arrows and spears. The place assumed the role of cabeceria of all the municipalities in the northwestern side of Leyte during the Spanish regime. At that time Palompon was under the parish of Hilongos. The parish priest visited the place occasionally for marriage, baptism and masses. The Jesuits, later succeeded by the Augustinians, built the present church with 300 natives, who were forced labor without pay. If one or some of the laborers were unable to work, they were substituted by others just to maintain the quota every day for the next thirty years. The structure soon became a landmark of Palompon, reputed to be the oldest church in Leyte. On November 12, 1784, Palompon obtained its parochial independence from Hilongos.

Sometime in late 17th century, there was a nine-day battle between the Palomponganons and Moro raiders during which the residents rushed to the stone church (newly completed at that time) and took refuge for more than a week. The Moros suffered losses in that encounter and were defeated. A cannon in the town's plaza is a relic of that battle. Ormoc remained part of Palompon parish from 1784 until 1851, when finally it was declared as an independent parish. Villaba and Matag-ob were both part of the territorial jurisdiction of this town as well before they obtained their municipio (pueblo) status. In 1957 the barrios of Santo Rosario, Santa Rosa, Balagtas, San Vicente and Mabini were separated from the municipality of Palompon and constituted into Matag-ob.

Sunday, August 18, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

The History of Ormoc City

Long before the Spaniards arrived in the island of Leyte, thriving communities populated several coastal areas that later became town centers. Contrary to popular beliefs, these were not uncivilized savages that lived here but well-ordered societies having their own laws and customs, their own culture and ways of coping with the problems of survival.

Excavated relics in the pacific town of Cabalian for instance showed that it had existed at least a hundred years before the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. Indeed, during the period of discovery (1521), it was already ruled by Malitik, a tributary of King Siagu.

Ormoc was a well established Malayan village at the beginning of the 16th century. Ancient gold ornaments and ceramic pieces were dug there. Three of these were identified by Prof. Otley Bayer as not unlike Javanese gold work of the pre-Majapahit period. A heavy gold chain was declared by Dr. Bayer to resemble certain ancient jewelry of the pre-Spanish inhabitants of the Batanes Islands and Central Luzon.  Carigara was another ancient village where enterprising traders from the present land of Bohol found a thriving community showing a workable, though crude, irrigation system in their fields. (source: V. Braganza, Story of Leyte, unpublished manuscript, DWU Museum). But a more recent archeological survey conducted in the island of Limasawa, found sherds of tradeware ceramics attributed to the Ming Dynasty period (13th to 17th centuries) pasted on a cemented structure above an old Spanish deep well. Other materials consisted of sherds of Vietnamese and Thai which were possibly contemporaries of Ming Dynasty period.

An interview conducted with local residents in area near the shrine showed a burial site as indicated by the presence of skeletal remains unearthed during the pothunting activities. In another site located near the shoreline north of Brgy. Magallanes, the survey also yielded numerous sherds of earthenware consisting of Celadon and porcelains attributed to Ming dynasty period. Considered significant is the presence of iron slags in association with these sherds. This is proof of a metal smelting activity, suggesting an organized community already thriving in the area. Large fragments of earthenware jars that were found in association with human skeletal remains were indications that the jar-burial traditions were not only being practiced on the mainlands such as in Samar, Bohol, Sorsogon and other parts of the country but at small islands as Limasawa. According to the archeologists, the presence of sherds of ceramics in Magallanes is an indication of a thriving ancient trade networks of the Limasawa Island to the "outside world". Our ancestors were trading with the Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese during the Ming Dynasty period (13th to 17th centuries A.D.). [ Melchor L. Aguillera Jr., "Result of the Initial Archaeological Field Survey in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte," Souvenir Programme, March 31, 1996, 475th Year Commemoration]. Indeed, Leyte had a thriving economy that already bordered on the fringes of agriculture, using hand tools to cultivate rice fields and workable irrigation systems in some places. When the Spaniards came, trading settlements were already flourishing in the coastal areas of Carigara, Ogmuc, Dulaque and Hilongos. From China, Siam, Cambodia, Sumatra and other places, the natives bought porcelain, iron vases, silk, fabrics, fish nets, tine, silk umbrellas and various animals. In return, they bartered cotton, sinamay, coconuts, wax, camotes, mats (petates), pearls, rare shells, betel nuts (which they chewed endlessly), cattle, fowl and hogs.

They knew ship-building, mining of iron, manufacture of war implements, gold trinkets, jewelry, native wine and cotton textiles. They fished with nets and corrals. Hog and poultry raising were common as also noted by Legaspi in Cabalian in 1565. Women on the other hand engaged themselves in needlework and weaving of cotton fabrics. (Braganza, Vicente, Unpublished Manuscript). Settlements were small barangays not very far from each other. But there were no pueblos or town centers as the natives tended to live close to their sources of food: their fields, palm groves, river. Whoever was powerful enough became their ruler,"and not one man alone but almost everyone could come to exercise such power and authority", said Chirino. "Each of these (groups) kept his own armed camp in constant preparedness, for among them, even among those occupying the same vicinity or district, there was constant hostility, with ceaseless ambushes, raids, robberies, slayings and captures", he continued.(Chirino)

The typical barangay was a settlement of 30 to 100 families, virtually independent of each other, with a datu acting as head. Some brangays formed a bigger unit or a village. In pre-Spanish times, a village formed by Datu Amahawin today comprises the five municipalities of Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos, Bato and Matalom. Another settlement in Cabalian, fell under Rajah Siagu, whose domain extended as far as Cagayan of Mindanao. A subordinate datu ruled in his stead in Cabalian. Due to the fierce independent stance of each barangay settlement, large groups rarely came together in friendship, for mutual assistance and alliance against others, although there were a few of such large settlements developing towards the end of the 16th century in the island of Leyte. There were blood compacts (casi- casi), of course, but these did not have the force of a law. Rather, it was not tribal agreements that brought settlements together. It was trade.

Why Ormoc? The name Ormoc originated from Ogmok, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. Ogmok also refers to a spring located between Brgy. Donghol and Mahayag. The Malayan families were one of the early settlers in Ormoc, trading with the Chinese, Javans and Indonesians, and developing into a Spanish settlement by the 1500s. Originally part of the town of Palompon, Ormoc was declared as a separate and distinct municipality on February 26, 1834. Ormoc City was declared as the first Non-Provincial Capital City of the Philippines on Sept. 4, 1947. The declaration was made by virtue of Republic Act No. 179. The city was then formally inaugurated as a chartered political subdivision in October 20, 1947.

Thursday, August 15, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Agua Dulce in Ormoc City

Agua Dulce literally means "sweet water". True to its name the water that flows throughout the day is the sweetest and the safest among the six flowing wells constructed in the city during the Spanish time.

To this date, only three of these wells are existing. It is one of the major sources of drinking water of the Ormocanons until now.

Monday, August 12, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Leyte Capitol 1944.

Photo of Leyte Provincial Capitol Building (City of Tacloban) in the midst of busy, rough road of 1944.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 by Anonymous · 0

Palo Cathedral, Leyte Philippines 1944

Palo Cathedral, near the capital of Leyte Island, survived the american landing and was captured by the Americans that used it as a temporary hospital for injured Filipinos. A 13th AF combat photographer took this picture while citizens of Palo City were being gathered for medical examinations.

Filipino nurses outside Palo cathedral. The volunteer nurses tirelessly helping wounded soldiers and citizens. This photograph is from the National Archive and Record Administration of USA.

Sunday, July 14, 2013 by Anonymous · 0