MANILA – On Thursday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will attend the 78th anniversary commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landings at the MacArthur Landing National Park in Palo, Leyte.
Malacaang indicated in a press statement that he will thereafter attend Ormoc City’s 75th Charter Day ceremony.
In addition to Marcos, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, as well as a number of foreign dignitaries, will attend both festivities.
Marcos’ journey to Leyte, his mother Imelda’s native province, will be his first since being elected President on May 9.
This will also be the province’s first face-to-face (F2F) commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landings since the pandemic began.
Previously, Frances Ann Petilla, former Palo town mayor and Leyte provincial government tourism consultant, stated that the province decided to hold a full F2F event this year after two years of hybrid activities to honor the gallantry and bravery of veterans who sacrificed their lives to liberate Filipinos during World War II.
General Douglas MacArthur, President Sergio Osmea, General Carlos Romulo, and the allied forces landed in Leyte on October 20, 1944, to liberate the country from the Japanese Army during World War II.
Their presence triggered a fight that stretched 100,000 square miles of water and lasted three days, from Oct. 23 to 25, during the Allied Forces’ invasion on Leyte.
The battle fulfilled MacArthur’s famous comments after departing Corregidor in 1942, “I shall return.”
On Wednesday, before the 78th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings, Marcos will also lead the lighting ceremony for the Spark San Juanico Aesthetics Light and Sound Show at the San Juanico Bridge.
The PHP80 million San Juanico aesthetic lighting and sound project is the first of its kind in the country, funded by the Department of Tourism through its affiliated agency, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
The San Juanico Bridge, which connects the islands of Leyte and Samar, was erected under the presidency of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Source: PNA
