I went to Tacloban recently to attend a workshop at the government center in the nearby town of Palo. My early morning flight brought me to Leyte quite early and my plan to freshen up at a budget hotel along the way from the airport to the workshop venue didn't materialize. The hotel was full and the staff couldn't suggest any alternative, even a pension house in the area. I am tempted to think whether this was company policy not to suggest competition or if they were just ignorant of their area? Tacloban city proper was out of the way and I didn't want to go back just to get a room (even with possible day rates) for a couple of hours.
And so I decided to get on a jeepney instead to go to Palo and the government center. I decided against taking a taxi knowing I'll be charged extra for the short trip. Advice to tourists going to Tacloban: don't take their rental taxis at the airport. They charge exorbitant rates (minimum 300 pesos) and will take advantage of people not familiar with the transport there. There is a jeepney you can take from the airport to Tacloban proper (Tacloban - San Jose) and from the junction with the national highway, you can ride another jeepney to Palo. The total fare will just be about 18 pesos between the airport and Philippine Science High School, from where you can take a pedicab to the government center.
As I already did my research of the area ahead of my trip, and considering it was still too early and government offices were still closed, I took a pedicab to the monument to the Leyte Landings in 1945. As it was quite early, there were few people up at the time but there were already joggers and some cyclists doing their thing around the rotunda of the government center. There were more at the monument where there's a seaside park where people could walk, jog, cycle or just lounge around. The park was very clean and I was lucky to get a few shots before tourists started arriving in the area.
As I had not eaten breakfast yet, I asked my pedicab driver (whom I also asked to wait for me) where I can eat and he pedaled towards a line of carinderias beside the DENR building that was just a stone's throw away from the monument. There, we were informed that they had only tola available and newly cooked. Tola was short for tinola, which is usually chicken cooked in a broth with spices and local lettuce (pechay). This version was with fish and I was offered the tasty part of the head. I asked instead for the tail part as it would be easier to eat. The broth was good and not salty and I quickly poured some sabaw to my rice. The fish, which name I couldn't quite get from the Waray language, is similar to galunggong in taste and didn't have much bone.
And so I decided to get on a jeepney instead to go to Palo and the government center. I decided against taking a taxi knowing I'll be charged extra for the short trip. Advice to tourists going to Tacloban: don't take their rental taxis at the airport. They charge exorbitant rates (minimum 300 pesos) and will take advantage of people not familiar with the transport there. There is a jeepney you can take from the airport to Tacloban proper (Tacloban - San Jose) and from the junction with the national highway, you can ride another jeepney to Palo. The total fare will just be about 18 pesos between the airport and Philippine Science High School, from where you can take a pedicab to the government center.
As I already did my research of the area ahead of my trip, and considering it was still too early and government offices were still closed, I took a pedicab to the monument to the Leyte Landings in 1945. As it was quite early, there were few people up at the time but there were already joggers and some cyclists doing their thing around the rotunda of the government center. There were more at the monument where there's a seaside park where people could walk, jog, cycle or just lounge around. The park was very clean and I was lucky to get a few shots before tourists started arriving in the area.
As I had not eaten breakfast yet, I asked my pedicab driver (whom I also asked to wait for me) where I can eat and he pedaled towards a line of carinderias beside the DENR building that was just a stone's throw away from the monument. There, we were informed that they had only tola available and newly cooked. Tola was short for tinola, which is usually chicken cooked in a broth with spices and local lettuce (pechay). This version was with fish and I was offered the tasty part of the head. I asked instead for the tail part as it would be easier to eat. The broth was good and not salty and I quickly poured some sabaw to my rice. The fish, which name I couldn't quite get from the Waray language, is similar to galunggong in taste and didn't have much bone.
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| Tinolang isda for breakfast |
That breakfast was quite tasty and I capped it off with a banana. The only thing I could have advised the manang who tended the carinderia was to have the pechay leaves added to the dish later so that it wouldn't be overcooked. It was good timing for me to have eaten the newly cooked tola but later diners would find the veggies soggy to their taste. The price tag was a very cheap 60 pesos including my softdrink and I didn't hesitate not to take change for my 100 peso bill that I paid to the manang. As I was the first customer that day and was quite satisfied with my meal, it was only right to give more considering the same could have cost me double in Manila.
It probably also helped that I had the newly released poverty statistics in my mind that day so I was also conscious of how people earn a living in Leyte, which has a 31.9% incidence of poverty, 34th among 79 provinces in the country not including Metro Manila. Neighboring Southern Leyte is at 36.4% (20th). In the next island, Northern Samar is at 43.7% (12th), Western Samar is at 36% (23rd) and Eastern Samar is at a woeful 59.4% (3rd). Overall, Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) is 3rd in the country at 37.2% poverty incidence.
Photos of the Leyte Landing monument in another post...
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