Robbie in and around Tacloban

INTRODUCTION I have been living the he Tacloban area continuous for approximately three years. I am married and have a young daughter.  I have not worked during his time because of a serious illness. With the help of my sister I made the journey back to Australia for three weeks. I wanted to see my sister, son and two grandchildren Three years does not seem such a long time but changes in Australia were significant. PHILIPPINE IMMIGRATION   Having been in excess of six months in the Philippines you need a clearance to leave the country. This was done at the immigration office in Tacloban City . It is recommended you apply for this clearance a week in advance before travel. I had the clearance processed within an hour on the same day. I must admit the immigration office in Tacloban offer a very good service. TRAVEL WITH PAL AIRLINES FROM TACLOBAN I hear many complaints about PAL Airlines and have had a few myself. The main complaints have been ground staff although the PA

DULAG A SIGNIFICANT TOWN IN LEYTE AND PHILIPPINE HISTORY Introduction As a foreigner I have been living in a Dulag Barangay (village) now for a number of years. If you visit Dulag one would think it is just another provincial rural town. These were my thoughts as well until I started to conduct research. I was amazed at what I discovered and would like to share. The article is a summary but links are supplied if readers are interested in additional information. Dulag boundaries  Dulag covers just over 11,000 hectares of land on the eastern side Leyte fronting the Leyte Gulf. If you visit Dulag it is approximately 36 km (22 miles) from Tacloban via the Maharlika Highway. Travel time depending on traffic is around 45 minutes. The town is bounded 12 kilometers to the north by the municipality of Tolosa, to the west seven kilometers to the Municipality of Julita and seven kilometers to the south to the Municipality of Mayorga. Location map from Tacloban Population of Dulag

TYPHOON YOLANDA INTERNATIONAL NAME HAIYAN AN EVENT IN HISTORY  ONE SHOULD NEVER FORGET 08 NOVEMBER 2013 A foreigner’s personal story – that will stay in my mind for ever! I had just been married for 6 weeks. The wedding was held at Tadyaw Resort in Tolosa which was a beautiful setting for such a happy and great day. I had return to Egypt from Tacloban to the mine site about two weeks before typhoon struck. i was working at a mine site as an Australian Expatriate. At the mine site we had cable TV and I was fully aware the typhoon was massive and it turned out to be the biggest storm to make landfall in known recorded history.   I lost contact with my wife on the day Typhoon Yolanda struck. I was 5000 miles away and felt so helpless.   This was one of the most stressful and worrying times in my life. Link to personal story Life after Typhoon Yolanda International name Haiyan I t has been 4 years since Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban 08 November 2013 in which thousands of peop

Madonna of Japan Tacloban Leyte Philippines Introduction Madonna of Japan can be described as a Memorial Park located on Kanhuraw Hill that is not too far from Tacloban City Hall. After World War 2 there was hatred between Filipinos and Japanese but the two nations eventually reconciled. The Japanese Government erected a monument of Maria Kannon in this area. This became known as The Madonna of Japan Memorial Park. Link to location map   It is a symbol of friendship between the Filipino and Japanese people after World War 2. What I find odd is this area where the park has been erected was the camping ground for Japanese troops during occupation! MADONNA OF JAPAN MEMORIAL PARK   First let’s look at the history to understand the significance of the Madonna of Japan Memorial Park. One has to remember there was significant civilian loss of life during invasion, occupation and liberation. History It is part of history the Japanese invaded and occupied the Philippines. On t

Tacloban City Convention Center The Tacloban City Convention Center is one building that stands out in Tacloban. It is also distinct when landing at Tacloban airport especially if you land from the north. The building was opened in 2006 and the cost to build was 200M peso which equates to around $4M US Locally this building is called the Tacloban City Coliseum or the Tacloban Astrodome. It has a seating capacity for around 4500 people. Many events are held here like basketball, concerts and of course regional events. It is the second largest indoor venue in Leyte behind the Superdome in Ormoc TACLOBAN CITY CONVENTION CENTER My experience inside the convention center The only time I have been inside this venue was when my sister in-law graduated in Human Resource Management. This event was very important to me as my sister in-law was the first person in her family to graduate from college. It was also a big moment for the entire family.   Looking at the building from t

Pines Farm Resort in the Mountains of Burauen Leyte Pines Farm Resort is located 5km from Burauen Town Proper in the barangay Abuyogon. Coming from Burauin the turn off to the resort will be on your left hand side. It is a bit of a drive from Tacloban City but well worth it! Link to Pines Farm Resort Location A Beautiful Mountain Setting   This resort is in a very natural and beautiful setting. The water coming off the mountain is rain runoff. There is no industry in this area that is polluting the atmosphere so the water you are swimming in is very clean. If you enjoy the outdoors and like a beautiful rain forest atmosphere then this resort can bring an enjoyable day On the day we visited this resort I only spotted two foreigners. Filipino’s appear to visit these resorts for a celebration of some kind. From what I observed there is no restaurant at the resort so you need to bring your own foods and drink. You will have to bring your foods and drink For Filipinos and f

MY PERSPECTIVE OF BARANAGY LIVING IN THE TACLOBAN AREA INTRODUCTION When I meet foreigners visiting the Tacloban area many conversations similar. They have met a Filipina and are looking to settle here and live in a barangay. These foreigners are in love and I can fully understand where they coming from. During the conversations I find it hard to say anything negative as this person is on top of the world and has great plans. This article is about explaining how life really is living in a barangay (village) setting. There are positives and negatives to this life style. Talking to foreigners planning to settle locally The talk or chatter to foreigners wishing to settle here revolves around buying land, building a house and a new life. I never try to influence just give my opinion and answers to the questions. How big is your house and what did it cost to build? Can I own land here “ NO ”? It is hard to answer as land and building costs vary from province to province. To b