On 20 October 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf began with General Douglas MacArthur’s historic landing there. This momentous event led to one of WWII’s most significant naval battles and ultimately signaled Japan’s defeat after almost three years, effectively liberating the Philippines from occupation. To commemorate this important chapter in history, a protected area now exists on the island of Leyte – The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park (also known as Macarthur Park). Declared by then President Ferdinand Marcos through Letter Of Instructions No. 572 signed 45 July 1977, this memorial park is now an iconic tourist attraction within the Eastern Visayas region that allows visitors to celebrate and remember those who served during WW2.
The MacArthur Landing site is a meaningful symbol of the outcome of WWII in Leyte province. This 6.78 hectares (16.8 acres) area holds seven sculpted figures that accurately depict General Douglas MacArthur and his entourage during their historic A-Day landing, as captured by photographer Gaetano Faillace’. Formerly named Imelda Park after First Lady Imelda Marcos, who hails from this region, these statues stand at Red Beach to commemorate “I shall return” —generally assigned codename for the stretch between Marasbaras and Palo— with two historical markers explaining its significance; further cementing it as an iconic representation of wartime victories across provinces worldwide.