Palo Cathedral’s twin spires rose mightily to the cloudless blue of the sky. That cloudless blue, however, was to be our bane. The midday sun was mercilessly scorching us as we wound around the closed gates of the cathedral, looking for a way to get in.

PALO CATHEDRAL’S NEWLY RENOVATED CEILING

One of the most searing images of Typhoon Yolanda’s aftermath is this same cathedral’s interior as its roof was ripped like paper from its vaulted ceiling. The scene was even broadcasted as it happened while GMA7’s usually flamboyant reporter, Love Añover and her crew, took shelter inside its cavernous hall and frantically reported as the church’s shingles flew off one after another.

► SEE: KALANGGAMAN ISLAND

Always against the light. That’s my impression of Leyte’s top tourist draw, the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park. I’ve been to this place twice, both right after lunchtime, and I’ve always had a hard time taking pictures of these seven larger than life statues that commemorate the start of the Philippine liberation against the Japanese Imperial Forces during the Second World War.

PALO’S RED BEACH, A POPULAR SWIMMING PLACE FOR LOCALS

Indeed, the iconic bronze statues, done by sculptor Anastacio Caedo are larger than life; like almost two times larger than an average Filipino’s height. Standing at ten feet tall, the scene portrays Gen. MacArthur’s landing at the Red Beach—red, not because of the blood shed during the invasion, but due to U.S. military’s color code—as captured by his personal photographer Gaetano Faillace.

► SEE: SAN JUANICO BRIDGE