', officially the ', is a of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people. The municipality is the seat of most government departments, bureaus and regional offices of Region VIII, although some are situated at the neighboring city ofTacloban. The town is also home to the offices of the ecclesiastical government of the Archdiocese of Palo; the archbishop's residence; as well as the secondary, tertiary and theology seminaries of the archdiocese.
Geography
The municipality is located in the north-eastern part of the province of Leyte, 8 miles from the capital city of Tacloban.
Barangays
Palo is politically subdivided into 33 barangays.
Climate
History
Palo is well known as the site of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's return to the Philippines together with Philippine and American military forces after a period of exile in 1944. Hill 522, a hill located near the town center, was the site of fierce fighting between Allied and Japanese forces during the Second World War. The metropolitan cathedral of the archdiocese, located right across Palo's municipal hall, was used as a hospital for wounded Filipino and American forces. A memorial now stands at the beach site where MacArthur and his troops landed, locally known as the MacArthur's Park. The first Gabaldon Building is also situated in Barangay San Joaquin Palo, Leyte. It was inaugurated by President Sergio Osmeña. Palo was also once the capital of Leyte. The town's Purissima Bridge was the first steel bridge built in the province. In 1957, sitio Campitic was converted into a barrio, while barrio Baras-Candahug was divided into two: Baras and Candahug. Barrio Malirong was renamed as Libertad. On November 8, 2013, Palo was severely struck by Typhoon Haiyan, which destroyed a large portion of Eastern Visayas and killed a number of residents in the town. On January 17, 2015, Pope Francis visited the town as part of his papal visit to the Philippines to meet with the surviving victims of the typhoon. He also blessed the Pope Francis Center for the Poor and met with priests, seminarians, other religious figures, and surviving victims of the typhoon at the Palo Cathedral before leaving Leyte.
Demographics
In the, the population of Palo, Leyte, was people, with a density of. Literacy rate in Palo is 99.5%. The town's native language is Waray-Waray, the major language and lingua franca in the Eastern Visayas region.
Religion
Palo is the seat of the ecclesiastical province, the Archdiocese, where the Roman Catholic Archbishop resides in Bukid Tabor. One can find the Metropolitan Cathedral in Palo. Also, the seedbed of vocations to the priesthood is found at the Sacred Heart Seminary and the St. John the EvangelistSchool of Theology. Two Paloan nuns were also Superior Generals in their respective congregations. To date, there are 79 ordained priests and 106 nuns from the town alone.
Economy
Palo is the seat of the 6.8-hectare Leyte Information and Communications Technology Park and the 22-hectare Leyte Mikyu Economic Zone. The Leyte ICT Park hosts two BPOs while the Leyte Mikyu Ecozone is undergoing development. The town's historic Municipal Building was the former Seat of the Provincial Government of Leyte. Agriculture is the dominant industry. The area produced and ferments the local coconut wine "tuba".
Tourist attractions
MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park
Guinhangdan Hill, a destination of Holy Week pilgrims. The hill is now a forest reserve.
Japanese Shrine in Barangay Caloogan
Red Beach - The landmark that has brought Palo to the annals of world history is the Red Beach, in barangay Candahug, where Gen. Douglas MacArthur first landed to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese occupation on October 20, 1944.
