Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum

The P100 entrance fee becomes your portal to one of the presidential mansions of the Marcoses, located at Real Street, Tacloban City. The house-turned-museum displayed venerable and priceless relics owned by the Marcos’ family; age-old furniture bought and obtained from different countries; and gifts from the most influential people and prominent leaders in the world. 

The moment you go inside you’ll see a mini tabernacle situated at the center, more likely designed as a chapel. This is where the mass and other religious activities are done especially during the feast of Señor Sto. Niño.

 Chapel of Señor Sto. Niño inside the mansion

From the entrance, you’ll then be directed to its guestrooms (1^st floor) styled in various motifs (Ilocana, Muslim, Butterfly, Coconut, etc.), themes designed perfectly from the room’s interior down to its floor, and beds designed in accordance with the room’s motif. 

Each room has its own scenic representation of Mrs. Imelda Marcos' projects and activities in the country, in which sculptured figures and lifelike details were displayed in a glass-covered miniature box designed on walls (dioramas). 

We then went up to the second floor and saw the old photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Marcos – most were national events and activities in the country during the late president’s years of service.

The upper level of the house has rooms with long dining tables and chairs designed in a unique architectural framework; room walls made of wood designs; and old, large ornate lighting fixtures suspended from ceilings with bulbs still functioning up til now. Also, the wide ballroom area at the opposite side was styled perfectly with yellow bulbs and furniture made from hardwood.

As we went to the rooms of the Marcos’ family, one thing that captured me most was the room of Mrs. Imelda Marcos. Queen-like! From the chandelier down to her bed, to the bathroom, the designs - WOW! Ravishing and stunning! Even their handmaiden, servants, and bodyguards with rooms located next to them had elegant quarters.

We were also fascinated with the old displays in every corner of the house; the big mirrors imported and made from different countries; those invaluable furniture particularly the cabinet which was made from sandalwood that dispenses its redolent smell every time you open it.

-----

Glad the house was not severely devastated by Typhoon Haiyan last November 2013. The typhoon had only destroyed the external part of the heritage museum and not the statuettes and the vintage properties of the family, which were the most important things inside. 

  

I suggest you visit the mansion coz this would be your gateway to Marcos' era. Best regards to our tourist guide, we learned a lot from him. Thank you sir! (I forgot his name, lol)

Note: The Department of Tourism (City of Tacloban) takes charge of the Sto Shrine and Heritage Museum. 

TRAVEL GUIDE

IF YOU ARE FROM MANILA OR CEBU:

There are actually daily flights from Manila to Tacloban and Cebu to Tacloban. If you're from Manila, the flight takes at least an hour and twenty (20) minutes. If you're from Cebu, air travel takes about forty five (45) minutes or less. After you arrived at Tacloban Domestic Airport (San Jose, Tacloban City), you can find taxicabs that will take you to the heritage museum. 

Airlines that travel from Manila to Tacloban: (9+ flights per day)

• Cebu Pacific
• Air Asia
• Philippine Airlines

Airlines that travel from Cebu to Tacloban: (3+ flights per day)

• Cebu Pacific
• CebGo
• AirAsia
• Philippine Airlines

CEBU CITY VIA ORMOC CITY

If you are from Cebu City and would like to get to Leyte via ferryboats, you can take the Cebu-Ormoc route and purchase tickets from ferry outlets in Cebu City (via large transports or fast crafts). Sea travel takes at least seven (7) hours for large passenger ships and just three (3) hours for fast crafts. The city’s bus terminal is just beside the port area so you can directly go to the terminal and ride vans or buses bound for Tacloban City. 

Note: There are also Cebu-Leyte routes via Maasin, Baybay, and Hilongos, Leyte. 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:

Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without permission, authorization, or written consent from the author or proprietor is strictly forbidden and firmly prohibited. Always provide full and clear credit to DyaryoDeByahe with the appropriate direction to the original content.