Have you still remembered the catastrophic event brought by Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines? This is also the same place where San Juanico Bridge is located. I was not able to get back in Tacloban after the depressing phenomenon.
Hey Hivers!
I remember when one of my former colleagues said that "Oh my God, I only read this before in the history book and now I am already on this popular bridge in the Philippines". I personally made the itinerary for our Leyte escapade with my former colleagues in 2012 (I am not sure if it was the exact year) and I included Tacloban since all of them wanted to see the famous San Juanico bridge.
Please check below the history of what they called The Bridge of Love- San Juanico Bridge.
The San Juanico Bridge, also known as Marcos Bridge in honor of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, is a 2.16-kilometer long bridge that stretches from Samar to Leyte across the San Juanico Strait, the narrowest strait in the country, from Cabalawan, Tacloban City to the Municipality of Santa Rita, Samar. The bridge was built during the administration of President Marcos from 1969 to 1973 and costs $21.9 million. This 21.9-million-dollar bridge was contracted to the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines, which is now known as the Philippine National Construction Corporation, which together with Japanese engineers conducted studies and designed the actual project. Moreover, the said bridge was a gift of President Marcos to the First Lady and now Ilocos Norte Representative, Imelda Marcos, who is a native of the province of Leyte. The bridge was also dubbed as a symbol of love by the Waraynons, which connects the sister islands of Samar and Leyte.source
One of my former colleague (who is a native in Samar) shared her childhood story in this place. She told us that when she was a little girl the only mode of their transport from Samar to Tacloban was thru small boats. They were constantly traveling from her place to Tacloban because her parents was selling foods. They were happy when this bridge was created because it was convenient for them to travel especially when the weather is bad.
This is my friend and my former colleague who told us that she had only read and saw the bridge in the history book but that time she was able to see it by her 2 lovely eyes.
One of them did not inform her parents about her Leyte trip with us ahead of time. She informed them few hours before our departure time. Her parents got angry of what she did but they end up no choice because she had already had her round-trip ticket. Though her parents were mad at her but they still send her to the sea port. I was so touched by their love for her. We asked her, "why did you surprised them?" she replied "because I knew them, they would not allow me to travel". Brilliant idea, right?
Spotted the lovers in the bridge of love. They were both my former colleagues. Look at their shirts. They bought a customized shirt prior to our Leyte trip. It's cool, isn't it?
We always wanted to have a jump shot souvenir. It took many failed shots before we had finally had our desired shot and it took a while to finish because we had to clear the road first from vehicles. We really had fun because everytime we attempted to jump, another vehicle/s are coming the bridge. We didn't care the hot weather.
That is our unforgettable memory in the bridge of love.
Have you been there Hivers? How was your experience?
Thank you for reading and see you on my next blog. Cheers!
Namaste! I am fond of reading books, watching korean, american and filipino series/movies and I am also fond of gardening. I love listening to different life stories and I am always captivated with the beauty of nature so travel is my escape when life turns into blue. But hey, how could I forget my photography hobby? It is one of the best, so follow me as I will be featuring my experiences of the stuff that I am passionate with.