MacArthur Landing Memorial, Palo: the Seven Statues, the 2024 Facelift and Visiting
The MacArthur Landing Memorial on Red Beach in Palo puts seven bronze figures, twice life-size, standing in a pool where US forces came ashore on 20 October 1944. It is a short stop. The province renovated it in 2024; Suroy.ph’s frames predate that work. Go early or late for the light, and avoid 20 October unless you want the anniversary crowd.
Red Beach · Palo, Leyte · 11.172° N, 125.012° E (approximate)
Red Beach · Palo, Leyte
Seven figures in the water
Tap a tab.
Seven, twice life-size
The statues
Seven bronze figures, double life-size, stand in a pool facing the shore. Sculpted by Anastacio Caedo and unveiled in 1981 from Gaetano Faillace’s photograph of the landing.
MacArthur, Osmeña, Romulo
Who
The figures are Douglas MacArthur, President Sergio Osmeña, Carlos P. Romulo, Richard Sutherland, Courtney Whitney, Sgt. Francisco Salveron and the CBS correspondent William J. Dunn.
Landing, 20 October
1944
US forces landed on Red Beach on 20 October 1944, opening the campaign to retake the Philippines. Leyte marks the day every year at the park; the 82nd anniversary was held there in October 2026.
₱40 million
2024 facelift
The provincial government closed the park from 13 June 2024 for a ₱40 million renovation that added restaurants and a lagoon, the first major work since 1994, and reopened it for the 80th anniversary in October 2024.
Fee and hours unconfirmed
Visiting
Suroy.ph found no published 2026 entrance fee or opening hours. The Oriental hotel next door closed in April 2024.
Checked 31 October 2026.
What happened here
On 20 October 1944, US forces landed on the Leyte coast, opening the campaign to retake the Philippines. Douglas MacArthur waded ashore at Red Beach with President Sergio Osmeña and his staff, and Gaetano Faillace’s photograph of that walk became one of the images of the war. The park was declared a national park in 1977.
The statues
Seven bronze figures, double life-size, stand in a man-made pool. They were sculpted by Anastacio Caedo from Faillace’s photograph and unveiled in 1981. The figures are MacArthur, Osmeña, Carlos P. Romulo, Richard Sutherland, Courtney Whitney, Sgt. Francisco Salveron and William J. Dunn, the CBS correspondent.
The 2024 renovation
The Leyte provincial government, which manages the park, closed it from 13 June 2024 for a ₱40 million renovation, the first major work since 1994. It added restaurants and a lagoon and reopened in October 2024, in time for the 80th anniversary.
The anniversary
Leyte marks 20 October every year at the park, with veterans, diplomats and the governor, and the day is a special non-working holiday in the province. The 82nd anniversary was held there in October 2026. If you want the figures to yourself, go another day.
Visiting
Suroy.ph found no published 2026 entrance fee or opening hours, so treat both as unknown and ask at the gate. The Oriental Leyte hotel next door, a fixture of older guides, closed on 6 April 2024.
Red Beach is on the coast in Palo, south of Tacloban. An undated online guide (2025 copyright) put it about 12 km from the airport, with a jeepney at about ₱25 and a Grab at ₱130 to ₱220. The Palo Cathedral is about 3 km inland, and the San Juanico Bridge and the Santo Niño Shrine are in and around Tacloban.
A beach where a promise to return was kept. The Freedom We Wear tee is for places like this one.
Suroy Wear · Heritage Threads
Frequently asked questions
Where is the MacArthur Landing Memorial?
On Red Beach in Palo, Leyte, south of Tacloban City.
How much is the entrance fee to MacArthur Park in Leyte?
Suroy.ph found no published 2026 fee. Ask at the gate.
Who are the statues at the MacArthur Landing Memorial?
Douglas MacArthur, Sergio Osmeña, Carlos P. Romulo, Richard Sutherland, Courtney Whitney, Sgt. Francisco Salveron and William J. Dunn.
When was the Leyte Landing?
20 October 1944. Leyte commemorates it at the park every year.
Is the Oriental hotel in Palo still open?
No. The Oriental Leyte closed on 6 April 2024.
Photographs by Suroy.ph, frames filed June 2024. Checked 31 October 2026.
