1.

BeforetheAmericans,beforetheJapanese,beforetheSpanishthereweretheBatuk'anorasSpaniards
calledthemPindatos.
2. Tacloban City was formerly known as Kankabatok, named after the first settler
Kabatok who occupied the area around the present Sto. Nio Church. Other inhabitants who
came later were Gumoda, Haranging and Huraw who settled then in nearby areas. The
Kanhuraw Hill where the City Hall is presently situated was formerly Huraws domain. The
whole settlement area was called Kankabatok, meaning Kabatoks property.

Kankabatok was formerly under the political administration of Palo but under the
parochial jurisdiction of Basey, Samar. The Augustinian Mission discovered Kankabatok in 1770
and subsequently, the Franciscans came later in 1813. During this period, Kankabatok was
renamed "Tarakluban" which means the place where the inhabitants use the Taklub, a
bamboo contraption, to catch crabs, shrimps and fish. Later, the name of the place evolved
from "Tarakluban" to its present name, Tacloban.

Although no official records show, it is commonly believed that Tacloban was officially
proclaimed a municipality in 1770, after the provinces in Leyte and Samar were separated in
1768. Since then Tacloban became a trading point between the two provinces because of its
strategic location. On February 26, 1830, Tacloban became the capital of Leyte because of the
ideal location of its port which is well sheltered and had adequate facilities.

Before and During the War

Colonel Murray arrived in Tacloban in 1901 and became the first Military Governor of
Leyte. He opened the Tacloban port to world commerce, especially for copra and abaca, which
were exported in large quantities. Before World War II, Tacloban was the center of commerce,
education, social and cultural activities in Leyte. The educational institutions were: Leyte
Normal School, now the Leyte Normal University; Leyte High School now known as the Leyte
National High School; Leyte Trade School which today is the Eastern Visayas State College;
Holy Infant Academy, which is now Holy Infant College and the Tacloban Catholic Institute.

During

On May 25, 1942, Japanese Forces landed in Tacloban and started a three-year
Japanese occupation of Leyte. The Japanese forces fortified Tacloban, improved its airfield and
established San Pedro Bay as a port of call and entry for the Japanese Imperial Naval Forces.
During the Japanese occupation, many guerilla forces were organized and the most famous
was the group of Colonel Ruperto Kangleon.

As the people of Tacloban and those from other municipalities in Leyte and Samar
fought for their freedom, there was always a complement of brave men and women for the
cause and together, as they made alliances with the movement, helping in any way they could,
they were aware that the day will come when tyranny will be vanquished by the Allied Forces.

On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur and his troops landed on the
Tacloban-Palo beaches (White Beach and Red Beach) and the neighboring town of Dulag
(Blue Beach) and liberated Leyte from the Japanese Forces. October 23, 1944, General
MacArthur, accompanied by President Sergio Osmea made Tacloban the temporary seat and
temporary capital of the Commonwealth Government until final liberation of the country.
Famous landmarks during the liberation were the Joseph Price Mansion where General
MacArthur set up his headquarters and the Redoa Residence. It was when the provincial
government of Leyte and the municipal government of Tacloban were re-established.
Atty. Paulo Jaro was the Liberation Mayor of Tacloban and Mr. Epifanio Aguirre became the first
mayor upon the inauguration of the Philippine Republic.