Tacloban mayor not giving up on hotel Imelda Marcos built

The Leyte Park Resort Hotel, once renowned as the most beautiful hotel in Eastern Visayas and a popular destination for tourists, has significantly declined over its 43-year history due to the effects of time, typhoons, and political factors. Originally built through the persistence of former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, it was known as the premier hotel along Luzon's eastern seaboard.

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, a nephew of Imelda Marcos and who witnessed the hotel's construction and opening in 1979, is committed to saving and repurposing the property for the benefit of Taclobanons. His goal is not to enter the hotel business directly but to preserve the asset.

To achieve this, the city government is seeking a loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines. Half of this loan will be used to purchase the hotel and fund its rehabilitation. Following renovation, the plan is to offer the facility to a private company with the expertise to operate a hotel business.

Mayor Romualdez emphasized that reopening the hotel would create at least 2,000 jobs and increase the city's hotel room capacity. This is seen as essential to accommodate an expected influx of tourists and investors as the economy reopens post-pandemic.

Furthermore, the city intends to hire a private company to help redesign the hotel complex. The vision includes incorporating a convention center within the 6.1-hectare property to host large gatherings with thousands of visitors.

The city government has prior experience with the property's complex ownership. After being sequestered by the government in 1986, ownership was transferred to a consortium comprising the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), the Privatization Management Office (PMO), and the provincial government of Leyte. Tieza, a DOT agency, handles tourism project development and supervision, while the PMO markets and disposes of government assets assigned to it by the Privatization Council.