Picnic Time On Leyte Landing Day with My Niece and Sis

22 October 2025

I ventured out again on a fine, sunny day. This time with my niece and my sister. I mentioned in my previous article that I wanted to bring my niece to the city again, as it had been a while since we last went out together.

It was Monday, the 20th of the month, and the weather was perfect for a walk. But then, as they say, the unexpected happens when you least expect it.

The 20th of October is known as the Leyte Landing Anniversary, the main reason I chose that day. I guess it’s been more than a decade since I last attended the celebration with a colleague.

The Leyte Landing Anniversary is always held at MacArthur Park. Yep! For the second time this month, I found myself back at the park. It’s one of the most meaningful historical sites in the Philippines.

The park is the site where General Douglas MacArthur landed in October 20, 1944, fulfilling his promise I shall return. That line became famous in our country throughout the years. The 20th was also the begining of the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation during World War II.

On this event, there are parades, ceremonies, and reenactments, held in the park, attended by local officials, students from different schools, and veterans from the war.

There are also foreign guests from countries that played important roles during World War II. As you enter the park, you’ll notice six flags on both sides of the entrance, representing the countries involved, with the Philippine flag proudly in the center.

This historical site truly stands as a proud reminder of the country’s fight for freedom.

There were parades, reenactments, and programs in the morning, but since we had a kid with us, we arrived in the afternoon. It also rained that day, something I hinted at earlier when I said unexpected things happen when you least expect them. The weather was initially pleasant, but it suddenly began to rain at midday. Luckily, it stopped just before we reached the park.

We saw police officers being dismissed and probably reassigned to other duties. There were still many people around, but no more programs were being held. Some events were scheduled for the evening, but we didn’t plan to stay since a kid was with us.

We didn't actually planned to watch the programs, but to spend some quality time together and have a picnic at the park. The place is perfect for family gatherings and even team-building activities.

My niece was really surprised when she saw the park. It is spacious and many kids playing around, giving her more room to play, run, and explore.

Before letting her play, we had lunch because we were already hungry. I spread a small blanket on the ground under a tree canopy. The ground was still a bit wet, but we didn’t have much choice, so we sat down anyway.

Although there’s a Food Park nearby, we decided to take out food from Jollibee since my niece had been craving it all week. In fact, one of the reasons we went to the city was to take her to Jollibee finally.

We weren’t even at the park yet, and she was already eating her fries, lol.

She looked so happy as she ran around the wide playground. She wanted to join the other kids but was a bit shy. Traveling with a kid can be tiring. We had to chase her everywhere: up and down the stairs, across the boardwalk, around the statue platform, and even following random people.

She even tried to trick the man selling a bubble gun with her paper money, lol.

But seeing her that happy made us happy, too. We couldn’t help but smile at her little joys and laugh at her silly moves. She’s such a playful girl.

The kid thought they were real soldiers, but actually students in Japanese soldier costumes.

Of course, minor accidents can happen when kids are too active. She was running along the boardwalk when she slipped on the sandy path and fell.

Her pants got torn, and sand covered her body, so we had to change her clothes and comfort her.

After cleaning her up, we continued walking to help her stop crying. On the farther side of the boardwalk is a beach resort, but we only reached the part where some kids were surfing.

She enjoyed watching them so much that she started cheering every time they caught a wave, lol. Her smile came back quickly, as if she never fell at all. That’s just how she is. Good distractions can easily lift her mood.

We walked around a bit more to make the most of the day and let her enjoy the place. It was her first time there, after all.

We passed by the food park again to buy bottled water, as she had become thirsty from eating chips while walking.

As it started getting late, we headed back to the central area of the park to take souvenir photos with the iconic statues of Gen. MacArthur and his troops. More people were arriving for the evening shows, but we couldn’t stay any longer.

Veterans were setting up chairs in front of the statues, and rescuers were stationed around the park, getting ready for the night’s event. I wished we could stay longer, but we had to go home because of the kid.

Before it got dark, we decided to head back to the city proper since we still needed to stop by the mall to buy a few things. I ended the day watching the sunset by the city’s pier. It was peaceful, warm, and a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate life’s simple moments.

To conclude, our visit to MacArthur Park turned out to be a day to remember. We missed the morning programs, but we still enjoyed watching my niece play and laugh, and we had our time together as a family once again. That made our trip worthwhile.

Thanks for your time.