Imelda Marcos Rest House in Tacloban

THE SANTO NIÑO SHRINE (Imelda Marcos' SUMMER HOUSE in Tacloban
from Makulay.com

One of a must spot to visit in Tacloban City is the Santo Nino Shrine - now Romualdez Museum. It is one of the 29 rest houses of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. It was built for the first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who was a daughter of Tacloban. The house was furnished with antiques from around the world like Austrian mirror, chandeliers from Czech Republic, tiles from Italy, jars from China, floor carpets from Argentina and other decorative arts from France, Italy and Germany. And there are also collections of original paintings of Fernando Amorsolo

The Santo Niño is probably one of the first to come to mind when Tacloban is mentioned. It is the patron saint of the city and many of its people’s religious events revolve around the Santo Niño.

 Although the real miraculous image can be found inside the Sto. Nino Church, there is another image that can be found inside the Romualdez museum. This one is made of Italian ivory and is the centerpiece of the altar that welcomes the guests visiting the Shrine. Beside the Sto. Niño were icons of St. Remedios and St. Vincent. Next to the latter is a monstrance, decorated with diamonds. That section of the museum is lit by beautiful chandeliers hanging above rows of pews made of narra.

    Truly, the former presidential mansion was a symbol of grandeur during the Marcos administration. But after the custody of the mansion was transferred to the national government through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), did it retain its splendor?