Tacloban, city, central Philippines, northeastern Leyte Island, capital of Leyte Province, on San Pedro Bay. It has a good harbor with large wharves and an extensive export trade. It is the site of the Divine Word University of Tacloban (1929) and Leyte Institute of Technology (1965). During World War II, the Japanese occupied Tacloban in 1942, and in October 1944, United States troops landed here in the campaign that liberated the Philippines from the Japanese. Population (1999 estimate) 195,601.
