Groundbreaking of the Tacloban City Philippines Temple
Ground was broken for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple on Jan. 18, 2025, with Elder Michael B. Strong — a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Philippines Area presidency — presiding. In addition to Latter-day Saints, invited guests included local government officials, interfaith leaders, presidents of higher-learning institutions, and officials from the military and police.
In his dedicatory prayer on the site and construction process, Elder Strong asked that blessings be poured out among God’s children in the Philippines. He prayed that all in the temple district would have greater capacity “to act with charity, compassion, patience and kindness towards our neighbors and to go about doing good.”
Timeline of the Tacloban City Philippines Temple
The Tacloban City Philippines Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 3, 2021. Just over three years later, ground was broken for the temple on Jan. 18, 2025, with Elder Michael B. Strong presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Tacloban City Philippines Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on March 25, 2024, the Tacloban City Philippines Temple will be a two-story building of approximately 21,407 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 6.99-acre site along the Tacloban Bypass Road near the barangays (barrios) of Utap and Caibaan in Tacloban City.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by tall, rectangular windows, with a tall, arched entrance. A two-story tower with a pointed spite stands above the entrance of the building. Palm trees and flower gardens adorn the grounds.