In Cebu: Holiday during Vidal’s burial

CEBU, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has declared October 26, Thursday, a holiday in Cebu Province, the day the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will be laid to rest.

The president made the verbal announcement during his visit to Vidal’s wake at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral past midnight Sunday.

“Ania ko kay to condole kaninyong tanan… mu-deklarar ko og holiday sa tibuok Cebu inig adlaw sa lubong sa Huwebes (I am here to condole with you all. I will declare a holiday in the entire Cebu province on the day of Vidal’s funeral on Thursday),” Duterte told the crowd at the cathedral.

He added in jest, "Kon ako'y mamatay, i-ampo lang ko ninyo og apil ha (If I die, please pray for me, also)."

The President flew to Cebu from Bacolod City and stayed at the cathedral for less than an hour before returning to Manila.

He described Vidal as a "person of peace."

He said he made sure to visit Vidal as his way of showing respect and value for the late cardinal who was the first Catholic Church leader who paid him a courtesy call when he assumed office.

Duterte kissed the casket of the late cardinal before leaving the cathedral at 12:37 a.m.

Yesterday, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed on Duterte’s behalf Proclamation No. 333, which made the declaration official.

Vidal's successor, current Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, is thankful of the president's decision.

"Salamat kay dako ang kahulugan niini. Tungod sa declaration sa holiday, bisan ang mga tawo nga nag-hunahuna sa opisina, libre na... Kining butanga nagpakita sa solidarity - matod pa, panaghiusa sa gobyerno ug sa simbahan (Thank you because this means a lot. Because of the declaration, those who thought of working that day are now free. This shows solidarity - cooperation between government and the church)," Palma said.

Vidal succumbed to septic shock on October 18 after a week of confinement in the hospital and after years of battling pneumonia.

The request to declare the day of Vidal's burial a holiday was initiated by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas headed by Michael Lloyd Dino.

Dino and local officials who supported the move said a holiday would allow the Catholic faithful here to pay their last respects to the beloved Cardinal.

Palma said that apart from political leaders, the three remaining cardinals in the country – Gaudencio Rosales; Luis Antonio Tagle; and Orlando Quevedo – are expected to travel to Cebu.

First to visit Vidal’s wake and preside over the Requiem Mass was Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

“From the Pope, presidents, senators, daghan man gayud nagpakita sa ilang respeto, sa ilang gugma sa atong pinanggang Cardinal (Vidal),” Palma said.

Several personalities like Pope Francis, the president, and former presidents already expressed their sympathies the demise of Vidal, who died on October 18.

Testimony

In a testimony, Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar said Vidal “was not self-absorbed.”

“He knew, or tried always to know and understand, ‘why people are hurting’. And he didn’t look around for the person or persons to find fault with or pin the blame on. He would even take ‘responsibility for his part in their grief’,” Del Mar said.

“That was why, I think, he succeeded many times at mediating in conflict and brokering peace: a coup stand-off, a labor dispute, or a political verbal brawl. It was his humility – and his empathy with those who fight for their respective causes – that calmed their anger and opened the arena of battle to reason,” he added.

In a press conference yesterday, the Cebu Archdiocese confirmed that more than 20 bishops are coming to Cebu on Vidal’s funeral day, including a number of delegations from the dioceses of Lucena, Lipa, Malolos and Marinduque.

Since the Apostolic Nuncio or Vatican ambassador to the Philippines is out of the country, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia will be sending his secretary, Msgr. Gabriel Viola, as his representative.

The 24-hour public viewing at the cathedral will end officially midnight on Wednesday. The church will reopen at 7 a.m. on the day of the funeral.

Burial

Vidal will be laid to rest at 9 a.m. of October 26 at the mausoleum adjacent to the cathedral’s sacristy. The mausoleum was built as a private resting place for prelates and clergy of Cebu, either born or appointed at the archdiocese, when they pass away.

Since the funeral day is a holiday, the city disaster team is bracing for the worst case scenario as more people are expected to attend the ceremony.

Those who will do so are discouraged from bringing bags and balloons during the funeral.

The police will also be in full force.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, director of the Police Regional Office-7, assured safety on the day of the burial.

“It is expected that dignitaries, VIPs will come so that is the reason why we will put the appropriate security personnel,” Espino said.

Police Supt. Conrado Manatad, chief of the Traffic Patrol Group (TPG) in Cebu City, said preparations are in place.

TPG personnel will be in charge of the late Cardinal Vidal’s convoy.

He asked those who will attend the ceremony to leave their cars near the Cebu City Hall.

“Kung imong sakyanan, if possible, diretso na lang sila likod sa City Hall. Lakaw na lang sila, adto na lang gyud sa designated parking area,” Manatad said. (FREEMAN)