‘You are our raincoat in the rain’

MANILA, Philippines - Continuous rains from Storm Amang failed to stop a massive crowd yesterday from showing up for the mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.

“You are our raincoat in the rain,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said at the end of the mass, summing up the mood of the crowd. “Holy Father, we love you.”

Villegas, along with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, thanked the pope profusely for his visit.

Pilgrims again lined the streets of Manila yesterday and staged long vigils outside the Apostolic Nunciature along Taft Avenue where the pope is staying. Many spent the night in Rizal Park.

Thousands camped out in front of buildings leading to the papal routes from the nunciature to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Espana.

The drizzle did not deter the youth from listening to the pope as he preached about their role in evangelization and the importance of internalizing one’s faith in God.

Mario Reyes, who walked from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City to the Quirino Grandstand as early as 7 a.m. to catch the mass at 3:30 p.m., said they only wanted to see the pontiff and hear his message.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) estimated that at least six million people lined the route of the papal motorcade from the Nunciature to Rizal Park.

Pope Francis rode in an enclosed vehicle from the nunciature to UST, where he held a meeting with the youth and religious leaders.

The convoy, which traveled along Taft Avenue to España, used the same route on the way back to the nunciature at around 12:30 p.m.

At around 2:30 p.m., the pontiff and his convoy left the nunciature for the Grandstand using the original route of Quirino Avenue  and turning left to Roxas Boulevard.

The pope arrived in the rain-soaked park at 2:43 p.m. on a jeepney-inspired popemobile.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the quadrants that segregated the pilgrims and the strategic police deployment worked in keeping the crowd orderly.

Tensions flare

PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said the overall security preparations went well despite some “pockets of disorder.”

“Overall, everything went well as planned, but there were some minor incidents because of the sheer volume of people. We anticipated this, we appealed for patience,” Espina said.

Tension ran high on Orosa street in Manila as some 3,500 pilgrims, who camped out in the area for almost 24 hours, got impatient and started pushing one another.

Police said several persons were injured and were immediately taken to various hospitals nearby for medical treatment.

During a security briefing at the PNP command center at the Aloha Hotel in Manila, Espina said tension eventually eased as policemen and other members of security forces persuaded the crowd to be more patient as they waited for the entrances to be opened at 6 a.m.

“After clearing the restricted area, we allowed the people to enter and pass through the scanning machines an hour or two before the schedule. This was between 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.,” he said.

Espina said there were 75 entrances on Orosa street, composed of 20 walks through scanning machines and 55 metal detectors set up under several tents.

Director Ricardo Marquez, commander of the Joint Task Force for Papal Visit 2015, said groups of people camped out around Rizal Park as early as Saturday dawn.

“During our inspection on Saturday night, I spoke with the people and they told me they arrived there at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday to ensure they would get a good view of the pope,” Marquez said.

Police said the people who lined up to see the pope came from as far as Nueva Ecija and Pampanga.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas inspected T.M. Kalaw street at 8 a.m. for the security measures.

Officials said 28,000 policemen were deployed to secure the pope in all his activities while in the country.

Piles of garbage

Tons of garbage, particularly discarded mineral water bottles, were scattered in the streets of Manila, with recyclable items collected by scavengers.

Members of the Tzu Chi foundation, a Buddhist organization composed of Catholics from Marikina, also came in full force and collected the garbage for recycling, saying the proceeds would go to Yolanda victims.

Violeta Bumatay, one of the volunteers, said all the members of the group were victims of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 so they know that the people of Tacloban and disaster victims in other areas would appreciate “any little thing we can do for them.”

The Manila city government environmental office started cleaning up the España area after the pope left UST to allow the reopening of the streets. – Mike Frialde, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rainier Ronda, Rhodina Villanueva