Pope John Paul II Tower is now a pilgrimage site

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines -The 7-storey Pope John Paul II Tower built at the Reclamation Area in this city in honor of the pope is "a pilgrimage site as it will preserve the pope's advocacy of commitment, ideals and culture of life and love," said Fr. Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral.

The P15-million tower, now the tallest building in Bacolod, sits on a 760-square meter lot donated by lawyer Simplicio Palanca, president of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO).

Pasquin said the Pope JP II Tower was built starting in 2008 in preparations for the church's Diamond Jubilee in Bacolod, one of the highlights of which was the "historic visit to Bacolod on February 20, 1981 by Pope John Paul II, who was received by hundreds and thousands of people right at the Reclamation Area," which Palanca also developed.

Pasquin recalled that to commemorate the Pope's visit, a marble marker was built in a place nearby, which is now occupied by business establishments, but the marker could no longer be found.

On February 7, 2008, he met Palanca to talk on constructing a new marker in honor of Pope John Paul II, in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Diocese. Palanca responded: "Let's revive it." He further said that once the building is finished he will donate it to the Church.

Bishop Navarra hoped to make the JP II tower a pilgrimage site, and requested the archbishop of Krakow, Poland to send some memorabilia of Pope John Paul II. This was done, Pasquin said.

The JP II Tower was blessed and inaugurated on Feb. 18, 2010 by Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Joseph Edward Adams.

As a pilgrimage center, the Pope Tower preserves the ideas, life, advocacies, commitment and holiness of the recently beatified Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pasquin said. It is also a museum containing memorabilia and an original pope's alb or vestment, which will become a relic if he becomes a saint later on.

An 8-foot sculpture of the Pope done by Agustin Jakosalem, on top of a 6-foot pedestal in front of the tower, faces Bacolod as if he is blessing the entire city, Pasquin said.

Last Holy Week, Catholic pilgrims in Negros Occidental climbed the tower to meditate on the 14 Stations of the Cross scenes, depicted in paintings by Negrense artists: Rafael Paderna, Agustin Jakosalem, Dodz Campos, Edbon Sevilleno, Br. Jaazeal Jakosalem, and Junjun Berondo.

The glass-encased tower, with an elevator, a water system, and generating set, is now considered another landmark in Bacolod, Pasquin said. At the entrance to the tower is an 8-foot statue of the Pope, which is made of synthetic bronze and fiber glass, and standing on a six-foot pedestal, he said.

Meanwhile, a concert featuring classical music in honor of Pope John Paul II, will be held on May 5 at the L'Fisher Hotel in this city. The concert, titled "Omaggio: Giovanni Paolo II (Homage to Pope John Paul II)," is organized by the John Paul II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, and will feature internationally acclaimed Negrense artists and local talents

Menchie Tan, assistant academic dean of John Paul II National Institute, said the organizers will also present the life and works of John Paul II, as well as the facts about the Institute.

Negrense sisters, soprano Nenen Espina and pianist Mary Anne Espina, will join another Negrense tenor Randy Gelongo in a one-hour-and-a-half concert that will also feature string quartet Quarteto Espressivo and the University of Saint La Salle chorale, Tan said. (FREEMAN)