This was the welcome chant of the choir in Tacloban City as Pope Francis went down from the plane. The choir's chant was so energetic, there was no trace of the long, wet and cold wait they endured.
Four (4) days before Pope Francis' arrival to the Philippines I was just beginning to plan on what to do during His visit. My sister mentioned to me they will go and wait along the route of His motorcade on Wednesday, January 15th, the day of His arrival. “We will get His blessing already on the first day”, she said excitedly.
I also decided to welcome the Pope on His arrival. I bought a transistor radio to bring with me. I thought I need to monitor the radio broadcast to keep me updated of His arrival while waiting along the motorcade route. I also invited some friends.
I decided to come at noon-time to the corner of Taft and Quirino Avenues upon learning people were already there as early as 4 am in the morning – the Pope was expected to arrive at 5:45 pm.
The mood was festive. We looked for a good spot to wait. We found out a video wall was placed at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue, near Aloha Hotel. We decided to position ourselves there. While waiting, we watched the TV broadcast. People along the route cheered as they watched the TV broadcast. We waited eagerly along the route. As soon as the motorcade was in sight, people were cheering loudly. They were cheering and taking videos at the same time.
The long wait was worth it.
The Pope's itinerary during the 16th and 17th of January was amply covered by all major TV stations. I stayed home and watched the TV coverage. I was particularly moved by the sight in Tacloban City. The view of hundreds of people, donning yellow-colored raincoats, standing to welcome the Pope was impressive. Upon learning the crowd was already there the night before, I was dumb-strucked.
The images in Tacloban City inspired me to come to Luneta Park for the Concluding Mass of the Visit of Pope Francis. I was at the LRT-1 EDSA station at 5:30 am and it was already full of pilgrims going to Luneta.
No comments:
Post a Comment