Small in numbers, Thai Catholics preserve centuries-old traditions

BANGKOK - The last time Vararunee Khonchanath was in the presence of a Pope was before she was born just over 35 years ago, but when Pope Francis visits Bangkok later this week to bless Thailand's tiny Catholic minority, she will be singing in the choir.

A sixth-generation Catholic of Portuguese-Thai ancestry, Vararunee lives in a 250-year-old community that is as old as the Thai capital itself. During the previous papal visit, back in 1984, Vararunee's pregnant mother was among the congregation.

"I was in my mum's tummy as she attended the mass when His Holiness John Paul II visited Thailand the last time," Vararunee said, adding how honored she felt to be in the choir this time, when Pope Francis offers mass at the National Stadium.

During his visit from Nov. 20 to 23, Pope Francis will also celebrate mass at Assumption Cathedral in central Bangkok.

In overwhelmingly Buddhist Thailand, Catholics number just a little more than 380,000 in a country of more than 65 million.

MISSIONARIES, TRADERS

Historians say more than 70 percent of Catholics in Thailand, like Vararunee, have foreign ancestry.

Catholicism first arrived in Siam, the old name for Thailand, in the mid-1500s with Portuguese missionaries and traders.

The Vatican formally established its "Mission de Siam" 350 years ago during the reign of King Narai, an anniversary that coincides with the visit of Pope Francis that begins on Wednesday.

While missionaries failed to achieve mass conversions, they were largely tolerated by the Buddhist majority and particularly the royal court.

"In the past, many Catholics from places like Japan and Vietnam, migrated to this land to escape religious persecution," said Puttipong Puttansri, a historian at the Archdiocese of Bangkok Historical Archive.

Catholics have over the years built schools and hospitals, some of which are still well known and respected today.

"For many Thais, Catholicism is synonymous with schools," Puttipong said.

MARTYRDOM

There were also spells of religious persecutions. In the late 1600s, Catholic priests were arrested and some killed out of suspicion they were working with France to colonize the country.

Similar hostility stirred in the 1940s when a nationalistic Thai government was at war with France in Indochina.

The tension resulted in the closing down of schools, confiscation of properties and the arrest of some clergy.

In 1940, seven Catholics, including three teenage girls, were killed by Thai police in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom. Pope John Paul II later declared them martyrs.

PEACE AND PASTRIES

In the modern era, Thailand remains largely tolerant to Catholics.

Catholics in Bangkok's historic Kudi Chin community along the Chao Praya River have mostly lived peacefully while maintaining their unique traditions and beliefs.

The district is known locally not only for Santa Cruz Church, which is the focal point for its Catholic community, but for the traditional Portuguese-influenced cupcake that is still baked there.

For the faithful such as Vararunee, the papal visit casts a light on their community and faith.

"I am very proud that we manage to hold on to our roots," Vararunee said. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Crowds welcome Pope in mafia country

NAPLES, Italy -- Hundreds of thousands of people waving Vatican flags on Saturday greeted Pope Francis as he headed deep into mafia territory, visiting jailbirds and the poor in Naples amid heightened security.

The pontiff arrived in the poor, crime-ridden Scampia area of the city in a popemobile and immediately plunged into a crowd of children and young people, two of whom managed to pose for a selfie with the pontiff.

"Corruption stinks, corrupt society stinks," he told residents, adding that "we all have the potential to be corrupt and to slip into criminality".

"Convert to love and peace. It is always possible to return to an honest life. There are mothers weeping for it in Naples' churches," Francis told some 100,000 people gathered for mass in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples' historic centre.

Up to 800,000 people were expected to turn out through the day in the southern Italian city to greet the Argentine-born pontiff, who last year declared war on organised crime by excommunicating all mafiosi from the Catholic Church.

Security was tight for the visit: apart from risks posed by gangsters with a grudge, the pope has been threatened by the Islamic State group and trips outside the Vatican are considered prime opportunities for assassination attempts.

After a massacre at a Tunisian museum this week claimed by the IS group, all eyes were on the elderly pontiff's safety, with 3,000 extra policemen deployed along the route he will take, including snipers on the rooftops.

Before his arrival in Scampia, Pope Francis began the day at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

- Corruption, drugs, extortion -
The pope, who frequently focuses on the plight of the downtrodden, spent about an hour and a half with some 120 inmates, including transsexuals, at the city's overcrowded Poggioreale prison, where 2,500 prisoners are squeezed into a space for 1,400.

"Even the bars of a prison cannot separate you from God's love," Francis said. "Even if you have erred, the Lord does not grow tired of showing you the way back."

The pope also pleaded for shelter for the African and Asian immigrants who have flooded into the Italian city and have ended up homeless.

"They are citizens, not second class citizens. We are all immigrants, sons of God on the path of life. No one has a fixed abode on Earth," he said.

Francis spoke about the ills weighing upon the region, including a youth unemployment rate that has hit 40 percent. He noted that charity and scholarships were no substitute for working.

"Not having the possibility to bring home wages is like seeing one's dignity stolen," he added.

The visit wound up with a seafront concert of Neapolitan songs performed for the 78-year old pope by youngsters.

Though he never spoke their name, some of the pope's fiercest words were kept for the Camorra, the notorious Naples mafia dissected and exposed in journalist Roberto Saviano's award-winning novel "Gomorrah" and the acclaimed 2008 film of the same name.

"Respond forcefully to the organisations that corrupt and exploit the young, the poor and the disadvantaged with the cynical business of drugs and other forms of trafficking," Francis said.

Last year the pope expelled all unrepentant mafia members from the Church and condemned them to Hell in the afterlife in a move which sparked fears of retaliation from the underworld.

- City of 'many wounds' -
During a visit to territory controlled by the powerful 'Ndrangheta organisation in the southern Italian Calabria region, he described the mafia as "the adoration of evil and contempt for common good."

"This evil must be beaten, expelled," he said, calling for historic ties between organised crime and the Church to be severed.

Numerous priests fight against Italy's big three -- the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and the Camorra in Naples -- sometimes paying for their bravery with their lives.

But the Italian Church also has a darker side. Mafia dons have historically attended mass, often receiving lavish funerals and presented themselves as Catholic benefactors, aiding local residents where the state has failed.

Priest Luigi Ciotti, who has dedicated his life to the fight against the mafia, said the pope's visit would mean a huge amount to a city he described as "marvellous but bitter, generous, but living with many wounds."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Get to know 'cute responsorial psalm guy'

When 22-year-old seminarian Kenneth Rey Parsad took to the podium at Manila Cathedral, to sing the responsorial psalm for the Holy mass that Pope Francis celebrated last Friday, his heart was pounding wildly against his chest. “It’s hard to describe the feeling,” Ken begins.

“I had to tell myself: ‘Contain yourself!’ Imagine the Pope was just there. I had mixed feelings. My heart was pounding. Good thing it stopped when I got to the podium. Then I relaxed.” Then he sang the Responsorial Psalm, “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord,” and stumped everyone.

He is the handsome young man people couldn’t stop talking about on social media. His good looks coupled with his velvety tenor voice quickly turned him into an instant Internet sensation.

The dark-haired Abra-native says he was equally stumped with the attention he received. “I never expected it,” he smiles embarrassed. Apart from all the articles written about him and the Twitter shoutouts, the Enrique-Iglesias look-alike was also flooded with Facebook friend requests and messages. “Somebody even made me a Facebook page, but I told him to remove it already because it was too self-serving. Remember what Pope Francis said: 'humility,'” he shares with Coconuts Manila in an exclusive interview Monday afternoon.

There’s one story though that he enjoyed a lot: “Somebody wrote a satire! It says, because of the Papal visit, a theologian became a movie star. The title of my teleserye with Marian Rivera is, ‘Forgive me Father for I have sinned.’ In fairness, I laughed hard with that one.”

Ken admits “it feels good” but he’s also quick to say that the attention is also kind of scary. “There will be a lot of expectations now,” he continues. Apart from the social media love, inaccurate stories about him have begun floating in the Internet. He points to one biography that made his life sound like a fairy tale. “I only have one sibling but in that story, though it was a good story, it said we were three. It’s also scary because of all the temptation, to be egotistical and to focus on myself.”

Kenneth Rey Parsad is the eldest and the only boy of two kids. Born and raised in Bangued, Abra, the seminarian came to Manila seven years ago to pursue priesthood at the UST Central Seminary. There, he immediately saw photos of Pope John Paul II in the hallways. “I wondered, ‘how does it feel like to serve the Pope?" he says. He’d have his answer seven years later, when in October 2014, he was approached to sing the Psalm for the Holy Father.

“I’ve been singing psalms for big masses for a long time already,” Ken says in Tagalog. ‘So I’m friends with the liturgists and the music people already.” It was the head of music in Manila Cathedral who told him first about the job, a proposition he thought was “too good to be true.” The reality only sunk in when Fr. Carmelo Arada, Jr, the head of ministry of lectors and commentators, repeated the request: 'you will sing it.’”

They only had a grand total of two rehearsals, but Ken, ever so diligent, would practice by himself. “This is not from St. Agustin, but the quote is attributed to him: ‘When you sing well, you pray twice.’ So for me, when I sing and I give my best, it’s like I’m praying twice.”

Read the complete story and view more photos at the Coconuts Manila website.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Viva Santo Papa: Huge crowds bid farewell to Pope

MANILA - Pope Francis left the Philippines on Monday, ending a week-long trip to Asia that culminated with a rain-soaked Mass for about seven million people in the capital of Asia's most populous Catholic nation, the largest-ever crowd for a papal event.

Vatican officials have said between six million and seven million people attended Sunday's Mass in Manila's Rizal Park and surrounding areas, eclipsing the roughly five million worshippers who flocked to a Mass by Pope John Paul in the same park 20 years ago.

The Pope's plane took off from Manila at about 10 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) in clear blue skies, a stark contrast to the stormy weather since he arrived on Thursday.

Huge crowds greeted Francis at all his stops in the Philippines despite the bad weather. Thousands lined the streets along the papal route to the airport on Monday, some shouting "Viva Santo Papa!" and "Pope Francis, we love you!"

About a thousand schoolchildren danced and sang as he boarded the plane taking him back to Rome.

Several of Francis's scheduled events in the Philippines were cut short by torrential rains and high winds, particularly on Saturday when he went to comfort survivors of Typhoon Haiyan that killed at least 6,300 people in the central Philippines in November 2013.

The Pope and the millions of faithful wore plastic ponchos during Sunday's rain-soaked Mass.

As well as comforting typhoon survivors in the Philippines, Francis urged the government to tackle corruption and poverty, and pleaded for the world to hear the cries of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children.

Francis also took another swipe at the government's population control efforts, saying the family was under threat from "insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred".

Before the Philippines, the Pope spent two days in Sri Lanka, where he preached reconciliation between different religions after the predominantly Buddhist country's 26-year civil war that ended in 2009 and killed up to 100,000 people. (Editing by Paul Tait)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis thrills in PH with 'jeepney' popemobile

MANILA - Pope Francis made a triumphant entrance for a mass with millions in the Philippines on Sunday aboard a "popemobile" styled after the nation's iconic, flamboyant and much-loved "jeepney" minibus.

The pontiff, standing in the elevated open body of the uniquely Filipino version of his popemobile, travelled through the streets of the capital Manila for the main event of his five-day visit.

Wearing a think plastic yellow poncho over his vestments, the 78-year-old pontiff smiled and waved to hundreds of thousands who had lined the route to the venue for the mass.

The rectangular vehicle with distinctive giant grille repeatedly stopped so he could reach into the cheering masses and pick up babies to kiss and bless them.

The pope rode the jeepney popemobile to Rizal Park where millions had gathered to hear him celebrate mass, in one of the world's biggest papal gatherings.

The jeepneys are regarded by many Filipinos as a symbol of national ingenuity. Locals created them from surplus US military jeeps after American forces left at the end of World War II.

The bodies of the jeeps were extended, seats were added and a fixed roof put in place. The vehicles were then painted with colourful and Catholic designs.

They proved to be strong vehicles with decades-long lifespans, and can be seen ferrying people through city streets and animals on mountain roads.

However the diesel-powered vehicles are also one the nation's chief air pollution culprits.

Francis's jeepney was an all-white popemobile. It had no doors, after the pope told local organisers he did not want a bulletproof vehicle so he could reach out and touch his followers.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope makes emotional appeal for world's suffering children

* Pope, moved by abandoned girl, appeals for help for children

* Says world has to "learn how to cry" over their fate

* Men are "too machista", should listen more to women, Francis says

MANILA - An emotional Pope Francis, moved by the tears of an abandoned child, said on Sunday the world needed to "learn how to cry" over the plight of the millions of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children.

During a rally with young people, 12-year-old Glyzelle Iris Palomar asked him: "Many children are abandoned by their parents. Many of them became victims and bad things have happened to them, like drug addiction and prostitution. Why does God allow this to happen, even if the children are not at fault? Why is it that only a few people help us?"

The girl, who was rescued and found shelter in a Church-run community, broke down in tears and could not finish her prepared welcome. The Pope hugged her and later put aside most of his own prepared speech to respond.

"She is the only one who has put forward a question for which there is no answer and she was not even able to express it in words but rather in tears," he said, visibly moved.

"Why do children suffer?" the Argentine pope said, speaking in his native Spanish. An aide translated his words from his native Spanish into English for the crowd of about 30,000 young people on the grounds of a Church-run university.

"I invite each one of you to ask yourselves, 'Have I learned how to weep, how to cry when I see a hungry child, a child on the street who uses drugs, a homeless child, an abandoned child, an abused child, a child that society uses as a slave'?" he said.

Children can be seen living on the streets of the Philippine capital, like in many poor countries in Asia, surviving by begging and picking through garbage in vast dumps.

The United Nations says 1.2 million children live on the streets in the Philippines. According to the Child Protection Network Foundation, 35.1 percent of children were living in poverty in 2009, the last year such data was available. Nearly 33 percent of Filipinos live in slums.

MEN "TOO MACHISTA"

Francis noted there were more men than women in the crowd and that it was a little girl who was able to move everyone.

"Women have much to tell us in today's society. At times we are too 'machista' and don't allow room for women," he said, using the Spanish term for male chauvinist. The crowd laughed.

"But women are capable of seeing things with a different angle from us, with a different eye, and pose questions that we men are not able to understand ... so when the next pope comes to Manila, let's please have more women among you," he said.

The Pope spoke at the university as huge crowds converged on a Manila park to see him wrap up his Asian trip with an outdoor Mass expected to draw one of the largest crowds in Philippine history later on Sunday.

Organizers say as many as 6 million people might attend the afternoon service at Manila's Rizal Park, more than about 5 million who flocked to a Mass there by Pope John Paul 20 years ago in Asia's largest Catholic country.

The faithful began arriving at the sprawling park on Saturday night and police expect the crowd to flow over into surrounding areas.

About a dozen people were injured in a minor stampede when people rushed to get into the park, Johnny Yu of the Manila city disaster office said in a radio interview. He said some people jumped over steel railings and some concrete barriers were breached.

Earlier at the university, the Pope asked for prayers for a 27-year-old volunteer who was killed by scaffolding that collapsed in strong winds during his visit on Saturday to the central Philippines city of Tacloban. He went there to comfort the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 6,300 people in November 2013.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis speaks out vs 'confusing' family values

MANILA - Pope Francis on Friday urged Catholic leaders in the Philippines to resist powerful forces that are tempting youth with "confusing" versions of sexuality, marriage and the family.

The 78-year-old pontiff delivered his message in a sermon to priests and nuns in the centuries-old Manila Cathedral, on the first full day of a trip to the Catholic Church's Asian stronghold.

The pope urged them to counsel young people, who may be confused and despondent living in a corrupt society, on traditional values.

"Proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian message to a society which is tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family," Francis said.

"As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God's plan for creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture."

His comments come amid a struggle in the Philippine Catholic Church between a conservative hierarchy and many followers living lives more in line with some modern Western values.

Aside from the Vatican itself, the Philippines is the only state in the world where divorce is illegal, while abortion and same-sex unions are also banned.

However the Church in 2012 lost a 15-year battle on birth control, as Congress passed a law allowing the state to hand out free contraceptives and teach family planning at schools.

Hundreds of thousands of Catholics also have illegal abortions each year, while many are pursuing live-in relationships without marrying.

Many Filipinos had hoped a visit by Francis, seen by many as being a surprisingly bold reformer, would nudge Philippine Church leaders away from some of the their most conservative positions on social issues.

Francis received a rapturous welcome when he arrived in the Philippines on Thursday for a five-day visit that is part of the Catholic Church's drive to attract more followers in Asia.

The Philippines is the Church's bastion in Asia, with Catholics making up 80 percent of the former Spanish colony's 100 million people.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Wondering why there's no signal? Smart explains

MANILA, Philippines - The government has ordered mobile phone operators to temporarily suspend cellular services in Metro Manila and other nearby areas, as Pope Francis attends various events in the metropolis.

Mobile phone subscribers had complained of erratic service on Thursday evening when the Pope arrived in Manila, and on Friday morning when he was in Malacanang and Manila Cathedral.

"In compliance with an order to mobile phone operators from government authorities, the cellular services of Smart and Sun Cellular were temporarily suspended today (Friday) in Metro Manila, including some municipalities of nearby provinces. This was done in the interest of public safety during the ongoing visit of His Holiness Pope Francis," Smart head for public affairs Mon Isberto said in a statement.

Smart has 69 million mobile subscribers, including Talk 'N Text, and Sun Cellular.

Isberto appealed for understanding from its subscribers "if similar situations arise in the next few days here in Metro Manila as well as other sites on the Papal itinerary."

Earlier, Smart and Globe issued separate advisories to its subscribers explaining the temporary disruption of services during the Pope's visit.

"You may have experienced temporary loss of mobile signal and internet connection during Pope Francis' arrival, especially in the areas surrounding his motorcade route. This was done in compliance with the directive of the National Telecommunications Commission for security reasons. We hope for your understanding," Globe said on its Facebook page.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis concerned over security threats in PH

ABOARD the Papal flight - Pope Francis admits he is concerned about reports of alleged threats to his security during his visit to the Philippines.

In a press conference on board Sri Lankan Airlines flight ALK4111 that brought him from Colombo to Manila, the pontiff said he has asked for updates from the Vatican security personnel accompanying him on this two-country apostolic voyage.

Travelling with the pope are two officials of the Pontifical Swiss Guards, his personal security group, and four members of the Gendarmerie Corps, the police force of the Vatican City State.

Some months back, fundamentalists belonging to the Islamic State aired threats against the Pope, although Philippine authorities insist there is no verifiable information that the pontiff will be in danger.

Speaking in Italian, the pope said the best way to deal with such threats is to stay meek and humble.

And in his trademark self-deprecating humor, Francis said he has prayed to the Lord and asked him that "if anything should happen to me, don't make it so bad because I'm not good at facing pain."

The pope said he is looking forward to seeing as many Filipinos as he can, but also acknowledged it would not be possible to see everyone.

His message to those who are unable to see him, much less participate in "personal encounters" with him: "I am thinking of you."

The pope said his thoughts go especially to the poor, the exploited, those suffering from social or spiritual injustice, as well as overseas Filipino workers who are far from family and country.

In Sri Lanka, which was torn apart by decades of civil war between Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic groups, one of the Pope's recurring themes is forgiveness and reconciliation, but also truth and justice.

Asked if he would support the creation of a truth commission in countries that suffered from internal conflict, Francis said he supported the creation of such in Argentina where he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

However, he said he could not say if it would apply to other countries because he doesn't know their respective situations.

The pope also shared his thoughts on other issues that can be summed up in the following themes:

    1. Religious freedom is a fundamental right; however, religion should not be used to commit violence or wage wars;

    2. Freedom of expression is also a fundamental right; but it should not be used to mock, insult, or provoke especially other religions;

    3. Rather than focus on their differences, various faiths and religions would do better to focus on what they agree on for the common good.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US embassy in Manila closed on Jan 16 and 19

MANILA – The Embassy of the United States in Manila and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Friday (Jan. 16) for the Papal visit and on Monday (Jan. 19) in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American holiday.

"The embassy will resume its services on Tuesday, January 20," the embassy said.

Malacanang has declared January 15, 16 and 19 as special non-working holidays in the National Capital Region due to Pope Francis' visit.

Pope Francis will arrive in Manila from Sri Lanka late Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), who is remembered in the United States on the third Monday of January each year, is perhaps best known as America’s chief spokesman for non-violent activism as a result of his leadership role in the US civil rights movement.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a legislation making King’s birthday a federal holiday.

In 1994, the US Congress designated the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a national day of service, calling on Americans from every walk of life to volunteer their time and effort on that day to help realize King’s vision of a “beloved community."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis arrives in Manila

MANILA - Pope Francis arrived in the Philippines on Thursday, the second and last stop in his week-long Asia tour, to send a message of mercy and compassion to millions of poor Filipinos, including those hit by one of the strongest typhoons to ever hit land.

Asia's most populous Catholic nation mounted its biggest security operation for Francis' visit, deploying nearly 50,000 soldiers and police in the capital and in the central Philippine province of Leyte for his weekend trip there.

Francis is the third pontiff to visit the world's third biggest Roman Catholic country after Brazil and Mexico. About 80 percent of the Philippines' 100 million population are Roman Catholics, accounting for half of Asia's total. (Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cathay Pacific reschedules flights for Papal visit

MANILA – Cathay Pacific announced on Wednesday that it is rescheduling several flights to give way to the visit of Pope Francis from January 15 to 19.

The airline said the following flights for Thursday (January 15), Saturday (January 17), and Monday (January 19) are rescheduled:

January 15 (Thursday)

CX918, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1755-2010, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1500-1715
CX902, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1955-2205, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1510-1720
CX919, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1440-1645, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1055-1300
CX903, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1635-1845, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1135-1345

January 17 (Saturday)

CX912, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 0845-1055 - New Flight No. CX2912, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 0640-0840
CX918, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1755-2010, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1900-2115
CX902,Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1955-2205, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 2110-2320
CX903, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1635-1845, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1750-2000

January 19 (Monday)

CX906, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1100-1320, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1155-1415
CX907, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 0750-0950, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 0300-0500

Only one flight — CX912 Manila to Hong Kong — scheduled for Monday is cancelled.

Cathay Pacific is reminding passengers to be at the airport at least 3 hours prior to flight departure to ensure on-time arrival at the airport, particularly on the following dates due to road closures:

January 15 (3 p.m.-7 p.m.) - Sales Avenue-Andrews Avenue-Domestic Road
January 19 (7 a.m.-10 a.m.) - Sales Avenue-Andrews Avenue-Domestic Road

The airline said passengers may contact Cathay Pacific's Reservation Hotline at (02) 757-0888 for further inquiries and clarifications.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

SM issues advisory on Pope's visit to MOA Arena

MANILA – The management of SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena is reminding the public that its gates will open on 11 a.m. on Friday, January 16, for the visit of Pope Francis.

The Pope is expected to arrive at the MOA Complex at 5:15 p.m. SM MOA Arena management said gates will be closed at 3:30 p.m. The South Open Parking will open at 9 a.m. and also close at 3:30 p.m.

Pope Francis will celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, which will involve a reading of the Holy Gospel, reflection, prayer, and blessings for all families present.

Selected families will also be sharing testimonies on poverty, migration, and disability, with the Pope and the public.

The event, dubbed “Encounter with the Families,” is expected to end at 7 p.m.

SM MOA management said all tickets are free and issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which organized the event.

Local dioceses will also issue free tickets for the 16 cinemas that will show live streaming of the Pope’s MOA appearance, namely SM City North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM City Manila, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City San Lazaro, SM City Fairview, SM City Marikina, SM City Bacoor, SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Clark, SM City Pampanga, SM City Cebu, SM City Iloilo, SM City Davao, and SM City Lanang.

Those who are in the vicinity of the MOA Arena can also see the Pope during the motorcade as well as the proceedings inside the MOA Arena through LED screens with speakers within the MOA complex.

SM management said the MOA Arena Annex building, located in front of MOA Arena, will open at 4 a.m. onwards (on a first come first served basis).

Only those who will present official Papal visit 2015 IDs and the red-colored Arena tickets (for the pre-seated delegates inside the MOA Arena) will be allowed entry, and white colored Arena tickets (for the seated delegates in the South Open Parking between MOA Arena & SMX).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cyclone could cancel Pope's Leyte visit, says exec

MANILA – A member of the Papal Visit Executive Committee said bad weather may force the cancellation of Pope Francis' visit to Leyte.

Ambassador Marciano Paynor, member of the Papal Visit Executive Committee, said the approaching cyclone east of the Visayas-Mindanao region has cast uncertainty on the pope's January 17 visit to Yolanda-ravaged Tacloban.

''Talagang hindi natin masasabi, pero siyempre ang pinaka (concern) nga is iyung weather ho,'' Paynor told dzMM.

''Kung masyadong malakas ang ulan o hangin, hindi pwedeng mag-landing ang eroplano sa Tacloban. Iyun ang pwedeng makaapekto. Pero pinag-darasal natin na huwag mangyari iyon."

The pope's visit to the typhoon-stricken region is considered the most important part of his visit to the Philippines, which carries the theme ''Mercy and Compassion''.

The pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Tacloban airport, considered the ground zero for Yolanda, and have lunch with 30 survivors of the super typhoon and the destructive Bohol earthquake.

Cyclone
State weather bureau PAGASA said a tropical depression was spotted 1,610 kilometers east of Mindanao as of 4 a.m.

The tropical depression was packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour and was moving west northwest at 19 kph.

PAGASA weather forecaster Jori Loiz told dzMM that the tropical depression will enter the Philippine area of responsibility between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, at which point it will be locally named ''Amang''.

Loiz said the cyclone might re-curve due to the high pressure area. He, however, said even if the cyclone re-curves, it's trough or outer cloudbands will still bring rains over Visayas and Mindanao.

PAGASA said by Friday (January 16), Tacloban City will experience light rains as the tropical cyclone moves closer to the country.

By Saturday (January 17), light to moderate rains and moderate to strong winds will prevail over Tacloban and thunderstorms are likely to occur.

People surge
Meanwhile, Pasig Bishop Mylo Vergara, head of the media committee for the papal visit to the Philippines, said people who want to bring children to any of the papal events in the Philippines, especially in the pope's mass in Luneta, should not be discouraged from doing so.

''Everyone should go. I think even some elderlies are excited to go there. There will be persons with disbailities who would be attending the mass, so why not?" he told ANC's Headstart.

Citing the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene, Vergara noted the Philippines is no stranger to events that see a large number of people converging in one place.

''Ang poong nazareno happens every year. It is something that we look forward to. It is always asked of me, are you afraid of the people surge? Eh people surge na yung poong nazareno hindi ba? And things fall into place afterwards. We do the best in security, in management of the crowd,'' he said.

Nearly 40,000 soldiers and police are being deployed to protect the pontiff during his five-day trip to the Philippines, a majority Catholic nation where attempts have been made to kill visiting popes twice before.

"For this year, this will be the greatest security nightmare that we can have," Philippine military chief General Gregorio Catapang said as he readied his troops for the pontiff's arrival.

Authorities have stated the huge crowds of devout Catholics are their main worry, with up to six million people expected for a mass in Manila on Sunday. – with Agence France-Presse

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Papal rally? PSEi hits new all-time high

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) traded at an all-time high on Wednesday morning.

The main index reached a new all-time intra-day high of 7,530.41.

As of 12:00 noon, the PSEi stood at 7,528.49, up 129.49 points or 1.75 percent.



While some may say the stock market is feeling the "Pope Francis" effect ahead of his visit to Manila, analysts are attributing the euphoria to the continuing plunge in oil prices.

"Lower oil prices help ease inflation concerns… With this trend, 2015 inflation could be at 2.5%, this means more leg room for monetary policy (no interest rate hike in 1st half of 2015)," BDO analyst Jonas Ravelas said.

Reuters reported oil tumbled 5 percent to near six-year lows before recovering ground on Tuesday, and Brent briefly traded at par to U.S. crude for the first time in three months as some traders moved to take advantage of ample storage space in the United States.

Traders were searching to store the glut of oil, which has knocked prices down 60 percent in the last six months. So far this week, Brent has lost 7 percent and U.S. crude 5 percent.

Brent settled down 84 cents at $46.59 a barrel, after falling to $45.19, its lowest since March 2009.

U.S. crude closed down 18 cents at $45.89, after hitting an April 2009 low of $44.20.

R.S. Lim & Co. president and CEO Ali Yu said lower oil prices are good for listed companies, especially in the retail and industrial sectors.

Nickel Asia

Meanwhile, Nickel Asia traded at an all-time high on Wednesday morning, after the company reported its 2014 shipments breached its targets.

Nickel Asia shares jump as much as 2.5 percent to a record high of P32.85 in early trades. The company said nickel ores shipped and delivered from the company's four operating mines reached 17.9 million wet metric tonnes (WMT) in 2014, exceeding the target of 17 million WMT.

Nickel Asia, the Philippines' biggest nickel miner, is partly owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd of Japan. - With Michelle Ong, ANC and Reuters

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope Francis to use Volkswagen Touran during PH visit

MANILA, Philippines - The Volkswagen Touran will be one of the vehicles which Pope Francis will be using during his apostolic voyage in the Philippines.

Ayala Auto, a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corporation which distributes the German automaker in the Philippines, was chosen out of other automakers.

The Touran will be used by the Holy See from January 15-19.

After his visit to Manila, it will be up to Pope Francis where he wishes to donate the vehicle.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pope to ride open vehicle in Philippines

Pope Francis has asked to ride an open vehicle when he visits the Philippines next month, making him both "vulnerable" but more accessible to the people, the Filipino Catholic Church said Tuesday.

The government announced last month a custom-built "popemobile" would be built in coordination with Vatican security to protect him from unspecific threats during his January trip to Asia's Catholic bastion.

However, Filipino church officials revealed Tuesday the vehicle will be open and "not bulletproof" to accommodate the demands of the visiting church leader.

"What this means is our Holy Father will be very vulnerable during his visit," said Father David Concepcion, a member of a church committee preparing for the papal visit.

Francis is to arrive in Manila from Sri Lanka on January 15 and spend an entire day on January 17 hearing mass and comforting victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban city and Palo town on the central island of Leyte.

The typhoon, the strongest ever to hit land, killed or left missing 7,350 people and left millions of others homeless in November last year after it triggered tsunami-like giant waves that wiped out entire towns.

Pope Francis, who has shunned the pomp of his predecessors, said earlier this year he prefers to use open-top cars rather than the Vatican's bulletproof "popemobile" used by previous pontiffs, which he called a "sardine can".

"The popemobile will symbolise his desire to express his sympathy to the Filipino people and demonstrate what kind of church he wants to impart to the people," Concepcion told a news conference.

"It will have no aircon, so he will be feeling the tropical heat. If it rains he will get soaked too," he added.

"The Holy Father wishes to be accessible. He wants the option to stop and step down onto the street anywhere."

The government has said it expects a total of six million people to turn up when the Pontiff hears mass in Tacloban and in Manila's main outdoor park the following day.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How Marcos tried to claim credit for saving Pope's life

MANILA - Two men came to the airport in costume the day Pope Paul VI set foot in the Philippines in November 1970 -- the first Pope ever to visit the Philippines and the Far East.

The first, Alex Allan, a young reporter for "The Manila Chronicle," wore a local police officer's uniform.

The second -- Bolivian surrealist painter Benjamin Mendoza -- was dressed like a priest. He had come to the Philippines the year before the papal visit.

Allan recounted how he ended up wearing the police uniform: He wanted to cover the arrival of the pope, but failed to get a media pass.

“They were only allowing two reporters per paper,” he said. “The Malacanang reporter grabbed the first accreditation, and the second one went to the Senate reporter. I felt so bad. I was the one covering the Defense department, and the head of Task Force Holy Father was the Metrocom Chief, General Mariano Ordonez, yet I wasn’t allowed there. So I called Ordonez, and he said: ‘Punta ka rito bukas.’”

Ordonez couldn’t issue a media pass, but he gave Allan the uniform instead. “On the day of the pope’s arrival, there I was--walking with General Ordonez at the tarmac. He let go of his aide. I became his aide,” he said.

Within minutes of the pope’s arrival, Allan found himself two feet away from the pontiff and his would-be assassin—and yes, President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Little did Allan know that he was about to witness a historic moment. He saw the Bolivian artist attack the pope with a 9-inch kris, a dagger with a wavy blade.

“It was a very fast thing, somebody shouted 'Pare! Pare!' What they meant pala was, (the attacker) was a priest,” he said.

“I was surprised to find out he wasn’t really a priest,” said Allan, trying to describe Mendoza. “He didn’t look right. I couldn’t say that he was crazy or out of his mind because he was answering me. He was on a mission, that’s all he was saying. He kept repeating it.”

Mendoza was pushed to the ground by the pope’s secretary, Monsignor Pascale Macci. The 38-year-old Bolivian artist later received a karate blow by Stephen Cardinal Kim of Korea.

From there, Allan, a certain Sergeant Balacqua and Ordonez would take over. “(Mendoza) was struggling,” Allan said. “He was kicking. First thing I saw was the leg, so I grabbed it. We brought him to the van and then to a safe house.”

A photo of the three men lugging Mendoza to a van appeared on the front page of "The Manila Chronicle" the following day, November 28, 1970.




Metrocom chief's order

As Allan was about to write his story that day, things took an interesting turn. “Here comes Ordonez, and says: ‘Alex, hindi tayo ang nag-save kay pope, ha? It was Marcos who blocked him and karate chopped him. And it was Imelda who picked up the knife.’”

But Allan said he didn’t have the stomach for a tall tale. “I know what happened. He knows what happened. I couldn’t say that Marcos did it, because he didn’t do it.”

It had been a turbulent year for the Philippines, marked by violent anti-government protests, rising oil prices, rumors of martial law, a sex scandal involving the president, two super typhoons, and an assassination attempt.

But Allan said the pope’s visit somehow brought calm to a weary nation, albeit just for a few days. “Long after, people I talked to would say, I saw the pope. The fact that they saw him, had a rosary blessed by him, people said they felt holy water sprinkled on them. It was enough to have seen a pope.”

The Pope and his assassin had long gone, but Allan still remembers the two men -- and how he covered one of the biggest stories of his time.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com