Some dismayed, some okay with barricades in public areas at UST papal visit

"Sulit ang paghihintay."

 

Despite barricades preventing the public from going to the UST Grandstand, the Catholic faithful are still hopeful to see Pope Francis in his second to the last major activity in the Philippines.

 

Filipinos started trooping to UST as early as Saturday afternoon and the streets surrounding the university were filled up by 12 mindnight, according to a police officer and a barangay official.

 

Gates were opened a little after 4 a.m., but gates only allowed a single file through, causing slow moving lines that irritated some.

 

After the public was met with a series of inspection stationed at Dapitan gates, a long line of concrete, police and student barricades separated the crowd from areas beyond the UST Main Building.

 

A police officer told GMA News Online it's as far as the public can go.



Pope in UST

 

Pope Francis is scheduled to meet with 10 leaders of different religions at the university's Arch of the Century and some 24,000 representatives from the youth sector at the UST Grandstand.

 

From this end of the university, the Quadricentennial Square will be the best view for the public to see the pope's motorcade, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters assistant dean Nancy Tabirara told GMA News Online.

 

"This particular area will be barricaded because the popemobile will have a motorcade coming from España, going behind the Main Building, then to the Grandstand," she said.

 

After the motorcade, the public can still see the pope via large monitors stationed across the university, Tabirara said.

Mixed reactions

 

Some were dismayed over the barricades, given that it was announced that the papal visit to UST was supposed to be open to the public.

 

Friends Cristy Latrera and Susan Andong left their homes in Quezon City around 2 a.m. and were able to get inside UST grounds by 5:30 a.m.

 

They were utterly dismayed when informed of the barricades. "Pahirapan pumasok tapos siksikan," Andong said.

 

But for some, seeing Pope Francis for even just a few seconds or being in the place where the Catholic leader is will suffice.

 

Elizabeth Villena, with her family and relatives, were at the vicinity of UST around 6 p.m. Saturday. A huge group of 20 persons --young and old, they took turns in falling in line and waiting in their cars parked near the university.

 

"Yung iba nagintay sa sasakyan tapos yung iba nakapila," she said.

 

Even with the barricades, she and her family will stay at UST until the Pope leaves. "Basta makita s'ya okay. Yung twins ko, Mary Khaiel at Mikhaila, lagi nila sinasabi na gusto nila makita si pope," Villena said.

 

The same goes for Louielyn Itable and her friends. They arrived at UST around 12 midnight and immediately lined up going to Dapitan gate.

 

"12 midnight, may pila na nun. Mga 4:30 kami nakapasok kasi isa-isa lang yung pinapadaan kaya matagal. Pero okay lang samin basta makita si Pope Francis," she said.

 

While they were just informed of the barricades, going to UST is a better choice than Quirino Grandstand for the Manlapaz family.

 

Oliver Manlapaz, the family's patriarch said they left their Quezon City home at quarter to 3 a.m., and were able to get in the university by 6:30 a.m.

 

Oliver and his wife, Mianne, were UST graduates but did not have an alumni ID so they opted to enter through the public-assigned gates.

 

"Mas okay dito kaysa Quirino," Mianne said, noting that their eight year old daughter wanted to go and see Pope Francis because she might be asked in school.

Pontifical

 

UST was given the title "pontifical" –of or related to the Pontiff–by Pope Leo XIII in September 1902, only the second university in the world granted the designation.

 

Forty-five years later, Pope Pius XII called it "the Catholic University of the Philippines."

 

Pope Francis will be the third pontiff to visit the university, following the visits of Blessed Paul VI in 1970, and Saint John Paul II, who went there twice, in 1981 and 1995.

 

The UST encounter is one of two main events on the Pope's schedule on Sunday.

 

After the event at UST, the Pope will be heading to the Quirino Grandstand to celebrate the the concluding Mass, where 6 million people are expected to attend. — RSJ, GMA News