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No VIPs: An unexpected journey on the way to see the Pope in Luneta
I was given a special pass for the papal Mass at the Quirino Grandstand last Sunday and I brought with me my good friend Amina for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In the end, the VIP pass took us nowhere near the Pope, but it allowed us to take him home.
On the evening of January 17, Saturday, Amina and I prepared ourselves for Sunday’s celebration. Topping our list of concerns were: what clothes to wear, which shoes to use, what food to bring, who our driver on duty would be, and other logistics. We met on Sunday morning armed with a plan and the feeling of privilege for the "VIP allocation."
I rode with Amina and was warned that this being a Sunday, her smart driver was not on board. Rather, we had to bear with the “obedient but not-so-snappy” one. We took the Taft Avenue route and got off the designated drop-off point, after instructing the driver to pick us up at 5:30 p.m.
Then off we walked, two ladies on a papal adventure. This was around 10:30 a.m. and things were going as planned. We headed towards Kalaw Avenue and Maria Orosa Street, the specified entrance for pass holders. We were in high spirits...until we got to Maria Orosa, a few meters near the gate.
"Crowded" would be an understatement. It was a sea of immovable people. We dared our way through. Both frail and under 115 pounds, we were pushed, shoved, groped, pulled and beaten by the zealous devotees. Amina was in tears while I was in shock.
Disheartened, we decided to leave the premises. We would recognize our helplessness and end our journey.
And that was when our true Pope Francis adventure began.
Good Samaritans
With nowhere to go and no mobile phones to use, we found ourselves in the safety of the PNP Command Center in Aloha Hotel, welcomed by the friendliest police force and afforded the luxury of cushioned seats.
These men in uniform became our good Samaritans. We also witnessed how they took their duties to heart and responded to citizens’ plight no matter how small. A lady who fainted was resuscitated right before our very eyes. Strangers sought aid, with concerns ranging from needing directions to finding lost relatives. And then there was us, two damsels in distress, just wanting to see the Pope.
Shortly after, His Holiness’ motorcade passed by Aloha Hotel heading to Luneta. Amina caught a glimpse and was happy enough to see his faint image and feel the vibe.
This was when we decided to end our respite and traverse the unfamiliar streets of Manila with the hopes of getting home to hear the papal Mass on TV.
Walking
This was also when, for the first time since we started our pilgrimage, Amina and I resigned in prayer.
We agreed that every step from that moment on would be offered for our petitions, special intentions and, above all, forgiveness of sins.
We then found ourselves in a deep conversation about the lessons of Pope Francis, the lessons of humility, simplicity and that being less is more. We were stripped of our usual comforts and were walking with just water and candy in hand, but we were surprisingly calm, and despite being drenched and lost, we were cheerful like our Pope.
Amina and I also started remembering our college immersion, lessons learned in our Social Theology class, all of which echo the Pope’s core message of being one with the poor, being one with those who suffer, and being poor ourselves in many aspects of our lives—and that the Pontiff was in the Philippines for those in need. We engaged in spiritual discussions which we had never done in the course of our friendship.
Lost in time, one pedicab ride after another, kilometer after kilometer, we found ourselves back on Taft Avenue where we earlier began. We ate lunch at 5:00 p.m., devouring sandwiches that tasted like heaven. At 5:30 p.m. sharp, the “obedient but not-so-snappy” driver proved Amina wrong by being there not just on time but with the car, defying traffic.
No VIPs
The ride home was emotional. It was a mix of disbelief and relief but not of regret or frustration. We missed Pope Francis, we missed his Mass—but one thing for sure: we did not miss the messages he wanted to impart.
We later learned that the VIP area was almost empty, that most of these guests failed to make it through. Eventually, some chairs were removed and distributed to the elderly and disabled. Some people who had the same special access ended up hearing the mass with everybody else in varying locations in the grandstand.
Pope Francis’ mandate has always been clear: no VIPs. This occasion exemplified that. And in the end, he being the Pope of the People triumphed. — BM, GMA News
In the end, the VIP pass took us nowhere near the Pope, but it allowed us to take him home.
The author's VIP pass to the papal Mass.
I rode with Amina and was warned that this being a Sunday, her smart driver was not on board. Rather, we had to bear with the “obedient but not-so-snappy” one. We took the Taft Avenue route and got off the designated drop-off point, after instructing the driver to pick us up at 5:30 p.m.
Then off we walked, two ladies on a papal adventure. This was around 10:30 a.m. and things were going as planned. We headed towards Kalaw Avenue and Maria Orosa Street, the specified entrance for pass holders. We were in high spirits...until we got to Maria Orosa, a few meters near the gate.
"Crowded" would be an understatement. It was a sea of immovable people. We dared our way through. Both frail and under 115 pounds, we were pushed, shoved, groped, pulled and beaten by the zealous devotees. Amina was in tears while I was in shock.
Disheartened, we decided to leave the premises. We would recognize our helplessness and end our journey.
And that was when our true Pope Francis adventure began.
Good Samaritans
With nowhere to go and no mobile phones to use, we found ourselves in the safety of the PNP Command Center in Aloha Hotel, welcomed by the friendliest police force and afforded the luxury of cushioned seats.
These men in uniform became our good Samaritans. We also witnessed how they took their duties to heart and responded to citizens’ plight no matter how small. A lady who fainted was resuscitated right before our very eyes. Strangers sought aid, with concerns ranging from needing directions to finding lost relatives. And then there was us, two damsels in distress, just wanting to see the Pope.
Shortly after, His Holiness’ motorcade passed by Aloha Hotel heading to Luneta. Amina caught a glimpse and was happy enough to see his faint image and feel the vibe.
The author (right) and her friend Amina on their way to the Mass on Sunday.
Walking
This was also when, for the first time since we started our pilgrimage, Amina and I resigned in prayer.
We agreed that every step from that moment on would be offered for our petitions, special intentions and, above all, forgiveness of sins.
We then found ourselves in a deep conversation about the lessons of Pope Francis, the lessons of humility, simplicity and that being less is more. We were stripped of our usual comforts and were walking with just water and candy in hand, but we were surprisingly calm, and despite being drenched and lost, we were cheerful like our Pope.
Amina and I also started remembering our college immersion, lessons learned in our Social Theology class, all of which echo the Pope’s core message of being one with the poor, being one with those who suffer, and being poor ourselves in many aspects of our lives—and that the Pontiff was in the Philippines for those in need. We engaged in spiritual discussions which we had never done in the course of our friendship.
Lost in time, one pedicab ride after another, kilometer after kilometer, we found ourselves back on Taft Avenue where we earlier began. We ate lunch at 5:00 p.m., devouring sandwiches that tasted like heaven. At 5:30 p.m. sharp, the “obedient but not-so-snappy” driver proved Amina wrong by being there not just on time but with the car, defying traffic.
No VIPs
The ride home was emotional. It was a mix of disbelief and relief but not of regret or frustration. We missed Pope Francis, we missed his Mass—but one thing for sure: we did not miss the messages he wanted to impart.
We later learned that the VIP area was almost empty, that most of these guests failed to make it through. Eventually, some chairs were removed and distributed to the elderly and disabled. Some people who had the same special access ended up hearing the mass with everybody else in varying locations in the grandstand.
Pope Francis’ mandate has always been clear: no VIPs. This occasion exemplified that. And in the end, he being the Pope of the People triumphed. — BM, GMA News
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