Encountering faith in Tacloban in the form of Pope Francis

By JIGGY MANICAD, GMA News January 21, 2015 2:13pm

I was in Tacloban when supertyphoon Yolanda hit on November 8, 2013. My team for the newscast, GMA News TV Quick Response Team (QRT), became victims of Yolanda as well.

We saw the deaths and devastation firsthand by walking for six hours just to get to the town of Palo, where our satellite team was located.

One of the very first to express his sympathies and willingness to visit the victims of Yolanda was Pope Francis. That expression, in one of his public appearances, gave tremendous hope to the victims.

A year and more than two months later, I would find myself assigned to cover Pope Francis’ arrival at the Tacloban airport.

We arrived in Tacloban two days before the Pope did, and were able to document the dry runs of the security forces and choir, alongside other physical preparations. Despite the heat of the sun, the people was in high spirits. They were tireless.

Wearing a raincoat, Pope Francis waves to the crowd after celebrating Mass in Tacloban Airport on Saturday, January 17. Pope Francis will spend a few hours with survivors of super typhoon Yolanda that claimed thousands of lives on November 8, 2013. The meeting will highlight his concern over climate change. AFP/Johannes Eisele

On the night of Jan. 16, queues more than five kilometers long formed, aiming to get into the venue called the “apron,” where Pope Francis would hold his Mass. It was starting to rain.

On Jan. 17, the day of his arrival, the weather changed. Pubic storm signal number 2 was raised because of typhoon Amang. But despite this, Pope Francis went on with his flight to Tacloban. He arrived around 8:47 a.m.

What separated me from the Pope was just a steel fence. I figured, if I could find a way to get around it, I might have the chance to get close to the Pope. There was a problem though: one wrong move might alarm the snipers.

Just the same, I readied my gifts for Pope Francis: a red wooden rosary, an image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and an image of St. Michael the Archangel.

Jiggy's gifts to Pope Francis.

I initially wanted to give him balloons and flowers, but I wasn’t able to find a store in Tacloban the night before his arrival.

Included in the “package” was a two-page letter of prayer for the nation, a message of gratitude for the blessings from me and my wife Marnie, and requests to “bless our family, and our house,” from my daughters Sam and Sabina.

As I was reporting live the minute Pope Francis made his rounds to greet the well-wishers, I went down from the media platform and started walking toward the direction of the guards.

I immediately showed the Pope what I was holding. At first, perhaps, he thought I just wanted him to bless what I was holding, as he made three signs of the cross over the objects. But when he heard me shout “for you, for you,” he looked surprised. He took the gift and our palms touched.

Jiggy giving gifts to the Pope.

That 15-second experience, with the guards pulling me away and snipers behind me, taught me a lot.

I was bothered by the fact that I would not be able to pass the Swiss Guards and the Presidential Security Group. But I was also inspired by the fact that Pope Francis bravely took a flight through a storm just to get to Tacloban.

From a larger perspective, it strengthened my faith and belief that you really have to go for your goals and God will be there to guide you. — VC, GMA News

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