Demand for Pope Francis merchandise rising as papal visit nears

With the head of the Roman Catholic Church coming to the Philippines in 10 days, everyone involved in the visit has been preparing for the pope's arrival at full tilt.

 

That inlcudes creative entrepreneurs who have seized the chance to feature Pope Francis and memorialize the historic visit on T-shirts, pins, mugs, towels, calendars, stamps, and even mini-caricature dolls for sale online. 

 

Church-run Radyo Veritas revealed in a report on "24 Oras" on Monday that the demand for Papal Visit merchandise has been increasing since last October. 

 

"Ever since nag-start kami mga first week [ng] October, habang dumaraan yung araw, palaki ng palaki yung benta," Radyo Veritas Marketing Coordinator Lolita Deala said. 

 

Aside from Radyo Veritas, street vendors in Quiapo have also noticed the increasing demand for papal visit merchandise. 

 

"Pagpasok ng December, marami nang namimili ng Pope Francis (merchandise) para pang-souvenir," Roel Nabor observed. 

 

However, Archbishop Socrates Villegas — head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines — reminded Filipinos to keep the visit centered on the Pope's main purpose in the country. 

 

"Ang totoo, ayaw niya. Ayaw niya kasi sabi niya, 'Kaya ako dadalaw sa Pilipinas kasi magbibigay galang ako kay Hesus at si Hesus ay nasa mahihirap na nasa Pilipinas,'" he said. 

 

Pope Francis is set to visit the country from Jan. 15-19. He is scheduled to visit Tacloban City to meet the victims of Typhoon Yolanda, which ravaged the city in 2013. — Trisha Macas/JDS, GMA News