President Benigno Aquino III has already arrived at the Villamor Air Base to personally welcome Pope Francis, who is scheduled to arrive in the country late in the afternoon Thursday. The Pope, who will be in the Philippines for a five-day state and apostolic visit, is expected to arrive at the Philippines at 5:45 pm. A fiesta-like welcome awaits him. Members of the Cabinet and Church officials will also be welcoming the Pope. —Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News
The head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) has been reinstatement, months after being relieved from his post over an alleged anomalous procurement of medical supplies worth P80 million. In the a statement released Wednesday morning, the AFP said Brig. Gen. Normando T. Sta. Ana Jr. was reinstated as the AFPMC commander effective last Monday. Military chief Gen. General Gregorio Catapang Jr. ordered his Sta. Ana’s relief last October 14 to give way to a “thorough and impartial” investigation on the alleged anomaly. Based on news reports, a certain Renato Villafuerte filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman as regards the procurement of P80 million worth medicine and other medical supplies for the AFP Medical Center without public bidding. Catapang then ordered a separate probe. However, after an investigation was made, the military found Villafuerte “to be a fictitious person.” It added that complaints against Sta. Ana was “dismissed for lack of evidence to support the allegations, and nobody testified to substantiate the complaints.” — Amanda Fernandez/RSJ, GMA News
With just a day before Pope Francis arrives, posters and tarpaulins bearing names and even images of politicians continued to surface. In a barangay in southern Luzon, some posters even featured the images of the entire barangay council, as shown by photos tweeted by GMA News stringer Peewee Bacuño. The photos of the local leaders were positioned under a larger image of the Pope. In Tacloban, some so-called epal materials featured the names of local politicians, radio dzBB’s Carlo Mateo reported. Photos tweeted by dzBB’s Mateo showed the names of the politicians prominently displayed alongside the “welcome” message for the pope. These followed the sprouting of so-called epal signs last Sunday in parts of Metro Manila, where messages welcoming the pope featured the names of barangay officials. The pope is due to arrive in the Philippines Jan. 15. He will go to Leyte Jan. 17 for a Mass in Tacloban and lunch with survivors of recent calamities in Palo. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News
President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday night personally inspected the dry run of the convoy that would secure Pope Francis upon his arrival in the Philippines on Jan. 15. Aquino joined officials including interior secretary Manuel Roxas II at the route from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature, radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported. He also joined the inspection of the Light Rail Transit station at Quirino Avenue, which is near the papal nunciature where the pope will stay during his visit. During the inspection, portions of roads at the route of the papal convoy near the nunciature were closed. Tuesday night’s dry run is the last before the pope’s arrival on Thursday afternoon. The pope will stay in the Philippines until Jan. 19. During his stay, the pope will have events in Metro Manila and Leyte. Meanwhile, streets near the Manila Cathedral were also closed since 8 p.m. Tuesday, dzBB’s James Agustin reported. Streets closed included A. Soriano Avenue corner Cabildo and General Luna near Plaza Roma. — Joel Locsin/ELR, GMA News
When he arrives in the Philippines on Thursday, Pope Francis would be glad to know he enjoys “much trust” from a little over seven out of 10 Filipinos, according to a survey conducted Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 by pollster Social Weather Stations. The SWS, which posted the results of its survey Tuesday, said 72 percent of adult Filipinos have much trust and 12 percent having little trust in the Pope. It said this translates to a net trust rating of +59, or “very good.” SWS noted the Pope—formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio—enjoyed a “very good” +59 with 71 percent having much trust in him and 12 percent having little trust in him in September 2013. “The Catholic Pope has always been highly regarded by Filipinos, with Pope John Paul II garnering the highest public trust in the history of SWS surveys,” SWS said. Pope Francis is to arrive Jan. 15 for a five-day visit where he will take part in activities in Metro Manila and Leyte. The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults nationwide, with 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and 900 in the Visayas. Sampling error margins of ±2% for national percentages, ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and ±3% for Visayas applied to the survey. SWS trust ratings consider net scores of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good”; +30 to +49 “good”; +10 to +29 “moderate”; +9 to -9 “neutral”; -10 to -29 “poor”; Read More …
GMA News has partnered with various malls and establishments nationwide to present the special coverage of Pope Francis’ visit from January 15 to 19. The following malls have agreed to show GMA News’ live special coverage via big screens: Mega Manila SM North Edsa SM Manila SM San Lazaro SM Sta. Mesa SM Marikina SM Masinag SM Taytay SM Novaliches SM Fairview SM BF Paranque Luzon City Walk Mall, Tarlac SM Clark SM San Fernando, Downtown SM Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecijia LCC Mall Legazpi LCC Mall Naga LCC Mall Polangui VISMIN The District Ayala Mall, Bacolod Public Plaza, Bacolod Marymart Mall, Iloilo GT Mall, Iloilo Gaisano Mall, Davao City Abreeza Ayala Mall, Davao City Limketkai Mall, CdeO Gaisano Mall, CdeO Centrio Mall, CdeO Provincial Capitol, Misamis Oriental These bus companies will also join in showing the live coverage of the papal visit on their fleets: G Liner Fariñas Bus Transit Five Star Bus company (including bus stations) Mercury Drug in Quiapo also agreed to show GMA News’ special coverage through their big screen. The special coverage can be followed from: January 15, Thursday: Arrival Of Pope And Open Air Motorcade GMA 7: 5:15pm – 8:00pm January 16, Friday: Manila Cathedral Mass GNTV Channel 11: 11:15am – 1:30pm, 5:00pm – 8:30pm January 17, Saturday: Going to Tacloban City GNTV Channel 11: 9:30am-7:00pm January 18, Sunday: Pope Travels from Nunciature to UST, UST Motorcade, Meets w/ Young People GMA 7: 9:45am –12:00pm, 2:00pm – 6:00pm Pope Francis will be arriving in the Philippines Read More …
Pope’s Swiss Guards inspect Quirino Grandstand. Members of the close-in security group (Swiss Guards) of Pope Francis inspect the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park on Tuesday, January 13, in preparation for the Pope’s Mass on January 18. Roy Lozano Not all priests are vested equally and some of them may be assassins in disguise, church officials and policemen warned on GMA 7’s “24 Oras” Tuesday. Sutanas were allegedly found at the apartments of the terrorists who attempted to assassinate then-Pope John Paul II in 1995. Because of this, a strict system of verification was devised for holy persons during the events Pope Francis will attend this week. “Maingat na po tayo diyan, kaya lahat po ng mga pari, hindi basta makakapasok na naka-sutana lamang ang dala nila,” Msgr. Clem Ignacio commented. “Meron pong ibang mga pararaan para masiguro na hindi sila nagpapanggap lamang,” he added. Due to the Pope’s request to be closer to the people, securing him posed a “big challenge” to security, leading the Philippine National Police to ask for the public’s cooperation during the visit. At least 200 soldiers will be sent to Leyte for the protection of the Pope, augmenting the Office of Civil Defense as part of the incident management team in Tacloban City. —NB, GMA News
Dry run for Pope Francis arrival starts. One of three Popemobiles for the five-day visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines arrives at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on Monday, January 12, for simulation and dry run. The Pope will be in the country from January 15 to 19, a trip that will be highlighted by visits to disaster-hit Tacloban City and Palo town in Leyte. Danny Pata Some passengers along a portion of Manila’s Taft Avenue were stranded Monday evening while authorities simulated Pope Francis’ Jan. 15 arrival. A Vine video tweeted by radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas showed people waiting for a ride at Taft Avenue near the Apostolic Nunciature. The video showed many people choosing to walk while police deployed along the expected papal convoy route. Police asked the public in the area for understanding, saying it was a dry run to ensure the Pope’s safety when he arrives Jan. 15. The area was reopened to traffic at about 7 p.m. Earlier, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the roads in the path from Villamor Air Base to the Nunciature – where the pope will stay during his visit – would be closed 5 p.m. in time for the dry run at 6 p.m. Another video Vargas posted showed police personnel along Andrews Avenue and Roxas Boulevard during the dry run. — Joel Locsin/ELR, GMA News
COLOMBO/VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis returns to Asia for the second time in less than six months, travelling to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in coming days to underscore his concern for inter-religious dialogue, poverty and the environment. Security will be a main issue in both countries, particularly in the Philippines, Asia’s only majority Catholic country, where up to six million people are expected to attend an outdoor Mass on Jan. 18. Up to 40,000 police, troops and reservists will take part in what military chief General Gregorio Catapang has called the country’s biggest ever security operation. “There will be soldiers rappelling up and down helicopters to rescue the pope in case he will be pinned down by a sea of people. We may airlift or use naval boats to bring the pope to safety if necessary,” he said. When Pope John Paul visited Manila in 1995, security perimeters were breached and he had to be taken by helicopter to a Mass site because his car could not get through a sea of some 5 million people. One theme of the Jan. 12-19 trip will be climate change. During his stay in the Philippines he will visit Tacloban, where Typhoon Haiyan killed 6,300 people in 2013. Sri Lanka is among the Asian countries experts say will see sea level rises likely to displace people and adversely affect tourism and fisheries. The Vatican says Francis, who is preparing an encyclical on the environment, will speak about the issue several times. While Read More …
A two-year-old boy is in a critical condition after an alleged case of malpractice at the Philippine Heart Center, the parents said in a TV report on Monday. Stephen Gabriel Valencia has Down Syndrome and Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that causes low oxygen levels in the blood and blue color to the skin. Thus, the term “blue baby.” Because of his condition, Valencia experiences irregular heart rhythms that prompted his parents, Tyrone and Sarah, to have him confined at the hospital on December 10, a report on 24 Oras said. They said he was getting better until a nurse allegedly did something wrong during his treatment. GMA News has asked the Philippine Heart Center for comment regarding the case but it is yet to respond to the request. According to the office of the executive director of the hospital, the case is under investigation. Valencia’s parents said they saw the nurse hastily putting a cannula or tube into the child’s humidifier and oxygen tank without checking the pressure. The doctor only instrcuted for the two-year-old for an X-Ray. After the incident, the baby suddenly had a hard time breathing and water went out of his nose and mouth. But, the nurse kept on pushing in the cannula. His father, also a nurse, knew something was wrong. “Binabalik pa niya ‘yung cannula para siguro bigyan ng oxygen baby ko, or nataranta na rin siguro siya, ‘di niya alam anong gagawin niya. Kahit may tubig pa, pinipilit Read More …