Maniolas

Photos of at least two individuals who appear to be wearing a police shirt, cap and badges, and nothing more than diapers circulated online earlier this week, at the height of Pope Francis’ visit. But these diaper-wearing cops were anything but. Paul Agabin of Project Awesome Philippines earlier admitted they were fake cops who were part of a social experiment. “This is a social experiment regarding the MMDA Diapers issue, in order to investigate the effect of officers wearing diapers due to the limited portalets. But obviously, they can’t do the experiment with pants on,” the group said on its website. But the Philippine National Police was less than amused. In a report aired over GMA News’ “Unang Balita” on Wednesday, it said the images shown were highly insulting to the morale of the police force who worked hard to safeguard the Pope during his five-day visit. The video of the fake cops has since been removed from Project Awesome Philippines’ Facebook page. However, the same video remains available on the group’s website, along with a disclaimer. “They are in no way connected with real government agencies. The uniforms they have been wearing are fake. Their logos and badges are modified, No IDs, Generic Shirts, and they did it early in the morning before the mass to avoid issues,” the group said. —Patricia Denise Chiu/KBK, GMA News

Pope Francis chose regular raincoat instead of special one in Tacloban, says stage designer Amid heavy rain upon his arrival in Tacloban last Saturday, Pope Francis chose to use the regular raincoats worn by the pilgrims during his Mass. This was revealed by architect Dan Lichauco, who designed the stage for the Mass at Tacloban airport, in an interview that aired on “24 Oras” on Tuesday. “‘Yung raincoat, ‘yan ‘yung pinamigay sa mga tao, noong nakita niya, sabi niya ayaw niya gamitiin ‘yung raincoat niya. Ginamit niya yung raincoat ng mga tao,” said Lichauco.  Despite the heavy rain, Pope Francis still pushed through with his activities in Leyte, which was placed under Signal No. 2 because of Tropical Storm Amang last Saturday, even though he was forced to shorten his trip.  In a news conference following the trip, Cardinal Tagle said that the Leyte visit was full of many firsts for the pope. It was his first time to experience a typhoon and to celebrate Mass wearing a raincoat.   Pinoy-inspired design Lichauco said his design for the stage was inspired by the bahay kubo.  “We wanted the pope to know that he is in the Philippines that’s why bahay kubo ‘yung design… Dapat iconic siya kasi it’s a first,” he said.  To keep with the Filipino theme, sawali or bamboo mats bought in Tacloban were used to create the stage.  Lichauco, who also designed a stage for St. John Paul II’s papal visit to the Philippines in 1995, said Read More …

Pope Francis arrived in Rome early Tuesday morning, organizers of his five-day visit to the Philippines said over social media. Shepherd One, the callsign for the Philippine Airlines Airbus 340 which flew the Pope to Rome, took off from Villamor Air Base in Pasay on Monday morning after a send-off ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay.  On Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated a mass at the Quirino Grandstand that was attended by a crowd of from 6-7 million. Before that, he had a meeting with religious leaders and the youth at the University of Santo Tomas. On Saturday, he flew to Leyte to celebrate a mass at the Tacloban Airport and to visit nearby Palo town. Leyte was among the areas worst hit by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. On Friday, the Pope paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III, celebrated a mass at the Manila Cathedral, and held an Encounter with Families at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Despite the pomp and preparations surrounding his visit to the country, the Pope was described as down-to-earth, opting to travel in an open Popemobile so people lining the route of his motorcade could get a better look at him. He also frequently deviated from prepared speeches, at times doing away with them altogether, so that he could speak from the heart. — JDS, GMA News

After millions of Filipinos tried to get a glimpse of Pope Francis at engagements during his five-day visit to the Philippines, the Philippine Red Cross recorded more than 3,000 cases of medical emergencies during the period. According to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras,” one of them was a heart attack victim who already had no pulse when he was rescued by the Metro Manila Development Authority and volunteers of the Philippine National Red Cross. “Dinala namin sa ambulance natin. We brought the patient to our emergency field hospital. Habang dinadala duon, nire-revive, pulse-less, walang pulso. Na-revive yung patient,”  The Red Cross recorded 1,000 minor injuries. Many of the cases that the group and the Department of Health recorded involved hypothermia, high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, and heart attacks. In the case of Tomas Dimaano, he fell from a bridge on Quirino Avenue while Pope Francis’ convoy passed by, supposedly due to the pushing and jostling among the crowd. He was helped and brought to a hospital. Several complained of dizziness and lost consciousness at the corner of Orosa and Kalaw Streets while waiting for Sunday’s Mass. While some had to lie on the ground, others were placed on stretchers but could not immediately be brought out of the area because of the number of people. —Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News

MANILA, Philippines – One of the reasons Pope Francis’ first visit to the Philippines made a lasting impression on the Catholic faithful was his impromptu speeches that came from the heart. The Holy Father may have had difficulty speaking in English but his words nevertheless reached out and touched the hearts of millions. INQUIRER.net combed through these speeches and compiled an #InquirerSeven list of key words from, or words used most often in, Pope Francis’ speeches and homilies delivered during his five-day papal visit. On this list, the words Jesus Christ, God, Lord and the Gospel were not included. 1. Love “Do you love me?” Pope Francis asked at the start of his first homily in Manila Cathedral. He had meant to quote a verse from the Bible (“Do you love me?…  Tend my sheep,” Jn 21:15-17) but his audience answered, “YES!” before he could finish. There was an outpouring of love for the Pope during his visit to the Philippines. But while the charismatic Pontiff appreciated the love sent his way, he always brought the topic of love back to God and his “surprising love.” “Real love is being open to the love that comes to you. The love that surprises us,” Pope Francis said in his message to students at University of Santo Tomas (UST). “Allow yourselves to be surprised by the love of God.” Pope Francis also urged those in attendance at the Mass in Manila Cathedral to spread God’s love. “We proclaim the Good News of God’s infinite love, mercy and compassion,” he Read More …