Noy forms committee for Pope Francis visit next year

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has ordered the mobilization of government resources to ensure the smooth and orderly visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines on Jan. 15 to 19.

 In Memorandum Circular No. 72, Aquino ordered the creation of the Papal Visit 2015-National Organizing Committee (PV-NOC) to coordinate all preparations for the occasion.

The PV-NOC is tasked to take up all government participation and responses in connection with the papal visit and ensure efficient coordination among public and private sectors, particularly with the Central Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP); peace and order; and the traffic management plan for the transportation of persons and goods during the event.

The Central Committee of the CBCP is at the helm of managing and coordinating all religious and civil plans and activities for the papal visit. 

The PV-NOC will be chaired by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and vice-chaired by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

The members include the secretaries of the Departments of National Defense (DND), the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Health (DOH), Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Tourism (DOT), and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO); the Armed Forces chief of staff, Philippine National Police chief, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman. 

  The circular also called for the establishment of two local executive committees, the ExeCom-Manila and ExeCom-Leyte, in the areas of engagement of the Pope. The ExeComs will serve as the on-site, full-time and day-to-day operations arms of the PV-NOC.

 ExeCom-Manila will be led by an undersecretary of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES). 

Its members include the undersecretaries of the DFA, DND, DILG, DPWH, DOH, DOTC, DOT, and PCOO; chief of the Presidential Protocol Office; representatives from the Office of the President, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the PNP and MMDA; Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager; Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander; and head of the Radio-Television Malacañang (RTVM).

 The ExeCom-Leyte, on the other hand, will also be led by an undersecretary of the OES.

Its members include the regional director of the PNP, commander of the AFP Central Command, regional directors of the DOTC and DPWH, PSG Security Task Action Group Commander-Leyte, and a representative from the RTVM.

Meanwhile, Caritas Manila, the charitable arm of the Archdiocese of Manila, will be distributing merchandise, including pictures, t-shirts, umbrellas, bags, magazines, rosaries, prayer books and pins to the public in exchange for donations. 

Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas Manila executive director and Radio Veritas president, said the project is not only to promote the papal visit but also to raise funds for the poor. Helping the poor is one of the known advocacies of the Pontiff.

Pascual said part of the proceeds in the project spearheaded by their social services and development (SSD) ministry would also be used for expenses for the papal visit.

“Our SSD ministry has been tasked to produce these collaterals using the official logo of the papal visit to our poor countrymen,” he explained in an interview over Radio Veritas. – With Edu Punay