Calungsod sainthood inspires faith in Filipino youth

The canonization of Pedro Calungsod as patron saint for the young provides inspiration to the Filipino youth to strive more passionately to serve God and country.

It also expresses the deep concern of the Vatican and the Catholic Church for the salvation of the Filipino youth from the pitfalls of unbelief, drugs, criminality and other social ills that spring from the material and spiritual poverty and dilemma of our present society.

As mayor of Manila on Dec. 15, 1989, I paid a visit to his Holiness, Pope John Paul II, one of the most beloved popes in Christian history, at the Vatican, and there I learned the deep love and concern of the Church for the fate of the Filipino boys and girls.

The visit was originally scheduled for only five minutes. But is stretched on for another ten minutes after I mentioned to His Holiness my favorite project, which was the rehabilitation and maintenance of Boys’ Town, which is financed and managed by the City of Manila.

It was then that Pope John’s interest perked up, and he asked me many questions about the project. He also inquired about the Smokey Mountain, which was then a focus of international attention as a symbol of dire poverty in the Philippines.

His Holiness was very much interested in the welfare of street children, orphans and offspring of impoverished families. He asked if they were able to go to school, to get proper medical care and nutrition, and have a wholesome environment. He wanted to know what the government and civil society were doing to improve their conditions and give them hope for a better future.

It turned out that aside from his many saintly virtues that made him one of the most beloved and venerated popes in the Church’s history, Pope John Paul had a special love for children. That is why, Christmas, which was only ten days away, was uppermost in his mind, as it is the birthday of the Infant Jesus.

Pope John Paul’s love for children, especially the unfortunate was especially demonstrated by him at age 25, during the last days of World War II. In 1945, while he was still studying for the priesthood in Krakow, Poland, Karol Józef Wojtyla (his birth name), had chanced upon a 14-year-old Jewish refugee girl named Edith Zierer (19) who had run away from a Nazi labor camp.

The future pope and seminarian found Edith collapsed on a railway platform, carried her to a train and accompanied her to a safe place. Edith credited Wojtyla with saving her life. According to witnesses, Wojtyla helped protect many other Polish Jews from the Nazis. He was therefore very much interested in what I was doing, as the mayor of the Philippines’ capital city, to save destitute and unfortunate children from a desperate future.

I told him that when I assumed the mayoralty in 1986, following the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship and the assumption to the presidency of Corazon Aquino, I found Boys’ Town to have fallen on hard times, its buildings and facilities dilapidated and many of the underprivileged children who have sought shelter there made to fend for themselves.

Having been born and grown up in Tondo, Manila’s poorest district, I was familiar with poverty. I determined to rehabilitate the Boys’ Town, the refuge and haven of disadvantaged children, then already located in Parang, Marikina, and barely supported by Manila City funds. The youth center was originally established in Bilibid Viejo in Manila, behind the City Jail in 1945 by City Mayor Manuel de la Fuente and police Chief Valeriano Fugoso (who later became mayor).

The first thing I did was to cement the rutted road to the shelter, which was done by Pacific Concrete Products Inc., a private company. This made it more accessible to construction activity. Then I rigorously conducted a fundraising campaign among benevolent and affluent private citizens and corporations to augment the financial support of the city government, which was then experiencing budgetary difficulties.

Among those who enthusiastically responded with generous donations were then PLDT president “Tony Boy” Cojuangco; my late father, Dr. Gemiliano C. Lo-pez Sr., who helped build the Olympic-size swimming pool; may late brother, Congressman Jaime Lopez; Cesar Buenaventura, then president of Shell Philippines, who helped finance the world-class tennis court; then House Speaker Ramon V. Mitra; Philippine National Bank president Edgardo Espiritu, Mrs. Aboitiz of Aboitiz Shipping Co.; Mrs. Maur A. Lichauco, sister-in-law of President Cory Aquino; and Shell architect Gilbert Yu. Many others donated materials and services. Boys’ Town became once more a true haven for underprivileged youth, orphans and abandoned children.

I added more school buildings and classrooms to the 23-hectare compound. Aside from the first-class sports facilities I constructed to keep the boys and girls fit, I also established livelihood courses so that they could make a decent living in their adulthood. Boys’ Town also served as a rehabilitation center for drug abuse. It kept the youth away from drugs, crime and gambling, the bane of Manila society and the principal objects of my crusade as mayor of Manila. In this campaign, I got the enthusiastic support of religious organizations of all faiths.

Pope John’s eyes lighted up when I told him this. Acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, Pope John Paul II had significantly improved the Catholic Church’s relations with other religious faiths, such as Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. He was known as the Ecumenical Pope.

On Smokey Mountain, I told Pope John Paul of my program to eventually eliminate the mountain of garbage that continuously emitted noxious smoke like a sleeping volcano, endangering the health of surrounding communities. In the meantime, I built a chapel for the crowds of scavengers and informal settlers in the vicinity. I also constructed a towering Cross of Christ at the crest of the Smokey Mountain to symbolize Jesus Christ’s compassion for human suffering. The Cross was lighted and could be seen from kilometers around, especially at night. It symbolized hope and God’s love for mankind.

Pope John Paul II paid pastoral visits to the Philippines twice, in 1981 and in 1995, indicating his special interest in the Philippines, the biggest Catholic country in Asia. When he came on Jan. 15, 1995, during the 10th World Youth Day, he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million in Luneta, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history. I am proud that I and my family and millions of devout Manilans were among those who attended the historic Luneta Mass that day.

At the Vatican meeting, I found Pope John to be a compelling, magnetic personality, with a majestic aura of goodness and love for humanity exuding from his very being. He listened intently, forgetting that there were many others waiting for an audience outside his office. He wished me success and bestowed God’s blessings on my projects for the people of Manila. He also gave me and my companions rosary beads that he himself blessed. I am sure that his blessings contributed to the success of my projects. I was morally encouraged to redouble my efforts for the good of my constituents.

Accompanying me in this memorable audience at the Vatican were my son, Manny, who was my sports director at Boys’ Town, and Atty. B. Tantoco, Manila city legal counsel. The visit was the fruit of my representation to Bruno Torpigliani, then Apostolic Nuncio for Manila, who kindly interceded for me and arranged for my private audience with the Pope.

I formally requested for a private audience with his Holiness in a letter dated Nov. 24, 1989. On Nov. 27, I received a reply from the Apostolic Nuncio, stating that he had immediately forwarded my request to the proper office of the Holy See.

On Dec. 14, I received a notification from Rome, officially informing me that my audience with the Pope was scheduled on Dec. 15, at 11:40 in the morning, with three members of my family. It was an experience that I will forever cherish in my memory.