John Paul II enshrined in Morong

MANILA, Philippines - Set against a backdrop of war monuments, the historic town of Morong in Bataan, whose soil was once drenched by the blood of heroes who made the supreme sacrifice during one of the fiercest battles of World War II, enshrines yet another most revered figure in recent history – recently beatified Pope John Paul II.

A project of the Bataan Technology Park Inc. (BTPI), the Pope John Paul II Memorial Shrine was a tacit yet eloquent expression of the Filipino people’s eternal gratitude to the late Catholic Church leader who manifested in more ways than one that Filipinos had a special place in his heart.

Former first lady, now Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos graced the unveiling rites held last May 2.

Mrs. Marcos, then minister of human settlements, invited the Pope for his first visit to Manila to celebrate Mass at the Refugee Processing Zone that she put up in Morong for the benefit of tens of thousands of so-called “boat people” who fled the war atrocities in Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia.

A brainchild of BTPI vice president and chief operating officer retired Commodore Amado Sanglay, the shrine was built on the exact site where the Pope celebrated the historic Mass.

Fr. Fernando Loreto, parish priest of Pilar, Bataan, collaborated with Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga town to help build the shrine, while Bataan Rep. Herminia Roman and BTPI chairman Amado Habana joined forces to solicit donations in cash and in kind to ensure completion of the project.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) chairman Felicito Payumo and president and chief executive officer Arnel Casanova also attended the inaugural event.

Casanova described the affair as “very timely” in light of the Pope’s recent beatification.

“It makes the place (BTP) special, historical and religious. It is a manifestation of the Filipino hospitality,” he said, adding that the facility would also serve as a halfway house for “people struggling for a better life.”

The BTPI is one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the BCDA.