TABONTABON, LEYTE, Philippines — The Municipal Council of this town, located 45 kilometers southwest of Tacloban City, approved a resolution on Monday naming Pope Francis as Superpope.
Sponsored by newly appointed Councilor Nestor Abrematea, the resolution expressed the people’s admiration on the Pontiff for braving a raging storm in order to be with the victims of super typhoon Yolanda and say mass for them on January 17.
Abrematea said he was overwhelmed by the unanimous votes from his fellow councilors, adding that he saw great significance in the papal visit considering that he was the first pope who visited the Eastern Visayas and the first to say mass in raincoat with thousands of pilgrims, also in raincoat.
The councilor cited the history of Leyte as the site of the first mass and where the cross of Christianity was first planted in the archipelago in the 16th century in Limasawa Island.
Father Eliseo Loreto, chief vicar of the Saint Anthony of Padua parish in this town, was himself awed by what the pope did. “He was like a father who came for us and showed his supermalasakit (much concern) for us.”
Loreto believed that the 270 pilgrims from his parish deeply felt the message of Pope Francis. “They went on a pilgrimage to Tacloban not just to hear the Mass but to be inspired by him as well because they needed it,” as the town was also among the hardly-hit areas by Yolanda, with its church building destroyed as a result.
In a related development, the Tacloban City Council, headed by Vice Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin, yesterday approved a resolution expressing “deepest gratitude to Pope Francis for his apostolic journey” to the city.
“It is the city government’s gesture of expressing gratefulness to Pope Francis for the inspiration he gave to the victims of Yolanda and the joy and comfort he gave to those still grieving,” Yaokasin said, despite the threat of storm Amang.
Yaokasin said the Council will send a copy of the resolution to the Vatican through Archbishops Guiseppe Pinto, papal nuncio to the Philippines, and John Du of Palo Archdiocese, to let them know that the Taclobanons are grateful of the pope’s visit.
The judiciary in Eastern Visayas was also thankful and heedful of the pope’s act of mercy and compassion to prisoners.
Days before the pope’s arrival, three courts of the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban, granted the temporary dismissal of cases of inmates that have been dragging on for years and left unattended by the offended parties for over a year. —Eileen N. Ballesteros (FREEMAN)