Even in death, Pope Francis inspires ‘Yolanda’ survivors
TACLOBAN CITY—A group of neighbors didn’t mind getting wet while waiting outside their houses along the road in San Jose District here, just to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, who was expected to pass by on his way to Palo, Leyte, that rainy Saturday of 2015.
But they got more than they hoped for.
The Pope, wearing a plain, transparent yellow raincoat, dropped by and talked to them—a move which surprised even his own security personnel and staff.
That unexpected encounter on Jan. 17, 2015, lasted for only a few minutes, but it left a deep impact on the people whom the Pope had met.
“After meeting him in person, it deepened my faith and trust in our Lord and I try to go to the church as often as I can. I also pray every day,” said Jenita Aguilar, 54, in Waray.
“Our life did not turn rosy [after the encounter] because we continue to struggle in life, almost on a daily basis. At least we know that God is with us and will help us go through with our struggles,” she added.
Undeterred
The death of the 88-year-old Pontiff on April 21, Easter Monday, devastated Aguilar and her family.
“It (Francis’ death) felt like losing a father,” said Aguilar. “I prayed for Pope Francis when he was still in the hospital.”
“Pope Francis helped me get through many challenges. I truly believe he guided us,” she added.
The rosary given by the Pope is still on the family altar at home, beside a photo of the late leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Despite heavy rains spawned by Tropical Storm “Amang,” Pope Francis went ahead with his trip to Tacloban in 2015, although it was compressed to only four hours, to fulfill a promise he made in 2013 when the city became ground zero to the world’s strongest typhoon to hit inland.
More than 2,300 people died in Tacloban and many others remained missing when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) generated storm surges that destroyed houses, buildings and other infrastructure on Nov. 8, 2013.
Aguilar’s 7-year-old son, Rodgen, was among the more than 200 children who died during Yolanda. His remains were never found.
In 2015, Aguilar and about 10 of her relatives and neighbors then stayed outside their houses despite the rain, upon learning that the Pope might be passing by their community in Barangay 86 in San Jose District, one of the hardest-hit villages of Yolanda, on his way to the archbishop’s residence in Palo for lunch after celebrating Mass on a vacant lot near the airport.
“We were just outside our house in Barangay 86, waiting for the Pope’s convoy to pass by when suddenly, he stopped at our home. No one had informed us that he would be visiting,” she said.
“I still remember the moment we met him. His hands were so soft and his voice was gentle. He placed his hands on our heads as he blessed us,” she said.
Her nephew, Jullian Jeanars Aya-ay, was barely 2 years old when Pope Francis carried and kissed him while he talked to his parents and relatives. Before leaving, he blessed them and gave them rosaries.
Jeanars, now 12, couldn’t remember the visit, but his parents, Narciso and Mary Jean, constantly talked about it. When his mother gave birth to a baby girl seven months after the visit, she named her Franceska, after the Pope.
“I feel blessed to be named after him. But I’m also sad that he’s gone,” she said.
An illness took both their parents two years ago. Eldest brother Jayson Jay, 22, now serves as head of the family.
“Meeting him was an experience of a lifetime,” said Jayson, who offered a prayer upon learning about the Pontiff’s death.
Jayson now works in a government office while earning a degree in computer science. He and his siblings—John Mark, 20; Jaenars, 12; and Franceska, 9—live under the care of their relatives at Ridgeview Village in Barangay 97, Barangay Cabalawan, one of the relocation sites for Yolanda survivors, about 15 kilometers away from the heart of Tacloban City.
When he learned of the Pope’s passing, Jeanars, who just finished grade school, said he felt sad and resolved to finish school in honor of his memorable encounter with the Pontiff.
Lunch with the Pontiff
Cecile Acebedo, 48, of Palo, Leyte, was among the 30 people who had lunch with Pope Francis at the archbishop’s residence in Palo.
She could not recall what was served because she was too mesmerized by the presence of the Pontiff.
“It’s not every day you meet a Pope, much less share a table and breathe the same air with him. My friends call it a ‘bragging right,’ but I don’t like to see it that way,” she said.
With Acebedo were 29 other survivors of Yolanda and five people from Bohol who made it through the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook the island-province and killed more than 200 people on Oct. 15, 2013, just barely a month before the supertyphoon.
Acebedo, who lost her mother Teodosia, was trapped inside her room located on the ground floor of their home in Barangay Salvacion during Yolanda.
She sat just a few meters away from the Pope during the historic luncheon.
“I could hardly eat. We all just watched him, and in disbelief that we were sharing the same table. I remember he had what I believe was malunggay-flavored soup,” Acebedo said.
When it was her turn to speak to Pope Francis, she thanked him in Italian. “He smiled at me,” Acebedo said.
She also had the chance to shake the Holy Father’s hand. “One of our companions even knelt and kissed the floor. The Pope helped him up,” she recalled.
Instead of asking for personal favors, Acebedo simply asked for prayers for her family as well as healing following the trauma brought about by Yolanda.
“We had already lost so much—my mother and earlier, my brother in an accident. I also prayed for my sister to pass an exam so she could work abroad,” she said.
Her sister passed an international examination for auditors and was later assigned in Rome.
“She has been to the Vatican twice. I believe Pope Francis’ blessing played a part in that,” said Acebedo, who is now active in Church ministries.
She still keeps the dress she wore the day when she had lunch with the Pope as a treasured souvenir.
For others, even a glimpse of the Pope brought joy and healing.
Although she did not have a close encounter with Pope Francis, Marilyn Ecap, 54, said seeing him from afar was already a blessing.
Ecap was among the thousands of people who lined the streets of Tacloban during the Pope’s visit.
“Just seeing him was already a blessing,” she said.
“I prayed for my family and for my eldest son to pass his engineering board exams. He’s now a licensed engineer,” she added.
Corazon Palanas, 53, originally from San Jose and now residing at Ridgeview Village, recalled how she cried upon seeing the Pope.
“I don’t know why, but I cried—and yet I felt a sense of peace,” said the mother of five.
Seeking prayers
Fr. Chris Militante, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Palo, said Archbishop John Du asked all the faithful to offer prayers for the eternal repose of Pope Francis.
“Our archbishop encourages everyone to offer prayers at home and in the workplace,” he said.
Militante was among the three priests who personally welcomed the Pope to the Archbishop’s Palace.
“He was soaking wet but was smiling and even cracking jokes,” he recalled.
The Vatican, through the Pope’s initiatives, provided significant aid to the archdiocese, helping rebuild over 30 churches destroyed by Yolanda.
Among these was the Palo Cathedral, the seat of Catholicism in Eastern Visayas.
One lasting legacy is the Pope Francis Home for Orphans and the Elderly, located within the Archbishop’s Palace compound.
Established in 2015 and run by a South Korean missionary group, Kkottongnae, it continues to serve the poor and vulnerable.
According to Sr. James Montalban, the facility’s administrative secretary, they have assisted over 150 “families”—their term for residents—since the center’s founding.
“Most of the early residents were Yolanda survivors from Tacloban, Palo and nearby towns. Today, we care for 52 families who still need support, even if they’re not Yolanda survivors,” she said.
“The moment we confirmed his (Pope Francis) death, we offered a novena for his eternal repose, which we prayed until his burial,” she said.
