LEYTE, Philippines – Many survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) see the visit of Pope Francis on Saturday, January 17, as a sign of hope, much “like Jesus Christ” visiting them a year after the disaster.

One of these survivors is Patring Bacoy, 74, who lives in the village of Anibong in Tacloban City, which Yolanda swept away in November 2013.

Bacoy cried as she explained why the Pope’s visit matters for her. “’Yung Santo Papa, pakiramdam ko siya na po si Jesus Christ na dumating dito sa Tacloban (I feel that the Holy Father is like Jesus Christ coming to Tacloban),” Bacoy told Rappler. 

In Palo, Leyte, Betty Hermosilla broke into tears as well when the Pope arrived in the Philippines on Thursday.

Hermosilla joined around 200 others in watching the Pope’s arrival at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City. “Iba na rin ang feeling, na parang si Jesus Christ na rin ang nakita ko (It’s a different feeling, like I’m seeing Jesus Christ himself),” she said.

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, echoed their sentiments: “The papal visit is Jesus in the Pope visiting Jesus in the Filipino.”

Francis, after all, said his trip to the Philippines revolves around the poor.

“The central message of this trip will be the poor, the poor who want to carry on, the poor who suffered from Typhoon Yolanda and who are still suffering the consequences, the poor who have faith and hope,” he said.

He added: “The people of God, the poor, even the exploited poor, those who suffer many injustices, material, spiritual, and existential. I’ll think of them when I’m in the Philippines.”

Despite a storm that threatens Yolanda survivors, the Pope is set to visit Leyte on Saturday under the theme “mercy and compassion.” A major highlight of his trip is a lunch with Yolanda and earthquake survivors.

He is set to follow this schedule:

8:15 am – Departure for Tacloban City, from the Villamor Air Base 

9:30 am – Arrival in Tacloban City

10 am – Concelebrated Mass near the Tacloban airport

12:45 pm – Lunch with several Yolanda survivors at the Archbishop’s Residence in Palo, Leyte

3 pm – Blessing of the Pope Francis Center for the Poor in Palo, Leyte

3:30 pm – Meeting with priests, consecrated persons, seminarians, and families of Yolanda survivors at the Palo Cathedral

5 pm – Departure for Manila

6:15 pm – Arrival in Manila, at the Villamor Air Base

Francis is visiting Tacloban on Saturday as the “main objective” of his Philippine trip, which also includes a bilateral discussion with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III; meetings with priests, bishops, and consecrated persons; encounters with families and the youth; a meeting with different religious leaders; and a huge Mass at Manila’s Rizal Park. – Rappler.com



Join Rappler in a 100-day countdown to Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines: a journey from the Vatican to Tacloban. Tweet us your thoughts using the hashtag #PopeFrancisPH!