Securing Pope in Leyte a ‘balancing act’

MANILA, Philippines – Leyte gears up for Pope Francis’ visit, where he will hold a mass and have lunch with the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

How will the government secure the Pope, the champion of the poor, as he goes on an encounter with the disaster survivors?

Paterno Esmaquel reports.

Organizers say these wooden barricades will stop the crowds from mobbing Pope Francis here in Leyte.

These barricades will line an 11- kilometer road from the Tacloban Airport, where the Pope will say Mass, to the town of Palo, where he will have lunch with disaster survivors.

We’re just not sure how sturdy these pieces of wood will be.

In Manila, for example, organizers placed concrete barriers for the papal visit.

But during the feast of the Black Nazarene, many devotees ended up jumping over these barricades.

One solution is using human barricades.

Still, Palo Archdiocese spokesman Fr Chris Militante raises another concern: securing the Pope while  letting him freely comfort disaster survivors.

FR. CHRIS MILITANTE, SPOKESMAN, PALO ARCHDIOCESE: Sabi nila, ‘yung dignitaries na iba, madali lang ang pag-secure nila kasi dadalhin lang nila sa kalsada o daanan na walang tao, safe na siya. Pero ‘yung Holy Father daw, malaki ang threat kasi dadalhin mo siya kung saan may tao. So it’s really a balancing act. (They say it’s easier to secure other dignitaries because they just need to bring them to the roads without people, and then they’re safe. In the case of the Holy Father, there’s a bigger threat because we need to bring him where people are.)

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Paterno Esmaquel, Rappler, Palo, Leyte. – Rappler.com