Four-day holiday in Manila for pope

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada will declare a four-day holiday in the city during the visit of Pope Francis from Jan. 15 to 19 next year, and plans to ask the pontiff to “save” the city government from bankruptcy.

Estrada explained that the city government has to ensure the security of Pope Francis when he visits the Manila Cathedral, the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the residence of the Papal Nuncio in Manila.

“We are ready to secure Pope Francis. The security preparations for him are coordinated efforts between the local and national level. We have been closely coordinating with both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the military,” Estrada told The STAR.

“We also have to secure the devotees who will sleep or stay in vigil during the pope’s visit,” he added.

Estrada also said he would kiss the hand of Pope Francis and would ask for his blessing to enable the city government to recover from the bankruptcy that was left by his predecessor.

“I will ask him to save us from bankruptcy. I will ask for blessings from him to bring back the old glory of the city. We have the Domingo de Ramos (for former president Fidel V. Ramos), Sabado de Gloria (for former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and ‘Happy Esterada’ (referring to Easter for himself). I must have my own, not only for FVR and Gloria,” Estrada added in jest.

The PNP earlier activated its Joint Task Force Papal Visit 2015 to ensure public safety during the papal visit. The Presidential Security Group was tapped to serve as close-in security for the pope’s entourage.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), for its part, has formed the Task Force Phantom that will serve as motorcycle escorts for the convoy of the pope. The task force will also hold direct traffic and crowd control in areas to be visited by the pope.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said the unit is composed of 15 MMDA personnel and 15 members of the PNP Highways Patrol Group, and they completed their training yesterday.

Pope Francis is also scheduled to visit survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte, and he will hold an open field mass near the Tacloban airport.

For this reason, the military’s security preparations involve dealing with possible threat scenarios while the pontiff is in Manila and in Leyte, a senior intelligence official said.

But the intelligence official said so far, the military has not monitored any threat.

Before the visit to Manila of the late Saint Pope John Paul II in 1995 for the celebration of World Youth Day, a plot to assassinate the pontiff was unearthed.

The plot, which was part of Oplan Bojinka involving al Qaeda-linked terrorist Ramzi Yousef, was disrupted after a fire at the Doña Jose Apartments along Quirino Avenue in Manila drew the attention of the PNP.

The police recovered in the area evidence detailing the plot to assassinate the pope. With Perseus Echeminada, Jaime Laude, Evelyn Macairan