Tearful send off for Lolek

Thousands of Catholic faithful of the Bacolod Diocese participated yesterday in a tearful send off of their beloved Pope John Paul II. Some 100 clergymen co-celebrated the requiem Mass for the deceased Pontiff, which coincided with his burial in the Vatican City.

Prior to the concelebrated mass led by Bishop Vicente Navarra, thousands also joined the procession around the Bacolod Plaza, which highlighted the fervent love of Bacolodness and Negrenses for the late Pontiff who visited Negros Occidental 24 years ago during his first visit to the Philippines.

The same phenomenon was also witnessed in the Jaro Archdiocese in Iloilo City where Archbishop Angel Lagdameo led clerics in the concelebrated Mass for the late Roman Catholic head.

In Iloilo, there was an exhibit of memorabilia of the Pope John Paul II’s visit. This included the bed covers and other utensils he had used when he spent the night in the Jaro Archdiocese.

Another exhibit of Pope memorabilias was almost mounted at the Bacolod cathedral.

"A sea of humanity" was how Vicar General Msgr. Vicente Rivas described the sight of thousands from almost every parish of the city and the countryside who joined the send off for the well-loved Roman Catholic head.

But even as they paid tribute to the late Roman Pontiff, all ears and eyes were focused on the College of Cardinals in Rome who will elect the successor to a towering figure whose footsteps, in the perception of most, will be difficult to follow.

Traffic through downtown Bacolod was temporarily diverted for the requiem Mass, while security was tightened.

Gonzaga-Araneta streets and the Gonzaga-Gatuslao streets were closed at about 5 p.m. yesterday to give way to the procession around the plaza.

All over the Visayas and Mindanao, similar scenes were replicated. All these testify to the respect and love of Filipinos for Pope John Paul II. Perhaps, no one can equal the love lavished on the Roman Pontiff by the Filipino people whom he also doted on. At the Luneta, Pope John Paul II had drawn a crowd of more than four million, the largest ever to have participated in a single event and landed him in the Guinness Book of Records.

He will always live in the memory of Filipinos and Negrenses. And my two youngest sons — Rolando Jr. and Jesus — will always remember Lolek whom they saw at the Luneta during the World Youth Day in 1995.

Goodbye, Pope John Paul II. We hope to meet with you again later.

In Dumaguete City, the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Dumaguete Diocese was married somewhat to the outpouring of grief over the death of the well-loved Roman Catholic leader.

Sobs rent the air as Papal Nuncio Antonio Franco, DD, read the Pope’s message to the faithful of the Dumaguete Diocese last Thursday.

But yesterday, the celebration ebbed as the clergy and the faithful joined the requiem Mass led by Dumaguete Bishop John Du at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria.

As in other areas of the country, flags flew at half most in the city and towns of Oriental Negros. No less than Oriental Gov. George Arnaiz made the request for local government officials to honor the late Pontiff by flying the flag at half mast.

Leonardia In Trouble

The mourning over the demise of Pope John Paul II did not deter the ongoing political battle in Bacolod. This time, it was a bombshell that City Accounting officer Pioquito Quinones tossed to the public.

The "nightmare" of Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, according to Quinones, was the P21-million cash advance from the city coffers which, until now remains unliquidated.

"They really want me to get out of city hall because they want to cover ‘Bing’s’ secret," was how Quinones explained the rationale for his exposé.

That may give added impetus to the recall movement against Leonardia who bested former Mayor Luzviminda Valdez in the last polls.

Quinones’ expose was devastating. He claimed that Leonardia made the P21-million cash advance when he assumed office in July last year.

"What a surprise. Since the start of his term, Mayor Leonardia kept repeating that the city government has no money," said Councilor Dr. Reynold Iledan, adding that he was even asked to source funds for Leonardia’s immediate needs.

The first request was for P5 million to pay the ECOLA of public schoolteachers. Quinones claimed, he gave Leonardia P8 million from the Special Education Fund.

The city executive then asked for another P8 million for other needed expenses. Quinones said he made available another P13 million from the general fund and the City Treasurer’s Office released the amount.

"The City Accounting Office, Quinones claimed, is still in a quandary over the "bogus" expenses involving the cash advance.

Valdez, however, is evasive as to whether she would join the recall move against Leonardia, which will be launched on Sunday spearheaded by former Mayor Oscar "Oca" Verdeflor. Verdeflor was a staunch supporter of Leonardia.

Should Valdez mobilize her forces against Leonardia and boost Verdeflor’s move to oust the mayor, they could present a formidable force. But former Mayor Alfredo Montelibano Jr. remain outside the movement.

But the impact of Quinones’ expose is worth watching. It could be the total blow against the Bacolod executive.

Well, even Pope John Paul II’s death seems to have failed to patch up the Bacolod political blowup.