Ronald O. Reyes, UCAN
Jenette Ruedas was six months pregnant when Pope Francis came to Tacloban City, Leyte, in the central Philippines to visit the survivors of deadly Typhoon Haiyan [Yolanda] in 2015. It was two years after the storm hit and left a trail of destruction. More than 5,000 lives were lost, and thousands were injured.
Stormy weather greeted the pope when he offered a public Mass before an estimated 500,000 people on the runway of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.
“So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But surely, He knows what to tell you! So many of you have lost members of your family. I can only be silent; I accompany you silently, with my heart…” the pope said in his homily.
Pope Francis said that when he witnessed the disaster from Rome, he “felt that I had to be here,” adding, “That is when I decided to come here. I wanted to come to be with you. Maybe you will tell me that I came a little late; that is true, but here I am!”
A local television channel reporter for ABS-CBN, Ruedas recalled that she defied physical struggle to take up the assignment to cover the papal visit to see the pope.
So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But surely, He knows what to tell you! So many of you have lost members of your family. I can only be silent; I accompany you silently, with my heart…
Pope Francis in Tacloban, Leyte, 2015
“My deep desire to witness the Holy Father’s presence led me to accept the assignment for this special news coverage,” said the 42-year-old Ruedas.
“His presence brought comfort, strength, and a renewed sense of hope to a community that had endured so much. It was a powerful reminder that God never abandons us, even in our darkest moments,” the mother of three said on April 22.
As the world mourned the death of Pope Francis, Ruedas recalled her coverage of the papal visit to Tacloban and nearby Palo town on 17 January 2015 as “one of the most unforgettable news stories I covered.”
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She said, “At the time, we were still recovering from the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, and our spirits were fragile as we tried to rebuild our lives.”
Inspired by the pope’s life and works, Ruedas now serves as a lector and helps out the social communications ministry of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sto. Niño in Tacloban.
His presence brought comfort, strength, and a renewed sense of hope to a community that had endured so much. It was a powerful reminder that God never abandons us, even in our darkest moments
Jenette Ruedas
Vicksay Josol, a 57-year-old church choir member, recalled he was only 10 metres away from Pope Francis when he offered Mass on the airport’s tarmac.
“I was at the grandstand reserved for the choir. Together with cardinals and bishops. They got out of the vehicles behind the grandstand. I had pictures of him,” Josol recounted.
“I join the whole Christianity in sorrow for the loss. Yet, I am profoundly grateful to the Almighty God for allowing me to see the Vicar of Christ up close,” he noted.
A schoolteacher from Palo town, Josol, said he lived through the times of five popes and the Pope Francis had made the strongest impact on him, because of his simplicity and humility.
A pope for the marginalised people
During his visit on the pope inaugurated the Pope Francis Centre for the Poor in Palo town, which is now run by Korean nuns from Kkottongnae [Flower village] congregation. It has 23 elderly and orphan storm survivors.
Yeahan May Verano, and social worker who served at the centre for two years, said she could not hold back her tears after hearing the death of Pope Francis.
She said that she had been sad to learn about his hospitalisation in February. “I felt pain too — like something heavy fell on my chest, that’s how deeply I felt it,” Verano said. She regularly checked his health updates and was happy when Pope Francis was discharged after spending 38 days in the hospital.
I join the whole Christianity in sorrow for the loss. Yet, I am profoundly grateful to the Almighty God for allowing me to see the Vicar of Christ up close
Vicksay Josol
“But when I heard him speak, he sounded tired, and in my mind, I said, ‘He fought hard.’ But knowing that he’s already old, of course, his body would be weakening,” she said.
“Then … when I opened Facebook, I saw a post from the Vatican just two minutes earlier saying that he had passed away. I was devastated,” she said.
Verano said she treasures the pope’s visit to Leyte, and how the centre stood strong because of him.
Hope for the hopeless
Another Haiyan survivor, Desiree Nayra, said she still relishes the pope’s 2015 visit to Tacloban.
“I was one of the marshals during the Mass. It was raining so hard, but all I could hear was his voice, and the people were crying, including me, during his homily,” she wrote on social media site Facebook.
When her first child was born, she named the child “Dre [for ‘padre’] Francis” after Pope Francis.
Kay Veloso Palisoc, another survivor, said the pope presence gave them new hope.
“We will never forget how you comforted us and grieved with us in our hour of great sorrow. Thank you for restoring our faith,” she said.
Father Chris Arthur Militante, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Palo, said Pope Francis’ visit made “a profound impact on the archdiocese.” “Even in his passing, we feel his spirit is guiding us. We will continue to reflect on his teachings, especially his love for the poor, which aligns closely with our local mission,” he added.
