Sporty mayor
SPORTS EYE
By Raffy T. Uytiepo (The Freeman) Updated April 8, 2014
I took a week-long sojourn to Maasin City in Southern Leyte for a little rest but ended up climbing the mountain shrines. Yes, the majestic views of the hills especially in Hanginan, Fatima and Jalleca were just irresistible. Despite my injury, plantar and Achilles, I still managed to reach the top everytime, especially the one at Jalleca Hills, the tallest shrine in the country with 300 steps and 104 meters above sea level. Just before leaving, I dropped by at City Hall to visit the city’s mayor, Maloney Samaco, undoubtedly a sportsman in his own right. Mayor Maloney may not look athletic but he’s been supporting Maasin City’s sports programs. He is also responsible for the city’s hosting of numerous sports activities and national events. Just recently, Maasin City hosted the ABAP Inter-City Boxing Tournament won by Bago City. Last year, Mayor Maloney staged the city’s first triathlon. Maasin City has also conducted several fun and trail runs while also staging cycling events. In fact, my fellow Freeman columnist JV Araneta has organized cycling events there. Chess is also a favorite sport of Mayor Maloney who said since he was frail and sickly during his younger days, he took to chess which does’nt require too much physical efforts. Oh by the way, Mayor Maloney has participated in several runs in Cebu City. He even ran in the Cebu City Marathon but only in the 5K side together with our very own Mayor Mike Rama. Mayor Maloney, then vice mayor, recalled that he was not so interested when I offered to organize the first fun run here 15 years ago. With running and triathlon starting to become popular here, Mayor Maloney plans to do more events. Come August, Maasin will hold it’s second triathlon. Keep the good work Mayor!
Miyerkules, Pebrero 25, 2015
Martes, Pebrero 10, 2015
POPE FRANCIS IN TACLOBAN
Pope Francis visited the Philippines from January 15-19, 2015 and his coming created great enthusiasm and interest among his flock in the Roman Catholic church and even in a great majority of non-Catholics.
I and Chona were part of the delegation of the Maasin Cathedral. But we went ahead of the group a day before where our family camped and fetched our tents at our private lot in Palo, Leyte near the Cathedral.
Pope Francis was scheduled to visit Leyte on April 17, 2015. We met our fellow Maasin delegates led by Msgr. Oscar Cadayona the day before at San Joaquin National High School in Palo. Then we proceeded at about 6:00 P.M. to the mass site at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport.
Our city bus parked at a space about half a kilometer away from the site of the Pope's mass.
We attended his Holy Mass joining 300,000 pilgrims from all over the Philippines and a great number of Typhoon Yolanda survivors. We braved the rains and winds brought by Typhoon Amang and spent a sleepless night staying at our place in the airport as early as 12:00 midnight.
It was a coincidence as Amang in Tagalog and Papa in English means the same thing - Father, referring to the Pope.
Security was so strict because of some threat by terrorists on the life of the Pontiff. We had to pack our things on transparent bags. Presidential Security Group personnel guarded the gates where we lined up in long lines for inspection.
Fluids, sharp objects, metals and other dangerous materials were prohibited and confiscated.
We slept on the cemented flooring and were packed like sardines in each quadrant. It started to drizzle at dawn but we kept on lying on the concrete ground to take some much needed nap.
Our coldness and tiredness were gone when Pope Francis arrived at about 8:45 A.M. and was 45 minutes ahead of schedule. We were chanting "Viva Il Papa...Papa Francesco!" to welcome him.
It was a coincidence as Amang in Tagalog and Papa in English means the same thing - Father, referring to the Pope.
Security was so strict because of some threat by terrorists on the life of the Pontiff. We had to pack our things on transparent bags. Presidential Security Group personnel guarded the gates where we lined up in long lines for inspection.
Fluids, sharp objects, metals and other dangerous materials were prohibited and confiscated.
We slept on the cemented flooring and were packed like sardines in each quadrant. It started to drizzle at dawn but we kept on lying on the concrete ground to take some much needed nap.
Our coldness and tiredness were gone when Pope Francis arrived at about 8:45 A.M. and was 45 minutes ahead of schedule. We were chanting "Viva Il Papa...Papa Francesco!" to welcome him.
We were so touched by his homily.
Pope Francis consoled survivors of history's most powerful typhoon on record, saying they can identify themselves with Jesus Christ, who suffered like they did.
"Jesus always goes before us ... And if today we find ourselves 14 months afterwards here, 14 months precisely after the typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we have the security of knowing that we are not going to weaken in our faith, because Jesus has been there before us," he said in his homily.
"In his passion, he assumed all our pain," the pope added.
He confessed that he wanted to visit the ravaged areas of the Visayas the moment that he watched the disaster from Rome.
"I saw from Rome that catastrophe, I felt that I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I'm here to be with you," Pope Francis said. "A little late I have to say, but I'm here. "
His message was interrupted by applause from the crowd, who were already in tears and drenched from the rain.
"I've come to tell you that Jesus is Lord, and he never lets us down," he added.
The Roman Pontiff, who is on his third day in the Philippines, explained that even when many have lost their homes, livelihood and loved ones, God did not leave them.
"Jesus is there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not let us down. He was consecrated as Lord on that throne and there he experienced all the calamities that we experience," he said.
"The Lord from the cross is there for you. In everything, he is the same as us. That is why we have a Lord who cries with us and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life," Pope Francis added.
Francis also admitted that he does not know what to tell the survivors. He told the faithful that "so many of you in Tacloban have lost everything. I don't know what to say - but the Lord does… He underwent so many of the trials that you do."
"But the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent heart," he said.
Concluding his impromptu homily, he said: "This is what comes from my heart. Forgive me if I have no other words to express myself. Please know that Jesus never lets you down. Know that the tenderness of Mary never lets you down."
Pope Francis consoled survivors of history's most powerful typhoon on record, saying they can identify themselves with Jesus Christ, who suffered like they did.
"Jesus always goes before us ... And if today we find ourselves 14 months afterwards here, 14 months precisely after the typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we have the security of knowing that we are not going to weaken in our faith, because Jesus has been there before us," he said in his homily.
"In his passion, he assumed all our pain," the pope added.
He confessed that he wanted to visit the ravaged areas of the Visayas the moment that he watched the disaster from Rome.
"I saw from Rome that catastrophe, I felt that I had to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here. I'm here to be with you," Pope Francis said. "A little late I have to say, but I'm here. "
His message was interrupted by applause from the crowd, who were already in tears and drenched from the rain.
"I've come to tell you that Jesus is Lord, and he never lets us down," he added.
The Roman Pontiff, who is on his third day in the Philippines, explained that even when many have lost their homes, livelihood and loved ones, God did not leave them.
"Jesus is there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not let us down. He was consecrated as Lord on that throne and there he experienced all the calamities that we experience," he said.
"The Lord from the cross is there for you. In everything, he is the same as us. That is why we have a Lord who cries with us and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life," Pope Francis added.
Francis also admitted that he does not know what to tell the survivors. He told the faithful that "so many of you in Tacloban have lost everything. I don't know what to say - but the Lord does… He underwent so many of the trials that you do."
"But the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent heart," he said.
Concluding his impromptu homily, he said: "This is what comes from my heart. Forgive me if I have no other words to express myself. Please know that Jesus never lets you down. Know that the tenderness of Mary never lets you down."
The Pope did not show signs of fatigue with his very hectic schedule even at the age of 78. He loves sports and he was a sporty pope. He has a special interest in sports. According to catholicnews. com when he was young, he played basketball and danced the tango, which he said he loves "very much. It's something that comes from within."
Pope Francis' father was a basketball player. When the pope visited the Philippines he probably understood the Filipinos' love for basketball. He was influenced by his father, who played basketball for San Lorenzo, and the Pope also played the sport with friends as a young teen.
Since his papacy, the pope was visited by different sports personalities in Vatican and received signed jerseys from different teams.
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires to Italian parents and is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. He worked briefly as a chemical technician and nightclub bouncer before entering the seminary.
He was ordained to priesthood in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 he was Argentina's Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and three years later a cardinal in 2001.
When Pope Benedict XVI resigned in February 2013, he was elected by the papal conclave on March 13, 2013 Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and after 1272 years, the first non-European Pope since Pope Gregory III. He used the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, who was born from a wealthy family but chose to become poor.
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