‘Oi, Pope!’

Michelle Padayhag started writing for Cebu Daily News in March 2013. Fielded for general assignments, she can strike anywhere and find a story. She uses a mobile phone like an extension of her hand and writes with all the zest of a 21-year-old.

In Palo, she wrote about a pedicab driver who laid roses for his wife buried in a mass grave, a Manila cop who volunteered for papal route duty, and sidewalk vendors.  But  Pope Francis’ presence stopped her in her tracks. She forgot to take a selfie.

Correspondent Michelle Joy Padayhag on assignment in the Badjao community in Mambaling, Cebu City.

We waited over eight hours in the rain to get a glimpse of him. And when he arrived, it seemed as if the world stopped for his gentle greeting.

Strong winds and a downpour from typhoon Amang woke me from a restless slumber in a rented house in Sta. Cruz, Palo town at 2 a.m. It was January 17, Pope Francis’ appointed time with Leyte’s victims of 2013’s typhoon Yolanda. I thought the day’s storm would cancel the pope’s visit but I continued to hope otherwise.

Through the window, I saw law enforcers in raincoats guarding the  motorcade routes where people scrambled to find a vantage point to wait for Francis.

At 5:30 a.m., I was already at St. Mary’s Academy. The media committee still had to check again if indeed my name was on the master list of journalists accredited by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

I was surprised that my name wasn’t there. Most of the accredited media workers were photojournalists and videographers. It seemed that reporters were not the top priority. Feeling the disappointment starting to creep in, I thought of plan B, which meant standing along the motorcade route with everyone else.

Then the unexpected happened.

My name was listed in bold capital letters in a new list of accredited media workers allowed to stay near the doors of the Palo Cathedral.

I struggled to contain my excitement as I put on my raincoat.

At 8:50 a.m, a priest and a nun from the media committee accompanied us to the cathedral 50 meters away. The crowd along the route was growing by the minute.

At the gates, the Presidential Security Group (PSG) checked our bags and equipment. There was no roof or cover over the spot designated for the media.

How do you scribble down notes in the rain? In my haste, I had left behind the waterproof case of  my cellphone in the van.  So I wrapped the phone in plastic and keyed in my notes.

I stood in front of the big video screen to watch the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Tacloban airport. As he spoke words of comfort for Yolanda victims, tears flowed from my eyes. This was such a humble, sincere leader, apologizing to his flock for his shortened stay.

After the Mass, my excitement ballooned when I learned that the Pontiff  was on his way to the Pope Francis Center for the Poor, and would pass by the area.

I ran from the designated area for the media to look for a better spot to see the popemobile.

And finally there he was, in front of us.

“Hello! Pope!” I shouted, while taking an eight-second video on my mobile phone.

The feeling was indescribable, beyond words.

The crowd erupted in cheers, faces glowed under the dark sky as Pope Francis smiled and waved.

Some yelled “Papa Francis,” others “Lolo Kiko,” while many chanted “Pope Francis” as they waved their handkerchiefs and tarpaulin banners.

I went back to the area designated for the media to watch the live streaming of his lunch with Yolanda victims. He stayed there for about 15 minutes, and then went  to the cathedral again.

This made us all  nervous, happy, excited and grateful for life all at the same time. It was still raining hard,  but it didn’t matter.

All I could think was: “OMG! I’ll get a chance to see him again, and this time I’ll be closer.”

When the popemobile was about to enter the gates of the Palo Cathedral, I felt like the whole world had stopped.

“This is such a blessing.  I’ve seen him twice,” I thought.

He stood just three meters from me. I wanted to run near him, but I couldn’t move. Like in the movies, the scenes that followed seemed to unfold in  slow motion.

The pope was right in front of me.

I didn’t know how or why I did it, but I screamed in Cebuano: “Oi! Pope Francis! Pit Señor! Para sa sugbo kini!”

Then I just laughed with joy.

I took another 26-second video, and uploaded it on Facebook.