BEYOND DUTY | Soldiers securing Pope love him, feel blessed by his presence - AFP chief

From InterAksyon (Jan 11): BEYOND DUTY | Soldiers securing Pope love him, feel blessed by his presence - AFP chief



'Vicar of Christ in our midst' : soldiers are "shoulder to shoulder" with an image of Pope Francis at their briefing Sunday in Camp Aguinaldo. AFP chief Gen. Catapang said the thousands of troops tasked to secure the pope this week are happy about their mission, viewing it as a privilege, not a chore. HANDOUT PHOTO FROM AFP-PAO

Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on Sunday met troops tasked to secure Pope Francis during his 5-day visit to the country, and laid down ground rules for their mission.

Giving a pep talk at the General Headquarters grounds in Camp Aguinaldo, Catapang told the soldiers: “We’ve to accomplish our mission. We have to be ready for the coming of Pope Francis.”

During the mustering of troops, a priest blessed the officers and men with the sensitive mission of ensuring the Pope and his entourage are safe during activities in Metro Manila and in Tacloban City and Palo in Leyte.

“The purpose of this (mustering of troops) is to see our troops are ready not only physically and mentally but also spiritually,” Catapang said.

Papal security is a formidable challenge because this particular pope had earlier drawn the ire of the Islamic State, when he denounced the extremist group's rampage, driving out Christians and other sects from their homelands, and imposing a brutal regime in places they occupied.

The two previous popes who visited the Philippines before also had security issues. Pope Paul VI was attacked by a knife-wielding Bolivian painter; and Pope John Paul II, now a saint, was the subject of an international terrorist plot that Philippine police averted on his second visit in 1995.

Of the number being deployed, some 7,000 reservists have been called to a 5-day duty for the Pope, from Jan. 15 to 19.

According to Catapang, up to 12,000 soldiers and reservists may be deployed only in Metro Manila.

Catapang earlier told reporters the Armed Forces has 20,000 troops to augment the 25,000 personnel the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be deploying.

Commenting on observations in some quarters that the "too many" soldiers and reservists are being deployed during the papal visit, Catapang, speaking in Filipino, reminded critics that “most of us soldiers are Christians and desire to play a role in the visit of His Holiness. We just want to make certain he is safe. Do you know that the entire Armed Forces is eager to welcome the pope and feel blessed by this visit?"

Their preparations and readiness to carry out their visit-related tasks, he added, go beyond duty. Ensuring the Pope's security “is more than that” because “it is more of showing of our attention, of our love, of our desire to see the Vicar of Christ in our midst.”

Pope Francis will arrive on January 15, and will have engagements in several Metro Manila spots where enthusiastic crowds are expected: the Mall of Asia in Pasay City, the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in Manila; and the Quirino grandstand in Rizal Park where a mass he will celebrate is expected to draw more than the nearly 5 million faithful who attended the World Youth Day concluding mass, with Pope John Paul II, in January 1995.

The Pope is also scheduled to meet with survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/102792/beyond-duty--soldiers-securing-pope-love-him-feel-blessed-by-his-presence---afp-chief