Caap, Tacloban airport personnel reminisce encounter with Pope Francis

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Tacloban Airport employees recall their encounter with Pope Francis on his visit to Tacloban City on January 17, 2015. (Photo from Caap/Facebook)

MANILA, Philippines — Several employees of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) on Saturday took a trip down their memory lane an d recalled their meeting with Pope Francis in January 2015, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience. 

In a statement, the Caap said that it is “humbled” to play a small part in welcoming the late pontiff at the Tacloban City airport on January 17, 2015.

Despite stormy weather that day, Caap – Tacloban employees recalled their encounter with the pope.

Caap Director General Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo, the pilot-in-command of “Shepherd One” or the plane that brought the pope from Manila to Tacloban, described the flight as a “challenge and a blessing” due to rough skies.

READ: Francis’ Life challenges Christians: Stand with suffering, shun comforts

The pope safely landed in Tacloban where he celebrated mass almost two years after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the Visayas region. 

Renz Bulseco, one of the air traffic controllers that day, narrated how everyone was clad in bright yellow raincoats as the pope celebrated  mass at the airport’s new ramp.

“After 12 years in air traffic service, this moment stands out as one of the highlights of my career. I felt a surge of pride, knowing I had the chance to be close to the pope,” Bulseco said in the same statement. 

 Meanwhile, Tacloban Airport Fire Marshall Allan Cahingcoy shared how the Caap team, spearheaded by then-Tacloban Airport Manager Toto Alfonso, gathered to pray and wish for the successful event despite the rains. 

READ: Tacloban City sends off Pope Francis with gratitude

Cahingcoy said that witnessing the arrival of the pope was a “great honor,” emphasizing that the cold, exhaustion, and fatigue they felt that day were all “worthwhile and fulfilling.”

As Pope Francis was set to be buried at Rome’s basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday, a thanksgiving mass was held at the site of the pope’s January 2015 Tacloban visit. 

Residents recalled how the pope gave them hope and encouraged them to carry on with their lives, despite experiencing the nightmare that Typhoon Yolanda brought. 

 Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88, just a day after he made a public appearance on Easter Sunday.