Several roads in Leyte to close ahead of Pope Francis’ motorcade

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The roads that Pope Francis’ motorcade will pass through on Saturday will be closed as early as Friday evening, police here said.

Chief Superintendent Cedrick Train, deputy for administration for Region 8 Police Office, said the roads for the motorcade will be closed around 8 p.m. or an hour after the last flight in the Daniel Romualdez Airport.

Traffic will then be rerouted by 9 p.m., he said.

Police expects one million devotees during the papal visit here, mostly survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” the world’s strongest recorded typhoon to hit land.

Around 2,000 policemen will be deployed in the mass area at the Daniel Romualdez Airport, 500 in the Palo Cathedral, and 300 at the Pope Francis Center, and 200 in checkpoints.

Pope Francis on Jan 17 will first visit Tacloban and say Mass at the airport before proceeding to Palo to bless the Pope Francis Center. He will then to go to the Palo Cathedral to light a candle on the mass grave of those who perished when Yolanda struck.

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