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Media

            There are a lot of reasons why media is very important to us. The media is an essential part of society, they are in charge of keeping us informed of daily happenings or essential events that have happened. Without media, people will be very clueless of what happens everyday unless they see it for their own lives. Media, for such a simple sounding responsibility is actually a very powerful entity. For example, how can people prepare for such a disease or such a typhoon if the media will not be there to inform them? As a result, a lot of lives will be lost because of it. Compare that to when media is successful in informing people, a lot of lives will be saved, minimal casualties, and a lot of houses will still be standing.

             The media however isn't only limited to television, despite it being one of the famous types of medium, media can go as far to printed, radio, and new media. People nowadays cannot simply afford a television and so rely on other means to be informed, such as radio but does that hinder media to inform people compared to television? Not at all. Radio may not be as flashy as television but radio is still a very good way to inform people, accessible and cheap as well. New media is where people look for a more " flashy " taste in media, take Facebook or Twitter for example, even though they are different from television, print, and radio, new media can still be a very effective medium for everyone as long as you have an internet connection. Media is limitless and powerful, and can be a politician's greatest friend or greatest nightmare.

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The Mers-CoV Outbreak

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Viruses of this family also cause a number of animal diseases.

A Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus is a new coronavirus that has not been seen in humans before. This particular coronavirus is rare but can cause serious illness.

In confirmed cases of illness in humans, common symptoms have been acute, serious respiratory illness with fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. Based on current clinical experience, the infection generally presents as pneumonia. It has caused kidney failure and death in some cases. It is important to note that the current understanding of the illness caused by this infection is based on a limited number of cases and may change as more information becomes available.

Health providers should advise their patients to take the same steps as they would for other respiratory illnesses such as :

Stay home (self-isolate) until symptoms are improved, and get plenty of rest.

Limit contact with caregivers or visitors. Caregivers and others in the household should clean their hands frequently.

Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, particularly after coughing or blowing your nose.

Practice good respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue away. Throw the tissue away in a waste bin. Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after disposing of the used tissue.

Don’t share drinks, eating utensils, toothbrushes, cigarettes, towels, washcloths or bed linen with others.

Health providers should use their judgement to assess if additional prevention messages are needed given their patient’s health status and personal circumstance.

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Lowered Income Tax Rate

comprehensive tax reform measure lowering the income tax rates is expected to be passed before the second regular session of Congress officially ends on June 11, a member of the House of Representatives said Tuesday. Deputy Majority Leader and Valenzuela City Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo said the tax measure will most likely be approved on third and final reading by June. 

The House Ways and Means committee, which is tackling the bill, has created a technical working group to fine-tune and consolidate 13 related proposals to lower individual and corporate income tax rates. “Para lalong maging kaakit-akit sa mga dayuhang mamumuhunan ang ating bansa na maging lugar ng kanilang negosyo, mainam na ibaba natin itong income tax rates natin,” he told reporters at a press briefing. One of the pending measures in the Ways and Means committee, House Bill 4099 authored by Gunigundo, proposes to lower individual and corporate income tax rates to 15 percent from 32 percent and 30 percent, respectively.  At 32 percent, the Philippines has the highest income tax rate among Southeast Asian countries.

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Onward To Success!

Fresh graduates looking for the highest starting salaries in the Philippines may find them in the field of information technology (IT), according to online job site Jobstreet.com.

Yoda Buyco of Jobstreet.com Philippines said five of the top 10 highest paying jobs for jobseekers fresh off college are related to the IT industry.

Those specializing in computer-software can land a position as net developer, Android developer, and business security assistant.

"Anything in programming and software, they get paid the most in the Philippines. They are employed by telcos, computer/IT, or banking and financial services," Buyco said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Three specializations related to IT are also paying above the P21,000 monthly salary mark.

These are jobs in computer network/database admin (P23,080); technical and helpdesk support (P22,289); and computer hardware (P21,371).

Jobs in finance-corporate merchant banking and law/legal services also pay above P21,000 monthly with average salaries of P21,345 and P21,301, respectively.

Buyco noted that the 10 highest starting salaries have a narrow range, which should give fresh graduates an opportunity to choose a career path they truly desire.

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The Chinese New Year

TRADITIONAL FOODS

The Chinese New Year’s Eve meal is the most important dinner of the year. Typically, families gather at a designated relative’s house for dinner, but these days, many families often celebrate New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant. Many restaurants require reservations months in advance. There are also some families that hire a professional chef to come cook at their house. Chefs are often busy running from one home to another cooking dinners for different families on New Year’s Eve.

Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration and each day, many families rotate celebrations between homes of their relatives. The festivies are day-long and sometimes, a family ends up cooking two meals for their relatives, once at lunch and once at dinner. These dishes used to be all made from scratch, but now people can easily buy them prepackaged at the supermarkets.

Eight Treasures Rice (contains glutinous rice, walnuts, different colored dry fruit, raisins, sweet red bean paste, jujube dates, and almonds).

“Tang Yuan” – black sesame rice ball soup; or a Won Ton soup.

Chicken, duck, fish and pork dishes.

“Song Gao”, literally translates to “loose cake”- which is made of rice which has been coursely ground and then formed into a small, sweet round cake.

“Jiu Niang Tang” – sweet wine-rice soup which contains small glutinous rice balls

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Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year Traditions

Different parts of China have very different traditions. The following are the most typical:

New Year's Eve Dinner

The New Year's Eve dinner is the most important dinner for the Chinese. Normally, this is the family reunion dinner, especially for those with family members away from home. During the dinner, normally fish will be served. Dumplings are the most important dish in Northern China. These two dishes signify prosperity. Other dishes are dependent on personal preference. The majority of Chinese will have New Year's Eve dinner at home instead of a restaurant.

Shou Sui

Shou Sui means "after the New Year's Eve dinner" as family members will normally stay awake during the night. Some people just stay up until the midnight after the fireworks. According to tales and legends, there was a mythical beast named the "Year". At the night of New Year's Eve, the "Year" will come out to harm people, animals, and proprieties. Later, people found that the "Year" is afraid of the color red, fire, and loud sounds. Therefore, at the New Year's Eve night, people will launch fireworks, light fires, and stay awake the whole night to fend off the "Year".

New Year Markets

In the course of the New Year's days, a temporary market will be setup to mainly selling New Year goods, such as clothing, fireworks, decorations, food, and small arts. The market is usually decorated with a large amount of lanterns.

Small Year

Small year is the 23th or 24th of the last month of the year. It is said that this is the day the food god will leave the family in order to go to heaven and report the activity of family to the Emperor of the heaven. People will follow religious ceremony to say farewell to the food god, including taking down and burning the paint of the food god. After the New Year's Day, people will buy new paint of the food god and display it in the kitchen.

Decoration

After the cleaning, people will decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red in color. The most popular New Year decorations are upside down fu, dui lian, lanterns, year paint, papercutting, door gods, etc. Reference: chinesenewyears.info

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The Fare Hike

Fares on the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 are set to increase early next year, the Department of Transportation and Communication said. In a news release on Saturday, DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the increase, which he called “a tough decision” that had to be made, will be effective on Jan. 4. The new base fare will be P11.00 from the current P10.00 with P1.00 charged per additional kilometer. According to Abaya, the increased rates will bring improved services on the MRT and LRT lines. The last fare increase for the LRT-1 was in 2003 while the LRT-2's rates have never been increased. MRT-3, on the other hand, lowered  from P17 - P34 in 1999 to P12 - P20 in 2000. Fares were decreased further to the current P10 - P15. “It's been several years since an increase was proposed. We delayed it's implementation one last time until after the Christmas season,” Abaya said. Metro Manila's rail lines, particularly the MRT-3, have been the subject of complaints from commuters because of congestion and frequent delays caused by glitches and breakdowns. Reference: gmanetwork.com

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The Speech

No speeches could satisfy a nation in mourning Friday, as Netizens protested President Benigno Aquino III's eulogy for the 44 Special Action Forces commandos who died Jan. 25  in a mission to arrest Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorist, Marwan, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Their social media posts were but a continuation of their scathing commentary Thursday when the President attended the inauguration of an automobile plant instead of the arrival ceremonies at Villamor Air Base for 42 of the slain 44, as they were flown in from Cotabato City. MANILA - Netizens following President Benigno Aquino III's address to the nation on the Mamasapano "misencounter" believe he was washing his hands of responsibility for the carnage. During the open forum following his speech Wednesday night, he was repeatedly asked whether he gave the go-ahead for the operations of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force to arrest Malaysian Zulkifli Andul bin Hir alias Marwan and Abdul Basit Usman. Forty-four police commandos were killed, and 16 were wounded, including three civilians. The President said that he could not recall having been asked for his go-signal, but at the same time stressed that he would not prevent any operations to capture the two, since there were already a number of arrest warrants out for them. He said he had been in the loop about a continuing operation to track down Marwan. Reference: interaksyon.com

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Never Let You Go

Through the soft green grass I walked With the wind's warm breeze I strolled The children's laughter filled my ears As my lonely heart cried with tears Must I experience such loneliness?  Or do I deserve such painfulness?  By the pond a woman stood With her hair as brown as wood  Her smile as sweet as sugar And her skin as smooth as silk Her pearl blue eyes gazed into mine Oh how lucky is this day of mine?  On the grass we shared our fears On our backs we shared our tears On that day she opened her heart to me So why shouldn't I open my heart to thee?  Our kiss was as sweet as sweet can be Our words were sincere as we swore To never to let each other ago our hearts swore. 

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A World Apart

We can never forget the things that we did, we can never unsee the things that we saw, we can never suck up the words we have said. Men and women in the military put their lives at risk everyday so civilians like us can live, at all costs. Army Sergeant Ethan Williams was a soldier who suffers from PTSD after his last tour in Afghanistan, his unit was sent home for rest and relaxation. He lives alone after his girlfriend had left him for another man, he visits his nephew every now and then who would always have something new to tell him. There was a road named " White Mist Isle " where a ghost of a young lady appears in the passenger seat of the cars during midnight. She was harmless, but ghost stories said otherwise, people would say she would attack her victims at night so they will crash and perish, and so the road was named " White Mist Isle ". Unfortunately Matthew came home late one night after a reunion with his College friends, he drove through White Mist Isle during midnight when all of a sudden he could see the mist forming into a young lady's figure appeared before him. His heart pounded and his eyes widened, luckily he was able to hit the breaks before he crashed. He didn't run away, he had the guts to ask who the lady was.. the lady replied with a very gentle voice, a voice that will instantly calm you down.. her voice was music to the ears. After a brief conversation, she would disappear. Curious to know more, Ethan would return every midnight to talk to this young ghost and know her story, she would sing for him.. and Ethan in return would be with her for that whole time, they were compatible.. if only things were different. Her name was Emilia Stirling, a singer. She claims that she was raped and killed by a local gang, since her body couldn't be found, her case was dismissed. Despite being saddened by her fate, Ethan found himself relaxed and calm whenever he was around her, as if his PTSD never existed. He was dedicated to help her but the police wouldn't believe him. He decided to take matters into his own hands which lead to the arrest of these local gang members. Ethan never found Emilia again, but he knew that she was resting now.. that she was finally at peace. He knew he would see her again one day. He was finally deployed to Afghanistan again, and during one of the routine patrol operations, Ethan was leading the squad when he heard a click. He froze, his hands shook as he lowered his head and realized he had stepped on an IED or an Improvised Explosive Device, without concern for his own safety.. he turned his head and yelled, " Get back now! " before the bomb triggered and exploded. When they saw Ethan's body, he was staring up at the sky as he was breathing his last few breaths. He opened his eyes and saw Emilia standing before him. She spoke with the sweetest voice, " There's no more pain now, Ethan... you're with me now~ " she said. Ethan smiled and reached out for her hand. They both leaned in closely as they shared their first kiss. " Love is when you sacrifice your own well-being so that the people you love may live. "

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A Day of Love

Valentines Day is a day of love, it's where the heart goes as it's softest, it's a day where perfect opportunities of love is presented. Do you have a crush? Do you have someone you would like to ask out? Do you have a wife or a girlfriend to surprise? Or do you simply wanna express your love to everywhere? Valentine's Day is the perfect day for you. A lot of people also frown upon Valentine's Day, saying they're " lonely " or they don't have someone to be with on Valentine's Day. Couples have their own special day, but Valentine's Day is a day of general love, not just for couples but for everyone you know and care about. 

Flowers and chocolates isn't something given to your significant other, they are also given to friends who have stuck by you in your times of need, and to your family who raised you with love and happiness. It even applies for people you don't know, by sharing some affection to people you don't know, you'll bring love and happiness all around. Open your heart not only to the people you know, but for the people you don't know for Valentine's Day is for everybody to enjoy. 

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Top 5 News for January

5. Pope Francis Arrives in the Philippines

The Papal visit in the Philippines was surely an event to remember. Streets were closed down and heavily guarded by policemen who await the Pope’s arrival. Starting from the airport, the people had started to celebrate already for the Pope’s arrival. The smiles on the people’s faces really proved their excitement for the Pope. Pope Francis to be fair is a fresh is a very passionate man, a lot of people love him for his open-minded mindset about things, he meant change.. and he is really dedicated in keeping the faith of the people strong. Personally, I wasn’t able to see him due to some family gatherings that had happened, but a friend of mine told me all about it. Everywhere you can see big screens of his visits to places like Tacloban and such. One can only assume that the people in Tacloban felt at peace and felt so safe when his holiness had visited their city that was hit multiple times by strong typhoons for the past year. My friend had also described as a ” man with a true smile “. He really does care for the citizens, he’s not doing this because he has to.. he’s doing what he does because he wants to, and he means well. He is true welcome here in the Philippines. He has a lot of faith, the fact that he wants to travel in the Pope mobile without the bulletproof glasses means a lot. He wanted to be in touch with the people. People had waited for so long, their feet aching, their stomachs grumbling, and their skins wet from the rain that had poured down, but everything was worth it when they were able to see the Pope, they felt so relieved, they felt so happy, the long wait was definitely worth it. This definitely deserves to be in the Top 5.

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4. The Disappearance of Street Children

Almost every street child that roamed the area suddenly disappeared as the Pope arrived in the Philippines. A lot of people were baffled by the sudden disappearance of these children, most of course were glad that they weren’t disturbed nor bugged by the street children. However authorities have clarified that they were taken to Nasugbu, Batangas. Personally this was a wise decision, it was a good chance for them to be oriented about a lot of things, especially those that has families. However with the side of those waiting for the Pope, they were happy that there were no street children around to ask for food, money, and other things.. as painful as it sounds some of these children also resort to thievery and other things, sometimes even creating conflicts with people. People also said, ” why not just give them permanent homes? ” which is understandable. A lot of people think that they just disturb the peace in the mainland, some even thinks that they should be round up and send to one place where they can raise their homes, raise their own live stocks and such without bothering the city much.

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3. The Black Nazarene

On Thursday, the celebration at the Luneta has started where the Black Nazarene from Quiapo becomes accessible for a larger crowd of devotees to kiss and touch. This is known as the “pahalik”. The famous church, known for the miraculous black image of the genuflecting Christ with the cross on His shoulder, had gained popular devotion throughout the archipelago. The church received the papal blessing of Pope John Paul II as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in 1987. The annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene’s arrival in Quiapo church is a partnership of the Church with government and various NGOs. This collaborative effort is crucial in ensuring a peaceful and meaningful observance of the feast for the majority of the faithful and the devotees as well. Reports say that over 3,500 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were deployed to secure the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Meanwhile, Manila Mayor suspends all classes (public and private schools) for this day.

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2. The Preparations for Pope Francis

After Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle announced on July 29 that the 78-year-old Argentine pope was coming to the country on Jan. 15-19, seemingly endless meetings and preparations for the papal visit started.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia could not say how far the CBCP has gone in the preparations, “but the essential elements are in place. The people have been assigned and committees have been made.”

The CBCP is preoccupied with the liturgical preparations, the pope’s transportation, his meals and the place where he will stay.

Malacañang, for its part, is ensuring the security of Pope Francis. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said that 95 percent of the national government’s preparation is centered on security.

Pope Francis will arrive on Jan. 15 at 5:45 p.m. at Villamor Air Base. He is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Aquino at Malacañang and make a day trip to Tacloban City and Palo town in Leyte, areas devastated by the Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

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1.For the Fallen 44

After the horrific failed attack and the fate that was met by the fallen 44. Mourns still filled the hearts of the families of these brave men. As the news broke out worldwide, fellow policemen and soldiers give out their condolences and their salutes for these brave men. At the same time this attack should never have happened. If the attack wasn't ordered, these brave men would still be holding their families close to them, see their children grow up and get married but now, they lay at rest. There shall be no more suffering, and there shall be no more pain, for these brave souls have done their duty. Or as the ones that fell before them would say, " Rest easy.. you're with us now. " 

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The Disappearing Act

Almost every street child that roamed the area suddenly disappeared as the Pope arrived in the Philippines. A lot of people were baffled by the sudden disappearance of these children, most of course were glad that they weren't disturbed nor bugged by the street children. However authorities have clarified that they were taken to Nasugbu, Batangas. Personally this was a wise decision, it was a good chance for them to be oriented about a lot of things, especially those that has families.  However with the side of those waiting for the Pope, they were happy that there were no street children around to ask for food, money, and other things.. as painful as it sounds some of these children also resort to thievery and other things, sometimes even creating conflicts with people. People also said, " why not just give them permanent homes? " which is understandable. A lot of people think that they just disturb the peace in the mainland, some even thinks that they should be round up and send to one place where they can raise their homes, raise their own live stocks and such without bothering the city much. 

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A memorable quote from Pope Francis. With this simple quote comes a very deep message, there is nothing to be gained in a war but death. It's true that some countries liberated through means of war. As harsh as it sounds, but it is true.. that violence is a part of human nature. Even the most kindest and nicest people have a tendency to use violence if angered. It was always wrong for a person to take another person's life. However war is a very sensitive topic to discuss as it has brought upon freedom to countries, much like the Philippines. But at the same time there are wars that have been started not for the betterment of one's country, but for one's selfish purpose.  War is truly a suicide of humanity, many young men and women get killed following orders from higher ups. A lot of soldiers are tortured and executed doing what was told. Soldiers were meant to be ones that protects their country, not to take another. Soldiers weren't meant to serve the people, not to occupy lands for one person's greed. War may have brought upon freedom, but for me.. war only ended the lives of a lot of good men and women.  " If we don't end wars, wars will end us. "  - H.G. Wells 

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The Papal visit in the Philippines was surely an event to remember. Streets were closed down and heavily guarded by policemen who await the Pope's arrival. Starting from the airport, the people had started to celebrate already for the Pope's arrival. The smiles on the people's faces really proved their excitement for the Pope. Pope Francis to be fair is a fresh is a very passionate man, a lot of people love him for his open-minded mindset about things, he meant change.. and he is really dedicated in keeping the faith of the people strong.  Personally, I wasn't able to see him due to some family gatherings that had happened, but a friend of mine told me all about it. Everywhere you can see big screens of his visits to places like Tacloban and such. One can only assume that the people in Tacloban felt at peace and felt so safe when his holiness had visited their city that was hit multiple times by strong typhoons for the past year. My friend had also described as a " man with a true smile ". He really does care for the citizens, he's not doing this because he has to.. he's doing what he does because he wants to, and he means well. He is true welcome here in the Philippines.  He has a lot of faith, the fact that he wants to travel in the Pope mobile without the bulletproof glasses means a lot. He wanted to be in touch with the people. People had waited for so long, their feet aching, their stomachs grumbling, and their skins wet from the rain that had poured down, but everything was worth it when they were able to see the Pope, they felt so relieved, they felt so happy, the long wait was definitely worth it. 

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On Thursday, the celebration at the Luneta has started where the Black Nazarene from Quiapo becomes accessible for a larger crowd of devotees to kiss and touch. This is known as the “pahalik”. The famous church, known for the miraculous black image of the genuflecting Christ with the cross on His shoulder, had gained popular devotion throughout the archipelago. The church received the papal blessing of Pope John Paul II as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in 1987. The annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene’s arrival in Quiapo church is a partnership of the Church with government and various NGOs. This collaborative effort is crucial in ensuring a peaceful and meaningful observance of the feast for the majority of the faithful and the devotees as well. Reports say that over 3,500 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were deployed to secure the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Meanwhile, Manila Mayor suspends all classes (public and private schools) for this day. Source: http://www.thesummitexpress.com/2015/01/livestream-feast-of-black-nazarene-mass-procession-2015-now-available-video.html

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The visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January 2015 kept the Catholic church on its toes during the last six months of 2014.

After Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle announced on July 29 that the 78-year-old Argentine pope was coming to the country on Jan. 15-19, seemingly endless meetings and preparations for the papal visit started.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia could not say how far the CBCP has gone in the preparations, “but the essential elements are in place. The people have been assigned and committees have been made.”

The CBCP is preoccupied with the liturgical preparations, the pope’s transportation, his meals and the place where he will stay.

Malacañang, for its part, is ensuring the security of Pope Francis. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said that 95 percent of the national government’s preparation is centered on security.

Pope Francis will arrive on Jan. 15 at 5:45 p.m. at Villamor Air Base. He is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Aquino at Malacañang and make a day trip to Tacloban City and Palo town in Leyte, areas devastated by the Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Being one with victims of calamities is one of Pope Francis’ main reasons for visiting the country.

Pope Francis is also scheduled to hold two public masses, one near the Tacloban airport on Jan. 17 and another in Rizal Park on Jan. 18.

Authorities are expecting to have a hard time securing the pontiff. Pope Francis likes to get close to the people. In one instance, he made an unscheduled stop along the road to kiss a sick person and shake the hands of onlookers.

During his visit to the country, the holy father will be using an open and non-bulletproof popemobile to show to the people that the Catholic Church is open and accessible to all.

Authorities have likened the papal visit to the procession of the Black Nazarene, where people are expected to try to climb the barricades and scramble to get close to the pope. Source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/01/04/1409249/yearender-catholic-church-busy-preparing-papal-visit