Pope Francis (right) wears a plastic poncho as he waves to well wishers after a mass in Tacloban on January 17, 2015. Pope Francis will spend an emotional day in the Philippines on January 17 with survivors of a catastrophic super typhoon that claimed thousands of lives, highlighting his concern over climate change. AFP PHOTO [FILE PHOTO]
MANILA– House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday paid tribute to Pope Francis following the pontiff’s death, remembering him as a compassionate leader who served as a “guiding light in times of darkness” for many Filipinos.
“It is with a heavy heart that I join the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, whom we in Leyte — and across the Philippines — lovingly called ‘Lolo Kiko’,” Romualdez said in a statement.
Romualdez recalled the Pope’s visit to Tacloban in 2015, just over a year after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated Eastern Visayas region, saying it showed the pontiff’s compassion and solidarity with those suffering.
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Pope Francis dies at age 88
“I will never forget how he came to Tacloban in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, when our people were suffering beyond words,” he said. “He braved the storm, stood with us in the rain, and spoke not just as a leader of the Church, but as someone who truly felt our pain.”
Romualdez said the Pope’s visit gave strength and hope to the survivors of one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded.
“His presence alone gave us strength. His words reminded us that even in loss, we were not alone. That God had not abandoned us,” he said.
He said the beloved pontiff is a profound loss not just for Catholics, but for people of all faiths who found strength and solace in his words and deeds.
“The world has lost a great man. But the kindness, the wisdom, and the deep compassion he shared with us will never fade. Lolo Kiko may have left this earth, but his spirit will live on in every heart he touched,” Romualdez said.
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Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre, for his part, described the Pope’s passing as a deeply emotional loss.
“It feels like we’ve lost not just a pope, not just the head of the Catholic Church, but a father, a shepherd. Someone who made faith feel personal again. And now, in this moment of loss, we feel orphaned,” Acidre said.
Acidre noted the timing of the pope’s passing on Easter Monday as a symbol of spiritual significance.
READ: Pope Francis in PH: A look back at his 2015 trip to Manila, Leyte
“He died on Easter Monday — the very day we remember how the Risen Christ first appeared to the women at the tomb. A day that speaks of life overcoming death, of sorrow turning into joy,” Acidre said.
He described Pope Francis as a leader who “reformed the Church not with grand declarations, but with quiet conviction.”
Acidre also recalled the 2015 Tacloban visit as a defining moment.
“That grey, stormy day in January 2015… the skies were dark, the winds fierce, the pain still fresh. And yet, he came,” Acidre said. “Soaked by the rain, unbothered by the storm, he stood with us in the middle of our suffering.”
“He didn’t give a long speech. He didn’t need to. His presence alone was the message. His tears were a prayer. His embrace, a blessing,” he added.
Pope Francis died early Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, said the pope had “returned to the house of the Father” and praised his “example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus.”(PNA)
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