Pinoy delegates to World Youth Day arrive in Spain

Hundreds of Filipino delegates to the World Youth Day (WYD) celebration have arrived in Spain, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. A report on the CBCP website said the Filipino delegates who arrived on Tuesday night encountered some travel problems such as lost luggage and language barrier because majority of the Spaniards do not speak English. Delegates from Malolos (Bulacan) diocese led by Fr. Angelito Santiago lost their luggage en route to Madrid, the report said. The residents of Sta. Maria de Gracia parish in the Diocese of Coria-Caceres lent the Filipinos clothes and gave them food, toiletries, and other essentials. The Filipino WYD delegates will be staying in the next few days in the Diocese of Coria-Caceres, some 400 kilometers away from Madrid where the WYD celebration will be held from August 16 to 21. Some 2,000 Filipino youths are expected to participate the WYD festival in Madrid. Out of the 2,000 delegates, the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) will head a delegation of 387 registered pilgrims representing Catholic schools nationwide and youth organizations in the parochial and diocesan levels. "After more than 20 hours of air travel, the pilgrims endured four more hours of land travel to their different host parishes. ECY-PHL delegates were divided into four clusters primarily for their assigned host parishes," the CBCP said. Communication problems According to the CBCP report, many delegates find it difficult to communicate with locals who speak little or no English. They admitted having to use Internet-enabled gadgets to communicate with the locals. "Hindi sila marunong mag-English. Buti na lang at may mga kasama kaming marunong magsalita ng Espanyol pero napakonti lang. Kaya pag may wifi, nagbubukas agad kami ng translator via Internet. Para magkaintindihan lang ," the CBCP report quoted delegate Jed Vargas as saying. Spanish culture The CBCP said the delegates had a firsthand taste of Spanish culture there, including a tour around the pueblo (municipality) while riding in a train-like cart. They also visited a museum where they saw an antique house that dates back to the 19th century. The delegates also saw in another museum replicas of "el tesoro de Aliseda" or antique gold ornaments used by Spanish people. The delegates also watched a bull fight in Mata de Alcantara on Tuesday, the CBCP said. Meanwhile, delegates from Malolos, Bulacan attended a noon Mass at the parish of Sta. Maria de Gracia for the feast day of San Lorenzo. - VVP, GMA News