[8] In a pastoral letter dated July 7, 2014, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines announced the theme of the papal visit, "A Nation of Mercy and Compassion.

"We're touching base with so many allies to ... identify any threat whatsoever coming from any direction," then-President Benigno Aquino III commented on the coordination efforts.

Part of the Light Reaction Company, which received training assistance from the United States, and extra military armored assets were deployed during Pope Francis's mass at Luneta.

During John Paul II's visit devotees had rushed into the streets slowing down or stopping the pope's motorcade, which the concrete barriers were meant to forestall.

[17][18][19] For 15 minutes, which started at 5:30 pm PST, all Catholic churches around the country rang their bells to signal the Pope's arrival, as directed by the Bishops' Conference head Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan.

The students danced to the tunes Piliin Mo ang Pilipinas sung by Angeline Quinto, Kapayapaan by Tropical Depression, and Sayaw ng Pagbati.

[22] The pope rode a "close and more formal" Volkswagen Touran to the Malacañang Palace, rolling down the window to wave to people waiting to have a glimpse of him.

He went to Malacañang as the head of state of the Vatican and had a courtesy call with then-President Benigno Aquino III, also meeting diplomats and officials at Rizal Memorial Hall.

The pope also called on Filipinos "at all levels of society to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man, woman, and child in the life of the community.

[24] Before Mass, he and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle met privately for about fifteen minutes with street children served by the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation.

[29][33] In his homily, the pope highlighted the role of the Catholic Church in addressing the issues of inequality and injustice and leading the Philippine society from the "confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage, and family."

The attendees led by Manila Archbishop and Cardinal Luis Tagle welcomed the pope and related the history of the cathedral, which was rebuilt numerous times after being destroyed by natural and manmade calamities, showing the resiliency of the Filipino people.

In addition, 300 people from the poor sector were selected by Caritas Manila and filled the center of the arena directly facing the pope.

Among those present were:[48][49] After the meeting, Pope Francis circled the university in the popemobile and then met with about 24,000 youth representatives gathered at Santo Tomas Field.

[51][52] Pope Francis attended a leave-taking ceremony at the Presidential Pavilion in Villamor Air Base, with a sendoff by then-President Benigno Aquino III, his Cabinet secretaries, and a number of Catholic bishops, before flying back to Rome.

With the declaration of special non-working holidays in Metro Manila on January 15, 16 and 19, the economy was expected to experience lost revenue of millions of dollars.

According to a study by the Makati Business Club conducted in 2014, non-working holidays generally cost the electronics industry ₱1.2 billion (US$26.7 million) per day, citing figures from SEIPI.

While the holiday declaration is not nationwide, workers wanting to see the pope will take leaves, adding labor cost strains to businesses.

[54] President and CEO of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Hans Sicat, made calls to the government to halt the addition of holidays as lesser trading days.

[55] Stockbroker Wilson Sy, who manages the Philequity Fund, said that while the papal visit had minimal direct monetary benefits, it caused investors to be "reminded" about the country.

He noted that the Philippine Stock Exchange Index closed at 7,490.88 on January 14, a record, described by economic analysts as a "papal rally" reflecting the positive outlook of local and foreign investors.

[56] Philippine police authorities were reported to have rounded up street children, some as young as five years old, around Metro Manila and sent them to detention centers alongside adults.

Regarding The Manila Reception Action Center which was a subject of the report by numerous international news outlets throughout late 2014, and again in relation to the pope's visit, Soliman said that the DSWD was facilitating the closure of the facility.

[62] The then-President Benigno Aquino III's speech at the Malacañang Palace during his courtesy call with Pope Francis turned out to be controversial, drawing mixed responses from netizens.

Aquino criticized the local Church for its inaction against the "past administration's abuses" which was interpreted as a reference to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He noted that many speeches made by Aquino since his presidency referred to the previous administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and how he inherited some issues left by his predecessor.

During the Mass, rainfall soaked the communicants and made it difficult for the priests and extraordinary ministers to administer Communion, especially to the farthest reaches of the park.