So, Pope Francis is going to grace the Philippines with a Pastoral visit in a few short days time. The question is, how will he be getting around? Popes traditionally went around using an armored popemobile, but Pope Francis is the down-to-earth type--he wouldn’t like being paraded down the street in an armored aquarium and prefers to travel unarmored.
A “Traditional” Unarmored Popemobile
Pope Francis' “New” Unarmored Popemobile
Traditionally, the Pope drove around in an enclosure-less vehicle; but following an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981 at St. Peter's Square, security was understandably tightened. The Philippines, as we all know, is a predominantly Christian/Catholic country and many will be wanting to go and see the man whom their faith declares to be the representative of God on earth. Such an unarmored popemobileis likely going to be a security nightmare for the Swiss Guard.
The Swiss Guard
I’m really curious to see what kind of vehicle will be used to transport the Pope. But have you ever wondered what car was used to transport Pope St. John Paul II when he visited the Philippines in 1995?
The Anfra
1995 was the heyday of the Francisco Motor Company (FMC) was still doing well and was manufacturing an Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV) it called the Anfra (short for Anastacio Francisco). This was a decent little wagon. It used a Mazda 1.3 gasoline engine, body on frame, rear wheel drive. It had a very uninspired design though and most were two door variants. But it was decent and successful for a car of its type.
The Anfra
I say it was successful because there was at least one Filipino company that bought the Anfra as a fleet vehicle, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), I still see remnants of the fleet making the rounds every now and then.
The PLDT Anfra
The FMC Anfra is an AUV developed under the auspices of the Commercial Vehicle Development Program of the Department of Trade and Industry in the early 1990s. At the time, FMC was:
[O]ne of the largest and only locally owned manufacturer and assembler of vehicles in the Philippines, with over 60,000 units sold. It further expanded into the assembly and distribution of small engine displacement cars under license from Fiat of Italy. As the contract with Fiat expired, FMC tied up with Hyundai of Korea to assemble and distribute Hyundai-brand cars and vans.
Sadly, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 sealed FMC’s fate like the JAKA Tower in Makati.
The Hulking Remnants of the JAKA Tower
A tower of shattered dreams and wasted effort
Though it may make a comeback. Will FMC?
The Anfra Popemobile
Back to 1995, FMC produced this beauty for the Pope’s visit. A news report states that it was “custom built for the late Pope John Paul II's visit to the Philippines in 1995. The six-wheel vehicle features a 250hp Mazda engine; foot plates for the Swiss Royal Guard; and an enclosure protected by 4in-thick laminated glass furnished by local car armorer CTK.” And in addition, it was designed in the Vatican.
Understandably this car is now a museum piece and will not be used for the upcoming visit. Besides, the plate says “JOHNP” and not likely to have been registered for use on the road. [JUST KIDDING!].Footnote 1
'Tis truly a shame that the good Pope will not get to ride in a car made by a company that shares his name, Francisco.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the visit of Pope Francis is a very solemn event and we must all, Christian or not, be ready to humble ourselves and try to learn from this man who has inspired millions with his humility and openness.
It is also sad to see what was once a large and proud automobile manufacturer bite the dust. The failure of FMC is really just one of the many failures our country’s automotive industry experienced and will be the topic of a future article. So unlike in 1995 when the Pope could experience parading in the Philippines in a Filipino automobile, 20 years on, in 2015, that is unlikely.
I'll leave you with a report from ABS-CBN News on the state of the Francisco family and this special Anfra today.
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