ITALIANS are known to be among the world’s leading manufacturers of top-of-the-line vehicles; yet, they liked the popemobile that was customized by Filipino car dealer Gencars Inc.
The popemobile, a customized Isuzu D-Max donated by Gencars Chairman Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, was so loved by the Roman pontiff that he sought for it to be delivered to the Vatican.
“Vatican sent me a letter asking for the popemobile. We are just waiting for the paperworks,” Cabangon Chua, a former envoy to Lao People’s Democratic Republic, said in a phone interview.
He revealed that his company, together with Almazora Motors Corp., will donate a total of three popemobiles to the Catholic
Church. “We will donate a total of three popemobiles, as sought by the archdiocese of Manila. We will give another one identical to the white popemobile, which will be sent to the Vatican together with a black version that would trail behind the white one. The original popemobile used here will be sent to the Papal Nunciature,” Cabangon Chua said.
His encounter with Pope Francis was a humbling experience, the 80-year-old businessman recalled.
“It’s a privilege to serve, to donate something for the Church, for the Holy Father,” Cabangon Chua, who also sits as the founder of the BusinessMirror, said.
The Roman pontiff went to the Philippines last week, officiating Masses and meeting with Filipino families that were devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) in 2013.
Aside from the popemobile from Gencars, the Roman pontiff also used two other vehicles to ferry him around Tacloban and Manila. “This is a testament that Filipinos have something to be proud of: top-of-the-line vehicle makers liking a Filipino-customized popemobile,” Cabangon Chua said.