POPE Francis described as “beautiful” one of the popemobiles he used in his visit to the country in January. The vehicle, a customized Isuzu D-Max, was donated by Filipino company Isuzu Gencars Inc. of the Cabangon family.
On October 14 a new popemobile will be turned over to Pope Francis at the Vatican during a special audience with its donor, the Cabangon family, headed by Isuzu Gencars Inc. Managing Director D. Edgard A. Cabangon.
The vehicle, which was airlifted to Rome, Italy, on June 30, is the second popemobile to be donated by the company. It was manufactured and delivered to the Holy Father with the help of the Almazora Group. The original Isuzu popemobile the pope used is currently being kept at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.
“We consider it a great privilege and a blessing to be asked to build the popemobile. We were able to serve His Holiness, and while doing so, we also proved that Filipinos are capable of building world-class vehicles,” Cabangon said.
Cabangon will be joined to the Vatican by his mother, Bienvenida A. Cabangon; his brothers J. Wilfredo and D. Arnold; sister Dominga Cecilia, and Benjamin V. Ramos, president of BusinessMirror—Isuzu Gencars’s sister company in the ALC Group—in the historic turnover. Customized with the help of Almazora Motors, the Isuzu D-Max popemobile was designed with the security and comfort of Pope Francis in mind.
The two-cab vehicle was converted into a single cab to make room for the pope’s chair and additional seats for his companions.
A shield made of plexiglass was placed in front to protect the pope from the elements. Sturdy railings were attached to the sides of the vehicle for the pope and his security personnel to hold on to while in transit.
The pope’s emblem emblazoned with a banig design adds a Filipino touch to the car. The chair is made from Italian leather with red carpet imported from Italy.
Pope Francis met and personally thanked the Cabangon family for the first Isuzu popemobile during the Encounter with the Youth at the University of Santo Tomas during his Apostolic Visit in January. “This is a beautiful car,” the pope said to Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, the patriarch and founder of Isuzu Gencars. Impressed by the quality of the popemobile, Pope Francis requested another one to be brought to the Vatican so he can use it in going around and meeting the people.
This request was granted by the Cabangons, wasting no time in making the necessary arrangements for the customization of another Isuzu D-Max vehicle.
Msgr. Chibuike Onueaghala, counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, said that because of the popemobile’s simple yet innovative and practical design, it is now being imitated by other countries in making their own popemobile.
“It is a blessing po, that the popemobile you made and donated to the Holy Father is now being used as a model in other countries,” Onueaghala said in an e-mail sent to Ambassador Cabangon Chua in March.