Tacloban

Organisers had warned him to cancel the 2015 open air mass in Tacloban as the weather had worsened.

His plane - codenamed Shepherd One - returned to Manila safely from Tacloban the next day, despite the stormy weather.

But with his mass in Tacloban - along with his informal, down-to-earth manner and calls for justice - Pope Francis won particular affection among the Philippine's 80 million Catholics.

The mayor of Tacloban City, in the Eastern Visayas region, told constituents last week to prepare emergency kits, store food and “most of all, don’t forget to pray to the one above.”

Baluyut and Leano’s group has since expanded to include chapters in Tacloban, Davao, Surigao del Sur, Iligan, Zamboanga and the couple’s base in Los Baños, roughly 30 miles south of Manila.