A young boy holds a Pope Francis doll outside the presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila on Friday during a welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis. Photo: AFP

Pope Francis says he has come to the Philippines to help the poor, but the country's biggest businesses and multinationals are also cashing in with a not-so-subtle hijacking of his image.

The pontiff is the most trusted figure for many in the Philippines, where 80 percent of the nation's 100 million people are Catholic, and this week's trip has generated a marketing frenzy for "Brand Pope".

Images of a smiling Francis are splashed on towering billboards and full-page newspaper advertisements, stamped with logos of McDonald's, Pepsi, Hyundai and myriad big local companies.

Gerald Bautista, a marketing strategist for 20 years who runs his own consulting firm in Manila, said putting the pope and a brand together has a hypnotic effect on consumers in the Philippines.

"He has no negative attributes, (and) gives 100 percent benefits in terms of credibility and integrity," Bautista told AFP. "They (consumers) would subliminally think that the brand is good. Subliminally, it influences their choice when they go to a supermarket."

Local luxury department store Rustan's rolled out a two-page spread on the day of his arrival Thursday, with its logo on the shoulder of the 78-year-old pontiff.

A yellow ribbon, a symbol of allegiance to President Benigno Aquino and his late mother Corazon, who was an icon of democracy in the country, was also pinned on the pope's collar.

The yellow ribbon appeared to be digitally manipulated, with a presidential spokeswoman telling AFP she was not aware the pope had worn the pin.

Next to the pope were photos of a spread of ornate jewellery with the pontiff's image for sale, including a champagne pearl bracelet.

The ad also reminded readers that a former ambassador to the Vatican owned Rustan's, masquerading its promotion as a "welcome" message to the pope.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which is organising the pope's five-day trip, said it was unfazed with the pope's image being used for commerce.

Asked if it was proper to profit from the pope's image, conference spokesman Bishop Mylo Vergara said the decision to do so was "really up to" the businesses involved.

The conference has in fact signed on some of the Philippines' biggest companies as official sponsors for the tour, allowing them to place their brands on welcome banners erected throughout Manila.

Francis would frown upon blatant usage of his likeness to sell products, according to Andrea Tornielli, coordinator for the Vatican Insider website in Rome.