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ILOILO CITY — Pope Francis has appointed Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Midyphil Billones as the new archbishop of Jaro, marking his return to the archdiocese where he was ordained as a priest 29 years ago.
Pope Francis announced Billones' appointment at the Vatican City on Sunday, Feb. 2, coinciding with the Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles).
Earlier in the day, the archbishop-designate presided over a Mass at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral in celebration of the feast.
Billones, 55, succeeds Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis after nearly seven years of service. Lazo, now 76, had surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 75.
The appointment comes just days after the installation of former Cebu Auxiliary bishop Ruben Labajo as the first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur.
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With Billones taking over in Jaro, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who turns 75 in March, will now be without an assistant bishop.
Billones is the 14th archbishop of Jaro and will be overseeing the archdiocese in the city and province of Iloilo and Guimaras.
He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Jaro on Oct. 2, 1995, where he served in various capacities, including as personal secretary to former archbishops Alberto Piamonte and Angel Lagdameo.
Before being named auxiliary bishop of Cebu in July 2019, Billones served as the rector of St. Joseph Regional Seminary in Jaro. He was ordained as a bishop on Aug. 27, 2019, at the Jaro Cathedral.
