By Mariela Angella Oladive
The Archdiocese of Jaro will formally install Archbishop-elect Midyphill Billones as its 14th archbishop in a Eucharistic celebration on April 2 at 9 a.m. at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News.
Billones, who has served as auxiliary bishop of Cebu since 2019, will succeed Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on February 2. Lazo, 76, has led the archdiocese since 2018 and will remain in the community as archbishop emeritus.
Billones’ appointment marks a homecoming, as he was ordained a priest in Jaro nearly 29 years ago. The Vatican announced his selection on February 2, coinciding with the feast of Our Lady of Candles, the patroness of Jaro and Western Visayas.
Born in Panay, Capiz, Billones studied Philosophy at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Iloilo City and completed Theology at the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City, where he also earned a master’s degree.
He was ordained a priest on October 2, 1995, and later served as personal secretary to former Jaro Archbishops Alberto Piamonte and Angel Lagdameo.
In 2011, he completed a Doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Before his appointment as auxiliary bishop of Cebu in July 2019, Billones served as rector of St. Joseph Regional Seminary in Jaro. He was ordained bishop on August 27, 2019, at Jaro Cathedral.
A day before Billones’ installation, the archdiocese will also celebrate Lazo’s 50th anniversary of priestly ordination.
Lazo was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Jose de Antique on April 1, 1975. He was appointed bishop of Kalibo in 2003, where he served for six years before transferring to San Jose de Antique in 2009.
As archbishop of Jaro, Billones will oversee Iloilo City, Iloilo province, and Guimaras.
The Archdiocese of Jaro is one of the largest ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the Philippines, known for its rich Catholic heritage and deep devotion to Our Lady of Candles.
