Pope appoints new Daet bishop

Fr. Andrew Alarcon, the new bishop of Diocese of Daet. (Photo courtesy of CBCP News)

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Andrew Alarcon as the new bishop of Diocese of Daet in Camarines Norte, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced on Wednesday

Alarcon, 47, is the fourth bishop of the diocese, succeeding Fr. Gilbert Garcera who vacated the post after being appointed as the archbishop of Lipa, Batangas in April 2017.

Born in Daet, Alarcon was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Caceres in 1996 after he took up philosophy at the Holy Rosary Major Seminary in Naga City and theology at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.

He served as parish vicar in the parish of Saint John the Evangelist in Naga and educator at the minor seminary from 1996 to 1997.

From 1997 to 1999, he served as private secretary to the archbishop. He then obtained his licentiate in Church history at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy in 2001.

After he returned from Rome, Alarcon became a lecturer at the Holy Rosary seminary, director of the stewardship program of the Caceres archdiocese, superintendent of the Naga Parish School and president of the Catholic Association of Education.

He has served at the office of superintendent of the Catholic schools of Caceres, member of the college of consultors, and spokesman for the same archdiocese since 2013.  /muf