Sorsogon’s retired prelate left a legacy of wisdom, kindness

Sorsogon Bishop Emeritus Arturo Bastes —Photo from CBCP News

MANILA, Philippines — Sorsogon Bishop Emeritus Arturo Bastes, a vocal critic of different sociopolitical issues across administrations but most especially during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, died on Sunday, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. He was 80.

Catholic priests and lay leaders in Sorsogon, in separate posts on Sunday, mourned the loss of a well-loved prelate who led the diocese for 17 years.

“May his commitment to spreading the Gospel be an enduring inspiration to us all. We honor his memory as a faithful shepherd who guided his flock with wisdom and kindness,” La Divina Pastora, a religious group, said in a Facebook post.

The Diocese of Sorsogon, in a separate announcement, said Bastes died around 6:30 a.m. at his brother’s house in Cainta, Rizal.

Born in Loboc, Bohol, on April 1, 1944, Bastes was ordained a priest of the Society of the Divine Word in 1970. In 1997, Pope John Paul II named him as bishop of Romblon, and in 2003 as bishop of Sorsogon.

He retired as bishop of Sorgoson at the age of 75 in 2019 and was succeeded by Bishop Jose Alan Dialogo.

He spent most of his last days in Bohol’s Dagohoy town and had usually spent occasions with the Diocese of Talibon, also in Bohol

Bastes, fondly called Bishop “Nonoy,” was known for his strong positions on national issues, such as the reproductive health law and the government’s support for the mining industry.

He also gained infamy among fans of international superstar Lady Gaga when he called for the boycott of her concert in 2012, saying her songs were blasphemous and “her attitude seems to promote godlessness [and] offensive to any religion.”

A critic of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, Bastes declared in 2017 that a complaint against the President would put a stop to “the continuous and seemingly condoned violation of human rights” in the country.

The bishop called Duterte “out of his mind” twice: In 2017 for threatening to abolish the Commission on Human Rights, and in 2018 for urging the people to kill what he called “stupid” and “useless” prelates.

“This is worrisome coming from a psychotic mind. He is sick and a megalomaniac,” Bastes had said of Duterte.

Kind to the needy

Bastes also criticized Duterte in 2019 for firing then Vice President Leni Robredo as his antidrug czar barely three weeks after accepting the post. He also opposed Duterte’s proposal to declare martial law to curb rebel attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Maria Russel Guab, 34, the former secretary of Bastes, said his passing was a great loss for the Diocese of Sorsogon “because he was a great scholar,” kind, and “made everyone around him feel they were a family.”

“The diocese has lost an excellent, talented, and knowledgeable father,” said Guab, who worked closely with Bastes for five years.

She told the Inquirer that she learned to open her heart to others because of the late prelate: “When people didn’t get help from the social action [center], they were going to the Home for the Clergy, where the bishop lived before. That’s something I was able to imitate from him.” —with a report from Clarence Roi Gillego