A new bishop has been appointed to a Metro Manila diocese that includes parts of Quezon City.
Pope Francis on Friday appointed Claretian Fr. Elias Ayuban Jr as the new bishop of Cubao, the first missionary priest to take on the role in the 21-year-old diocese.
The bishop-elect will replace Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, whose resignation was accepted by the pope when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Ongtioco, the first bishop of Cubao, was installed on the same day the diocese was canonically erected in August 2003.
Ayuban has been the provincial superior of the Claretian missionaries in the Philippine Province since 2019. The province’s current structure includes missions in Australia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
At 56, Ayuban will be the second Filipino Claretian to become a bishop. He follows Bishop Leo Dalmao, who is the current shepherd of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan.
The first prelate of Basilan, the late Bishop José María Querejeta, was also a Claretian, but he was of Spanish descent.
Born in Parang, North Cotabato, Ayuban made his religious profession on May 5, 1991, and was ordained priest on March 9, 1996.
He previously served as an official at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Ayuban holds a doctorate in canon law and has taught at the Claretianum in Rome.
Since 2022, he has also served as co-chairperson of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP).
