A new parish priest has been assigned to the Catholic community in Gagalangin, located in Manila’s Tondo district.
The appointment of Fr. Douglas Badong as the new pastor of St. Joseph Parish comes more than four months after the former parish priest was removed from his role by Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila.
Fr. Badong has served as the parish priest of Nuestra Señora De La Soledad Parish on Camba street, located in between Tondo and Binondo, since October 2022.
In a statement released last June 6, the archdiocese announced the suspension of Fr. Alfonso Valeza from all priestly faculties due to his “persistent defiance” of the archbishop.
The decision also followed an incident in which Valeza was caught on video in a heated argument with retired Bishop Antonio Tobias of Novaliches, who was tasked to lead the archdiocese’s Commission on Clergy Concerns.
The altercation occurred when Valeza refused to comply with Advincula’s order to undergo counseling.
For the past few months, Advincula had administered the parish through a team ministry led by Fr. Reginald Malicdem, who is also the archdiocese’s vicar general.
Fr. Badong’s new appointment will officially take effect on Nov. 4.
