Pope Francis appointed Bishop Nolly Buco as the new shepherd of the Diocese of Catarman on Friday.
Buco is currently the auxiliary bishop of Antipolo and the apostolic administrator of Catarman.
He had been overseeing the northern Samar diocese since December 2023, following the resignation of Bishop Emmanuel Trance due to health reasons.
The 60-year-old will be the third bishop of Catarman since it became a diocese nearly 50 years ago, on Dec. 5, 1974.
Buco’s appointment was announced in the Vatican at 12 noon, or 6 p.m. in the Philippines. Friday also marks the 31st anniversary of his priestly ordination.
Ordained a priest for Antipolo in 1993, the canon law expert has served the diocese in various capacities, including as its judicial vicar.
In July 2018, he was named auxiliary bishop of Antipolo and was ordained to the episcopate on Sept. 8 of the same year.
In the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Buco serves as head or judicial vicar of the National Tribunal of Appeals, a body that handles marriage nullity cases in the country.
