MANILA — Pope Leo XIV on Monday appointed Bishop Abel Apigo of Mati as the new archbishop of Davao, accepting the resignation of Archbishop Romulo Valles.
Valles, who turned 75 in July, reached the mandatory retirement age for bishops. He led the Archdiocese of Davao for about 14 years.
The pope accepted Valles’ resignation on Nov. 9, the same day he named Apigo as his successor.
Valles celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination in April. Before his appointment to Davao, he served as bishop of Kidapawan from 1997 until 2006, when he was named archbishop of Zamboanga.
He also served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from December 2017 to November 2021.
Apigo, 58, studied philosophy and theology at St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary of Mindanao (SFX-REMASE) before being ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Davao on April 18, 1994.
He served as a parish vicar at San Pedro Cathedral from 1994 to 1996 before pursuing further studies in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2000.
Upon returning to Davao that year, he held various positions at SFX-REMASE, including professor, dean and vice rector.
He became rector of the seminary in 2006 and was later appointed episcopal vicar for the clergy of the archdiocese in 2014.
Pope Francis appointed Apigo bishop of Mati on Feb. 10, 2018. He was ordained a bishop on April 24 that year and installed as the diocese’s second bishop the following day.
No date has been announced yet for his installation as the fifth archbishop of Davao.
