Jose Corazon Tala-oc was born in Tagas, Tangalan, Aklan, on June 16, 1950. He completed his elementary and secondary education in Tangalan before pursuing philosophical studies at St. Pius X Seminary in Roxas City until 1975. He later studied theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1979.[3][4]
Priesthood
Tala-oc was ordained as a priest on April 9, 1979, for the Diocese of Kalibo.[3] His early ministry included serving as an assistant parish priest in Ibajay, Aklan from 1979 to 1980 before becoming the parish priest in Nabas, Aklan, a role he held for twelve years from 1980 to 1992. From 1992 to 1994 he was the dean of theology and treasurer of Aklan College, and from 1994 to 1997, he served as parish priest of Saint John the Baptist Cathedral Parish in Kalibo, Aklan. In 1997, he was appointed rector of the Sto. Niño Seminary, a position he held until 2001, when he was subsequently appointed vicar general of the diocese.[1][2][4]
His involvement in diocesan initiatives extended to biblical education, where he served as the director of the diocesan Biblical Apostolate from 1980 to 1988 before resuming the position in 1992. In addition, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of Aklan College from 1992 to 1993 and served as a member of the Board of Consultors of the Diocese of Aklan from 1993 to 2003.[1][2][4]
Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, he was the vice-chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs from 2013 to 2015.[2] He was also the vice chairman of the Commission on Indigenous Peoples from 2019 to 2025.[6][7]
Advocacy
Bishop Tala-oc is a strong advocate for environmental protection, social justice, and disaster response, addressing key issues in his dioceses. As Bishop of Romblon, he opposed large-scale mining operations, warning against their environmental and social consequences, and urged people to be “faithful stewards of creation”.[3] After his transfer to Kalibo, he continued his advocacy by opposing reclamation projects in Caticlan and casino operations in Boracay. In a pastoral letter dated September 17, 2021, he urged national and local leaders to reject casino establishments, warning they could undermine moral values and lead to gambling addiction and social exploitation.[8][9][10]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
