Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, Manila Bay to the central-south, Bataan to the southwest and Zambales to the west. Its capital is the City of San Fernando. Angeles City is the largest LGU, but while geographically within Pampanga, it is classified as a first-class, highly urbanized city and has been governed independently of the province since it received its charter in 1964.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their territory through apostolic plans, programs and projects suited to the circumstances of time and place in accordance with law for the promotion of the greater good offered by the Catholic Church to all people.
As part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Catholic Church in the Philippines, or the Filipino Catholic Church, is under the spiritual direction of the Pope. The Philippines is one of the two nations in Asia having a substantial portion of the population professing the Catholic faith, along with East Timor, and has the third largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. The episcopal conference responsible in governing the faith is the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Oscar Valero Cruz, was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. He was the Archbishop of Lingayen–Dagupan in Pangasinan, Philippines, from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.
Eduardo "Among Ed" Tongol Panlilio is a Filipino former Roman Catholic priest and Governor of Pampanga from 2007 to 2010. He was suspended from his priestly duties upon announcing his intention to run as governor. He was elected governor in May 2007 in a three-way race against incumbent governor Mark Lapid and provincial board member Lilia Pineda. In February 2010, following a recount of votes due to an election protest, the Comelec ruled that Lilia Pineda had won the 2007 election over Panlilio.
The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (Black Nazarene), popularly known as Quiapo Church and canonically as the Saint John the Baptist Parish, is a prominent basilica in the district of Quiapo in the city of Manila, Philippines. It is the home of the Black Nazarene, a dark statue of Jesus Christ said to be miraculous. The basilica is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila under the Vicariate of José de Trozo and its current rector is Rev. Fr. Rufino C. Sescon, Jr.
Randolf "Randy" Siongco David is a Filipino journalist, sociologist, and public intellectual. He is a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He currently pens a weekly newspaper column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, as well as being as one of the board of directors of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation.
The Archdiocese of San Fernando is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Pampanga, Philippines which has territorial jurisdiction over the whole province of Pampanga and Angeles City. The archdiocese is also the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of the same name, which also include three dioceses of its surrounding provinces of Bataan, Zambales, and Tarlac. The cathedral church and seat of the archdiocese is the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Pampanga). The Virgin Mary, under the title Virgen de los Remedios, is the principal patroness.
Romulo Geolina Valles, is the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Davao in Davao City, on the island of Mindanao, Philippines and the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines since December 1, 2017. He was the former archbishop of Zamboanga before being appointed to the Davao see.
Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura Villegas O.P. is a Filipino prelate, and a professed member of the Dominican Order, He is the current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan, and is the former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, from December 1, 2013 to December 1, 2017, when he finished his second and final term as president of the said conference. He was also the vice president of the episcopal conference from 2011 to 2013.
The Diocese of Kalookan is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines which comprises Malabon, Navotas, and the southern portion of Caloocan.
Honesto "Nes" Flores Ongtioco is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first and only Bishop of Cubao, and also served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Malolos from May 12, 2018 to August 21, 2019.
2017 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2017.
The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines is the executive head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
Oscar David Albayalde is a retired Filipino police officer who served as the Chief of the Philippine National Police from April 2018 until his optional retirement in October 2019.
Mylo Hubert Claudio Vergara is a Filipino bishop of the Catholic Church. He is the second and current Bishop of Pasig since 2011, Vice President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines since 2021, and the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of San Pablo since 2023. He had previously served as the third Bishop of San Jose from 2005 to 2011.
The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines is a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philippines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan.
The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines was a quincentennial observed in the Philippines. It was held from April 4, 2021, to April 24, 2022, to commemorate the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines in 1521 when the Magellan expedition made a stopover in the islands.
Roberto Calara Mallari is a Filipino bishop of the Catholic Church who serves as bishop of the Diocese of San Jose in the Philippines.
In December 2022, Harriet Demetriou a devotee of the Vatican unrecognized Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace apparition filed a criminal case against exorcist priest Winston Cabading for offending religious feelings a violation under the Revised Penal Code. This complaint was made over his prior statements referencing the Marian apparition in a conference and an online show which the complainant is convinced to be a mockery against the devotion.
