ILOILO CITY — A major leadership transition is underway in the Catholic Church in Western Visayas after Pope Leo XIV appointed Jaro Metropolitan Archbishop Midyphil Billones as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental.
Billones will temporarily oversee the Kabankalan diocese following the transfer of Bishop Louie Patalinghug Galbines to the Diocese of Bacolod, leaving Kabankalan awaiting the appointment and installation of a permanent bishop.
The appointment was made public by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Aug. 14, 2026, following an Aug. 11 letter from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops.
The move places Billones in charge of both the pastoral and administrative affairs of Kabankalan while the Vatican proceeds with the process of selecting a new diocesan bishop.
Why Billones was tapped
The Diocese of Kabankalan is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Jaro, which means it belongs to the ecclesiastical province headed by the Jaro metropolitan archbishop.
The Archdiocese of Jaro includes the dioceses of Bacolod, Kabankalan, San Carlos and San Jose de Antique.
Billones’ appointment therefore provides continuity within the ecclesiastical province at a time when two major diocesan leadership changes have taken place in Negros Occidental.
As apostolic administrator, Billones is expected to ensure that the diocese continues its pastoral, administrative and spiritual work while Catholics in Kabankalan await a permanent shepherd.
The Archdiocese of Jaro welcomed the assignment and called on the faithful to pray for Billones and for the future bishop of Kabankalan. Panay News reported that the archdiocese expressed support for the archbishop as he assumes the additional responsibility.
Galbines’ transfer triggered the transition
The leadership change began when Pope Leo XIV transferred Bishop Louie Galbines from Kabankalan to Bacolod.
The Vatican formally announced the move on May 14, 2026, accepting the resignation of Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon and appointing Galbines as his successor.
Galbines had been appointed bishop of Kabankalan in March 2018 and received his episcopal ordination in May of the same year. Before becoming a bishop, he served in several leadership positions in the Diocese of Bacolod, including rector of Sacred Heart Seminary and vicar general.
His transfer to Bacolod created a vacancy in Kabankalan, prompting the Vatican to designate Billones as apostolic administrator while the search for a permanent successor continues.
A familiar figure in Western Visayas
Billones is no stranger to the region’s Catholic leadership.
Before becoming Jaro’s metropolitan archbishop, he served as auxiliary bishop of Cebu. He was appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Jaro in 2025.
His new assignment effectively gives him responsibility for an additional diocese within the ecclesiastical province.
For Kabankalan Catholics, however, the appointment remains temporary.
The central question now is who Pope Leo XIV will eventually name as the next bishop of Kabankalan.
Until that appointment is made and the new bishop is installed, Billones will serve as the diocese’s caretaker, maintaining continuity in church governance and pastoral ministry.
What happens next?
The appointment of an apostolic administrator does not mean Billones has become the permanent bishop of Kabankalan.
Instead, his role is to guide the diocese during the vacancy and help ensure that its religious and administrative activities continue normally.
The Vatican will ultimately announce the permanent successor to Galbines.
For now, the Catholic community in Kabankalan faces a period of transition — with Archbishop Billones carrying the added responsibility of shepherding the diocese while the Church awaits the next chapter in its episcopal leadership.
And with two major diocesan changes already reshaping Catholic leadership in Negros Occidental, attention is now turning to Rome: who will be chosen as Kabankalan’s next bishop?
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