Official Declaration of St. Paul of the Cross Parish in Marikina City as a Minor Basilica

            Last October 26, 2025, I attended the official declaration of the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Paul of the Cross in SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City—within the Diocese of Antipolo—as a Minor Basilica. The parish had submitted its petition to the episcopal conference last year, on the occasion of the 330th birth anniversary of St. Paul of the Cross (1694–2024) and the 50th anniversary of the parish (1974–2024). During its meeting on November 27, 2024, the Permanent Council approved the endorsement of the petition to the Holy See for the elevation of the diocesan shrine and parish to the rank of Minor Basilica.

The main altar

The side altar on the left facing the altar

The papal chair and the ombrellone which are signs of a minor basilica. 

The side altar to the right facing the altar. 

The parish also has a pontifically crowned image of the Our Lady of Fatima. The coronation was done last May 12, 2024.

The Papal Nuncio delivering his homily during the celebration. 

The Papal Nuncio, Bishop Stud Santos of Antipolo and the Shrine Rector Fr. Vicentico Flores. 

The official decree proclaiming the Diocesan Shrine and Parish as a Minor Basilica being handed by the Papal Nuncio to Bp. Santos of Antipolo.

The Shrine Rector and parish priest Fr. Vicentico Flores giving his words of thanks. 

The church was filled with church goers during the official declaration as a Minor Basilica. 

The belltower is a free standing structure in front of the church. 

Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City and the MSPC Pastoral Conference

From October 20 to 23, Archbishop Garcera, the incoming CBCP President, invited me and two of my confreres from the CBCP Secretariat to accompany him to the 18th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference (MSPC) held in Iligan City. It was an extraordinary experience to witness firsthand the life of the Church in Mindanao—home of the country’s pioneering Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs)—as it now seeks to deepen synodality in its pastoral practice and way of being Church.

Each diocese sent ten delegates, composed of the bishop, a number of  priests and religious sisters, and lay leaders. During one of the breaks, we took the opportunity to visit the Maria Cristina Falls, a landmark long associated with Iligan City, which is also known as the "City of Majestic Waterfalls." Providentially, one of the delegates was a former plant manager of the Agus Hydroelectric Plants, a series of six plants running from Lake Lanao down to the Maria Cristina Falls, where the Agus VI and VII Hydroelectric Plants are located.

We learned that the Maria Cristina Falls had only reopened to visitors last August after having been closed since March 2022, with access limited to ten visitors per day, coordinated through the Iligan City Tourism Office.  On the day of our visit, one of the turbines was under repair, and because of our scheduled visit, the flow of water cascading down the falls was temporarily increased. Normally, since much of the water is diverted to the turbines, the volume of the falls is reduced.

Aside from viewing the falls from the designated vantage point, our host also took us inside the hydroelectric plant, where he explained how power is generated from the tremendous energy of the flowing waters—a fascinating encounter with both the beauty of creation and human ingenuity.

The gushing water in the foreground comes out from the turbines, which produce electricity, as the water is diverted from the falls themselves. 

The control room of the Agus VII Hydroelectric Plant

Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel
Iligan City, Lanao del Norte

Bp. Rapadas, the bishops of Iligan giving his talk about BEC during the MSPC Pastoral Conference

With Fr. Romil Baring, CSSR, the Chaplain assigned to the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City which is the main campus of MSU and Msgr. Ramonito Torres the Vicar General of Marawi. After visiting the Maria Cristina Falls we proceeded to visit the MSU. 

The residence and Chapel of the chaplaincy of the Mindanao State University in Marawi. 

Fr. Romil with the help of students of MSU prepared lunch for us at the Chaplaincy. 

Some of the destroyed buildings, remnants of the Marawi siege in 2017.

There were still some galvanized sheets on the roof the last time I visited the destroyed Cathedral of Marawi. 

A carved okir, which is a Maranao inspired art can still be seen on both sides near the altar.

Pontifical Coronation of the Virgen sang Barangay in Bacolod City

              Last October 16, 2025, I was privileged to witness the Pontifical Coronation of the sacred icon of the Virgen Sang Barangay at the Cathedral of San Sebastian in Bacolod City. The solemn celebration was led by Apostolic Nuncio Charles John Brown, joined by several bishops from across the country and a great multitude of faithful who came to honor the Virgin, long venerated as the spiritual mother of countless Filipino families.

The devotion to the Virgen Sang Barangay began with Antonio Gaston, a deeply devout Catholic and former mayor of Bacolod. During a serious illness, he turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary for healing, promising to dedicate his life to spreading her message of faith and renewal. Upon his recovery, he and Henry del Castillo founded the Barangay Sang Birhen movement in Cadiz, Negros Occidental, in 1949. The organization grew rapidly, promoting the integrity of the family and the moral and spiritual renewal of Filipino communities, reaching over two million member families by 1959.

In 1954, Gaston, with the guidance of Bishop Manuel Yap, sought an image that would embody the Blessed Mother’s beauty and Filipino identity. After several failed attempts, the final painting was created in 1955 by Crisogono Domingo, an inmate of the Santa Barbara Leprosarium, who prayed earnestly for divine inspiration before beginning his work. The resulting image deeply moved all who saw it, and on October 16, 1954, Msgr. Emmanuel Yap gave it his canonical blessing, proclaiming it “a work of art and inspiration.” This date became the Feast of the Virgen Sang Barangay.

The original image, restored in 2024, is now enshrined at the San Sebastian Cathedral, where the faithful continue to gather in prayer. After its Episcopal Coronation on March 25, 2025, the icon was granted the singular honor of Pontifical Coronation on October 16, 2025, marking a new chapter in the enduring story of a devotion that has shaped the faith of generations of Filipinos.

 

The Apostolic Nuncio with Bp. Pat Buzon of Bacolod and two women in native dresses.

The Virgen sang Barangay image is the motif of the chasuble of the Apostolic Nuncio.

The facade of the Bacolod Cathedral

Upon entering the Cathedral, I noticed that it has undergone some embellishments since the last time I visited it in 2021. 

The Apostolic Nuncio crowning the icon. 

The side altar with the image of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

The newly renovated altar of the Bacolod Cathedral

The flooring of the whole church has also been changed with Machuca tiles. 

The other side altar with the Blessed Mother and the child Jesus. 

The altar table has now a baldacchino over it. Before, there was a half canopy under the tabernacle. Now the canopy was moved forward to cover the altar table.